It certainly helps to have a teacher to ask when there are things you don't understand. In principle, though, you should be able to do self-study with these kinds of books. But if you do that, you will probably also want to use web resources to assist in your study (online dictionaries, etc.)
If you are hesitant to hire a teacher, just get one of those books and try a self-study regimen, and see how it goes for you.