From Alpha to Omega, An Introduction to Classical Greek, Rev Third Edition [Paperback]

Anne H. Groton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 158510034X | ISBN-13: 978-1585100347 | Publication Date: April 1, 2001 | Edition: Third Edition, Revised

From Alpha to Omega is a Classical Greek grammar textbook of fifty lessons with readings beginning with Aesop. Answer Key contains answers to all exercises. The exercise text provides additional exercises, additional explanatory material and answer keys for all exercises in the ancillary text. Online audio files of vocabulary and exercises are available for the first half of the text, developed by David Nye, Calvin College.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For the first year long course in ancient Greek where courses emphasis grammar. Fifty lessons covering all aspects of grammar, words lists, Greek-to-English Glossary, English-to-Greek Glossar, other appendices. Fifty lessons covering all aspects of grammar, words lists, Greek-to-English Glossary, English-to-Greek Glossar, other appendices.

About the Author

Anne Groton is Professor of Classics, Department Chair, and Director of Ancient Studies & Medieval Studies at St. Olaf College. She is the author of several articles on ancient drama and two popular textbooks including "From Alpha to Omega: A Beginning Course in Classical Greek," published by Focus. She received the American Philological Association's Award for Excellence in the Teaching of the Classics in 1995. Past President of the Classical Association of Minnesota and a former Trustee of Eta Sigma Phi, the national Classics honor society, she is currently Secretary-Treasurer of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South.

Product Details

• Paperback: 520 pages
• Publisher: Focus Publishing/R. Pullins Co.; Third Edition, Revised edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158510034X
• ISBN-13: 978-1585100347
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looking forward to 4th Edition, November 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: From Alpha to Omega, An Introduction to Classical Greek, Rev Third Edition (Paperback)

As a first year Greek student I base my opinion of this text not on my expertise in the language but on my use of the text itself.

I have no complaints about the content of the text; it seems reasonably paced and thoughtfully developed.

My two critiques (I hope contructive in anticipation of the 4th edition)are thus:
1. The text still contains typos (including within the Greek paradigms) that I am surprised to find in a third edition.
2. The formatting of paradigm tables (particularly in the appendices) leaves something to be desired. The content is complete but they could be laid out better. I suspect that formatting has been compromised for the sake of space. My own opinion (speaking chiefly as a spreadsheet fanatic) is that it would be worth killing a few more papyri for the sake of tables that are intuitive to look at. I would gladly incur the necessary extra cost.

I recommend this text but sincerely hope a 4th edition is in the works.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imperfect, in a Grace Jones sort of way, January 12, 2007

By 

James W. Picht (Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From Alpha to Omega, An Introduction to Classical Greek, Rev Third Edition (Paperback)

"From Alpha to Omega" is an introduction to the classical Greek of Athens (Attic). I'm using it in conjunction with Pharr as I attempt to study Homeric Greek. There are some differences in the dialects, but I like Groton's text because it provides explanations that are relevant to Homer's Greek, and I find the layout much easier to navigate than Pharr's. The book is very good either as a primary text in classical Greek or as a companion to a text in Homeric Greek.

This text was recommended to me by a colleague in Classics who loaned me hers. I liked it enough to buy my own. It isn't a perfect text by any means. It is far more detailed than is needed or wanted by most students of Greek, and I'd hate to have to cover the entire thing in two semesters. I have a fairly good language background, but unless I were a Classics major or were taking no other courses, I'd be overwhelmed by it. A teacher who wants to attract students from other majors into a few semesters of Classics should definitely use a different text.

I think Groton's text is very good for the student who has considerable language experience, or the person like me who can't remember the whats of a language without a thorough grasp of the hows and whys. It's also good for the student who wants to continue studying Greek beyond the first year. If your interest doesn't extend beyond a basic course, this text will likely be a frustrating overload.

This text isn't perfect, but it's perfect for me. Whether it's perfect for you depends on your learning style, your language experience, and your expectations for continuing with Greek. Whether it's perfect for you or not, I strongly recommend buying "From Alpha to Omega: Ancillary Exercises" (Jon Bruss) to go with it. Because Groton's text is detailed, so are the ancillary exercises. You don't have to do all of them, but they really will help you understand and remember the material in the text.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Less here than meets the eye, December 10, 2003

By 

Elizabeth Farmer (North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Alpha to Omega, An Introduction to Classical Greek, Rev Third Edition (Paperback)

Groton has been our class textbook through Greek 100 and, so far, half of Gr 200. At the start we were very enthusiastic about it, especially those of us who learned Latin from Wheelock, but after a while.... The book is similar to Wheelock's Latin, but much less accessible. The layout is dreadful (particularly the appendices). Ms Groton tells us far more than we need (or want) to know about some things: digammas, thematic vowels, quantitative metathesis and so forth. But more importantly, the readings are inadequate and the exercises will drive you nuts: Is it really useful to know how to say "Either have I now made clear who the stranger is, or shall I also announce what name he has?"?

If you are using Groton, get the Ancillary Exercises as well. They're a big help. You might also get the Loeb Xenophon and try to read it with a lexicon. The point after all is to learn to read greek.