Customer Reviews

Learn to Read Latin

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
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Despite the resurgence of popularity of Latin in high schools and colleges, materials for learning real classical Latin have not always been satisfactory. Too often the student has been left with a serious shock when s/he moves from elementary into intermediate and advanced Latin. Keller and Russell's "Learn to Read Latin" solves that major problem in Latin pedagaogy. In fact, a highly motivated student who successfully completed this entire 15-unit course could aspire to enter an advanced level Latin course, entirely bypassing the usual "intermediate" level. How does this book manage to do that? For starters, the vocabulary notes actually explain the nuances of meanings found in authentic Latin texts. The chapters often include supplements on such things as Roman names, the scansion of Latin poetry, archaic forms found in certain authors, even the colloquial Latin greetings and interjections so frequent in Roman comedy. While most elementary Latin courses are very far removed from the world of real Latin texts, Keller and Russell's volume embraces it. Some may complain that the book is too hard (as if Latin is "easy" to master)...but with appropriate pacing for the level (high school, college, intensive work, self-study), this book should be usable by any aspiring Latin student. Unlike many modern textbooks, the book is beautifully printed and bound. As a professor of classics, I can't see how there are any other choices now for elementary Latin in serious competition with this course.

Finally, a text book worthy of the language! Learn to Read Latin is the best Latin textbook out there, and don't let stodgy traditionalists or snake-oil salesmen tell you differently. LEARN TO READ LATIN prepares students quickly to read real Latin with its excellent grammatical excercises and explanations. Nearly every chapter has actual passages of real Latin that students can read with little assistance. Most people learn Latin TO READ LATIN. As obvious as this may seem, most of the textbooks out there don't prepare students young or old for the ultimate reward of reading Latin authors in their original text. Texts like Ecce, Oxford, and Cambridge prepare students for nothing else but to read made up stories using the most obscure vocabulary. The greatest folly in modern Latin pedagogy is the attempt to mimic the instruction of modern foreign languages. Students may delight in learning how to say "fork" or "kitchen" in Latin, but when will they encounter these words in Caesar or Cicero? NEVER. If you are interested in mastering Latin, BUY THIS BOOK!

This is the book that my university chose for new students to use. I think it has worked well for most people. A quick note though, if you plan to carry this book around with you (if you are a student) GET THE HARDCOVER. I have yet to meet a second year student whose paperback is not in two(2) completely seperate pieces.

I recommend this book to fans of Wheelock and Moreland & Fleischer. It has all of their virtues, and few of their flaws; in addition there are countless unadulterated extracts from Latin texts.

The book is concise and easy to follow. The text moves in a logical sequence and offers great guidelines to facilitate learning. My only complaint is that the book is in two parts, and this was not made very clear to me when I purchased the book(s), since after ordering what I though was a single text, I received only Part II. Additionally, there seems to be a workbook necessary to practice the language, if a student is not using the text in a classroom.

At college I studied during 3 years Latin. I wanted a refresher on Latin and was looking for a book that would teach me Latin. I read some good reviews here on Amazon concerning that book. So I decided to buy "How to read Latin" with the accompanying workbook.

I started to read the book. OOOOPSS ! The pace is too fast ! The learning curve is too steep ! What's that ?

I had been caught by the title. I thought it was a book for beginners for learning Latin. The title is misleading ! The proper title should have been: " Latin Grammar and vocabulary ". That is what it is. Nothing else.

If you don't have a reference Latin grammar, this is a good book for you. It is an excellent grammar full of exceptions etc. But this is not a textbook for learning Latin.

Moreover, this book is not for a beginner. It is for the advanced student. It is an advanced grammar, not a grammar for beginner! It is a listing of all grammatical rules with all their exceptions ! You won't find here anything related to the learning process. Before buying this book, be aware of the following:

1) This is a grammar, not a textbook.
2) This is a reference book, not a learning book !
3) This grammar is an advanced one, not one for beginners.
4) This book is very tedious and terse.
5) No pedagogical skills: you'll find this sentence every time a new topic is introduced: "MEMORIZE THESE ENDINGS THOROUGHLY, PROCEEDING FIRST DOWN THE SINGULAR COLUMN AND THEN DOWN THE PLURAL COLUMN. BE PREPARED TO RECITE THESE ENDINGS QUICKLY". You now see the style of that book: like an old fashioned book written in 1885.
6) The layout of this book is very similar to the one used in "A Primer of Ecclesisatical Latin". A grammar section followed by a vocabulary and notes on the vocabulary. But here, the vocabulary comes first. Morevover,it has the same fast pace as found in "A Primer of Ecclesisastical Latin".

I rarely write reviews on book. But I had to do it. I bought this book 2 months ago. After a couple of weeks, I realized that I had been caught by the misleading title and the misleading reviews here on Amazon concerning that book. So I ordered "Lingua Latina" by Hans Orberg and now I am happy.

If you really want to read classical authors right from the start, I recommend "Essential Latin" from G.D.A. Sharpley. This book is an excellent book for beginners who want to read classical authors.

Latin always mystified me, until I took Dr. Keller's course and subsequently studied this exceptional book. Enlightening, avoids pedantry, very relevant, very cool. A dead language? Far from it! READ THIS BOOK! Latin rocks!

He comprado varios libros para aprender Latin y creo que este es uno de los mejores. Muy completo, muy conciso.

An Excelent Book.