Customer Reviews

Cicero: Pro Caelio

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Although this commentary on one of the most interesting and enjoyable of Cicero's speeches for the modern reader is heavily slanted to the needs of US students for Advanced Placement Latin, it is nevertheless a great introduction to the speeches of Cicero for anyone learning Latin anywhere. There is a lot of help with grammar and vocabulary, and the methodical way in which the structure of Cicero's periods (long, involved sentences) is explained is particularly clear and helpful. The introductory sections giving the context and historical background to the speech are reasonably comprehensive without being unduly detailed. The notes draw fairly heavily on Professor Austin's Oxford University Press commentary, to which reference is made on more detailed points. However, Austin's edition is for the more learned. For anyone still in the Latin learning process, this book is much more accessible.

On the downside, the commentary does not cover the whole speech. Lines 620 to 892 (about a quarter of the whole) are completely without notes or vocabulary, which is probably not a problem for Advanced Placement students, but disappointing for everybody else.

This book contains all of the Cicero required for the AP Latin Literature. It says in the preface that this book was designed specifically for AP students. Each section consists of about 30 lines of Latin (two or three "chapters") followed by explanation of words and difficult grammar (and some of it is extremely difficult). It is difficult to translate, but well worth it. This is the epitomy of persuasion.