Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek Book I [Paperback]

Maurice Balme (Author), Gilbert Lawall (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195149564 | ISBN-13: 978-0195149562 | Publication Date: March 13, 2003 | Edition: 2

Combining the best features of traditional and modern methods, Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek, 2/e, provides a unique course of instruction that allows students to read connected Greek narrative right from the beginning and guides them to the point where they can begin reading complete classical texts. Carefully designed to hold students' interest, the course begins in Book I with a fictional narrative about an Attic farmer's family placed in a precise historical context (432-431 B.C.). This narrative, interwoven with tales from mythology and the Persian Wars, gradually gives way in Book II to adapted passages from Thucydides, Plato, and Herodotus and ultimately to excerpts of the original Greek of Bacchylides, Thucydides, and Aristophanes' Acharnians. Essays on relevant aspects of ancient Greek culture and history are also provided.

New to the Second Edition:
* Short passages from Classical and New Testament Greek in virtually every chapter
* The opening lines of the Iliad and the Odyssey toward the end of Book II
* New vocabulary and more complete explanations of grammar, including material on accents
* Many new exercises and additional opportunities for students to practice completing charts of verb forms and paradigms of nouns and adjectives
* Updated Teacher's Handbooks for Books I and II containing translations of all stories, readings, and exercises; detailed suggestions for classroom presentation; abundant English derivatives; and additional linguistic information
* Offered for the first time, Student Workbooks for Books I and II that include self-correcting exercises, cumulative vocabulary lists, periodic grammatical reviews, and additional readings

Editorial Reviews

Review

"My students and I have both enjoyed using this text. The readings are fun, and the integration of reading, grammar, and cultural materials is remarkable, far above anything in any other elementary Greek or Latin text."--George Houston, University of North Carolina

"Excellent. Makes the ancient Greek language 'come alive' to the modern student."--Liane Houghtalin, Randolph-Macon College

"An enjoyable text to teach from. The presentation of grammar is logical. Students really can cope with a Greek text after this."--Robert W. Sawyer, Hiram College

"The only Greek text I know that I can imagine being used successfully in high schools as well as in colleges....The Classics community owes Maurice Balme, Gilbert Lawall, and the Oxford University Press a large debt of gratitude for producing this very useful text."--The Classical Outlook

"This extensively revised and expanded version includes many of the features of the original, but is much more stylishly produced and a great deal easier to read....Well worth looking into."--JACT Review

"I am using these texts [Athenaze and the OLC] and the students love them. They like the idea of being able to read immediately....I will continue to use these publications in my courses."--Sr. M. Regina Pacis, OSF, Franciscan University of Steubenville

"Excellent. The students enjoyed using it and became quite competent readers. I think it will make the transition to actual texts much easier."--Eva Stehle, University of Maryland

"I have taught Classical Greek from many other grammars in many different places, but Balme and Lowell's Athenaze is far and away the best of them all."--Howard Jackson, Pomona College

"We were especially attracted to the continuously developing story sequence, which teaches culture and history together with grammar and syntax. Our course is intensive, so we will do 26 chapters in 15 weeks."--Victor Udwin, University of Tulsa

"Excellent, comprehensive and well-supported work."--Bruce R. Marino, Valley Forege Christian College --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 359 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (March 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195149564
• ISBN-13: 978-0195149562
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beware edition change, September 18, 2005

By 

Rib Roast (Oven, Montana) - See all my reviews

The "Teacher's Handbook" includes translations of readings and answers to the exercises in the "Athenaze An Introduction To Ancient Greek" textbook. If you're planning on self-study the Handbook is a critical book to have and use.

But beware edition confusion. The current Athenaze textbook is the SECOND edition, published in 2003.

The Handbook listed at Amazon, published in 1989, is for the FIRST edition. The exercises have changed. Be careful not buy the first edition Handbook to use with the second edition text.

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The Athenaze set is a bit easier than the Reading Greek alternative. But the truth is, if you spend a half hour a day with either one, you'll have fun and make real progress. The secret is not the book, it's putting in the time.

Be sure to get:
1. Athenaze, An Introduction To Ancient Greek - the main text
2. Teacher's Handbook - with translations of the readings, and answers to exercises
3. The Athenaze Workbook -- drill and practice

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous introduction to Attic Greek, June 19, 2000

By 

Paul V Caetano - See all my reviews

This review is from: Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek: Book I (Paperback)

I found this book an excellent introduction to Attic Greek. People who want to become professors in the Classics might prefer other texts, but Athenaze is an admirable book for those who simply want to acquire some reading knowledge of ancient Greek. Athenaze succeeded well at that important task of making language learning interesting. I found that the reading selection was substantially more interesting than other introductory language books which I have used (albeit in other languages). Since I used this book for self study and not as part of a professor taught course, I felt that the engaging nature of the book was especially important. The grammatical explanations were lucid and well designed to build upon each other as the lessons progress. While these explanations might not give the full story, a beginner would get lost and discouraged if too much grammar is thrown his way.

119 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Greek tutor does not recommend..., January 4, 2005

By 

Katie K (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek Book I (Paperback)

I was a Greek tutor for a student using this book, although I learned myself 3 years ago from a different textbook. I don't recommend this one because it has a very confusing format. The book jumps around too much. It introduces difficult concepts (like middle voice) very quickly to beginners while they are still struggling with the basic noun and verb endings. The Greek paragraphs don't come with translations, and the trivia about culture and mythology buries the important information. It's very easy to overlook important concepts hidden in the middle of a busy page. Also, the book never presents helpful charts for quick-reference... instead students have to rift through the pages every time they need an ending. I ended up copying tons of material from my old Greek textbook for my tutoree because she couldn't find what she needed in the Athenaze book. My student isn't alone in having trouble with the book; her professor has decided to switch texts for next semester because Athenaze doesn't give students what they need to be proficient. This book appears to be a fun way to learn ancient Greek, but it's too disorganized for a serious student who actually wants to learn the language.

I recommend L.A. Wilding's "Greek for Beginners" (edited by C.W. Shelmerdine) instead because of its clear format that presents information up front, its Greek-to-English and English-to-Greek sentences, the interesting end-of-chapter longer readings, and (especially) the amazing charts at the end of the book that I am STILL using 3 years later because they are so quick and easy to reference.