Customer Reviews

Learn to Read Latin Workbook

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The book Learn to Read Latin is a great textbook for young Latin students. It teaches the language intuitively and moves at a steady pace which allows the student to understand the language. Conjugations, declensions, and other Latin syntax is all gone through systematically, as opposed to the confusing way that the Cambridge Course uses. The book also gives insight into, and information about, everyday Roman life through actual readings of Cicero, Sulla, and many other figures in Ancient Roman history. Lastly, I found that through the process of learning Latin, my ability to understand and use the English language was vastly improved. All in all, the textbook provides an excellent learning experience for anyone interested in learning Latin, whether on the beginner or advanced level.

OK. after one year of Latin taught by Dr. Russel, her mantra whenever we didn't understand something was to "look in the book". Ya know what, it worked. She spent summers upon summers working on that text, and the polish and plainness of the wording in the textbook really shows. It is very easy to learn out of a book that tells you exactly what you need to know, and nothing extra, even when it explains every concept descriptively enough so you understand it. Though in one year of 8th Grade Latin I've only finished the first 6 chapters, I am confident that the last six will be just as enjoyable as the first.

Learn to Read Latin certainly meets its promise of being "comprehensive". Between the book and workbook there is plenty of material for the independent learner or classroom to work with. The book and workbook are very attractive. The layout is generally quite clean, especially in paradigms and other tables. NB: The workbook is a must-buy if you want drills and exercises, as they are not contained in the textbook itself. The workbook is just as big as the textbook, and there are ample drills for every bit of grammar and vocabulary taught in the textbook. (This comes from a language learner who is always left begging for more exercises!) The workbook also contains excellent "handouts": reference sheets that the independent learner or the student can keep handy in his or her notebook. Furthermore, the workbook has its own morphology appendix and an English<>Latin lexicon identical to that of the textbook. In other words, you can do drills in the workbook even if you don't have the text handy! I really have to commend the authors on this. The only drawback is that the textbook will be a challenge if you have never learned a language before, especially if you've never had exposure to the classical languages. At times the authors go a little "overboard" with the grammatical and linguistic terms, but they do provide definites for every one. If you're looking for a light and easy introduction to Latin, you might prefer Wheelock's; but if you want a text that is mildly challenging and very thorough, Learn to Read Latin is an excellent choice. I would recommend this book for any high school or college course, and it will now be my first choice for my private Latin students!

This book will provide a lot of grammar, vocabulary and the wherewithall to read Latin. I suggest one get the workbook as well.