Teach Yourself Latin [Paperback]

Gavin Betts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0658015966 | ISBN-13: 978-0658015960 | Edition: 2

With more than 35,000 sold in its previous edition, the revised Teach Yourself Latin provides you with an introduction to Latin, perfect if you are a beginner or already have some knowledge of the language. Each clearly structured unit of the book presents new Latin grammar and passages. Selections from some of the classic Roman authors serve as additional reading material.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An enjoyable, user-friendly guide" -- The Good Book Guide 20040501 "The idea is sound and as a tuition medium it works well." -- France Magazine 20041001 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 2 edition (January 26, 2001)
• Language: Latin
• ISBN-10: 0658015966
• ISBN-13: 978-0658015960
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Latin

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Self-Teaching Latin Text, May 2, 2000

By 

"radagasty" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Latin: A Complete Course (Teach Yourself Books) (Paperback)

A person interested in learning Latin could do worse than to buy this book. I've yet to see a better book in the Teach Yourself series. It is clear, concise and comprehensive, giving a very solid foundation of classical Latin. Aimed at the independent learner, it contains everything one might need to learn the language to a very sufficient level of proficiency.

The book is divided into thirty-one chapters, each of which introduces several new points of Latin grammar, all with ample illustrative examples and notes, followed by Latin readings, i.e., Latin-to-English translation exercises. A vocabulary is provided in each of the first few chapters, and thereafter, any new words encountered will be found in the glossary at the back of the book. There are also additional revision exercises provided after every third chapter.

As far as the content is concerned, the book gives a very comprehensive coverage of Latin grammar as well as introducing copious vocabulary. It does, however, progress quite rapidly, so each chapter has to be thoroughly mastered before moving on. A key is provided for all the translation and revision exercise, a feature that is very much in its favour, particularly since the exercises tend to be fairly difficult.

Physically, the book is not badly produced. The print, whilst not especially small, is not the sharpest, although by no means unclear. However, the boldface employed is a particularly dense one, which makes it slightly harder to read. Nonetheless, this is not an obstacle to using the book.

All in all, Gavin Bett's 'Teach Yourself Latin' is a great text for learning Latin on your own. It is surprisingly comprehensive and explains the language lucidly whilst provoking thought and interest. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone embarking on the journey that is learning Latin.

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you make it through, you'll know Latin!, January 13, 2001

By 

Richard A. Weaver (lawrenceville, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Latin: A Complete Course (Teach Yourself Books) (Paperback)

"Dense" is the word that comes to mind when I think of this book. The typeset is not the easiest to read, especially the bold print. And the grammar is introduced at a demanding pace. (Which is OK; nobody said that learning had to be easy. You're definitely allowed to take your time, and absorb the material.)

The presentation of grammar follows a fairly traditional path. Each lesson introduces a large number of grammatical points, but there are plenty of examples given. Early lessons have vocabulary lists; the vocabulary for readings in later lessions must be looked up in the glossary in the back. Most critically, the answers to the exercises and translations of the readings are given in the back of the book.

Unless you have a high level of linguistic sophistication, my recommendation would be to start your study of Latin with something a little gentler (like Wheelock). But this is a great resource, and should not be missed. My suggestion would be to work through Wheelock's "Latin" (or at least halfway through), and then tackle this book. It will be a good review of the grammar you know already, you'll learn a LOT more about Latin grammar and syntax, and you'll get a great deal of practice reading some pretty tough Latin (with the translations available to check your understanding).

In summary, you might not want to START with this book, but you will definitely benefit from working through it somewhere along your path.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well structured and effective text for learning Latin, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Latin: A Complete Course (Teach Yourself Books) (Paperback)

This text is well structured and presented for anyone wishing to learn Latin. Though it is heavy on grammatical terms, the grammar glossary and frequent reading/translating practice will most definitely correct any deficiencies. The text is organised into 31 units where within each unit, aspects of vocabulary and grammar are presented. Exercises are then given at the end of each unit consisting of short authentic Latin passages. However, beginning in Unit 15, an extra reading exercise follows the regular execises. These extra reading exercises are much longer passages from various Latin authors. In addition, at the end of every three units, there is a summary exercise (these numerous exercises are what I admire most about the structure of the course!). Since Latin is no longer a primary means of world communication (a pity really!), the book is strongly geared to reading and translations (there is a short pronounciation guide at the beginning). However, this text would form a very suitable complement if one would also wish to learn how to speak Latin by purchasing a commercially available Latin language software (I have one from the Transparent language series - LatinNow!). All in all, a great text!