Cassell's Concise Latin-English, English-Latin Dictionary (Paperback)

~ D. P. Simpson (Author)
Key Phrases: rem homini, erga deos, animi motus, Latin Alphabet, Asia Minor, Aegean Sea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The greatest name in foreign language dictionaries is Cassell, the preeminent publisher of dictionaries for over 120 years.

For fast, easy reference and comprehensive listings, Cassell's Concise Latin-English, English-Latin Dictionary is unbeatable. It contains in concise form the words most frequently used in scholarly and academic usage.

Cassell's Concise Latin-English, English-Latin Dictionary is easy to read and full of complete usage information that's simple to access. This invaluable volume, backed by the world's foremost language authority, is the most effective concise dictionary available to the Latin language.

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: Cassell's (August 4, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0020133405
• ISBN-13: 978-0020133407
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #76,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #26 in	Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Latin
  #66 in	Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Dictionaries; Polyglot

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still useful after all these years., March 17, 2002

By	Julius Caesar "caesargj" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

As a graduate student in Latin, I have nothing but praise for Cassell's dictionary. The entries are concise and helpful, and it has sections for both English to Latin and Latin to English, which makes it ideal for introductory-level courses that require student composition.

As for the reviewer who complained that it does not contain "longa" or "lata," the individual is quite mistaken and displaying his ignorance; Latin adjectives are listed under the masculines, thus "longus-a-um" is present, as is "latus-a-um."

An inexpensive and effective tool that's valuable as a quick aid for nearly all levels of Latin.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still my favorite, February 25, 2005

By	foundpoem - See all my reviews

After all these years, I still love this one. I look at it all the time. Aside from the Latin-English and English-Latin dictionaries, it has information about usage -- conjugations, declensions, what each tense is used for, examples of conjugating in every verb and declining in every noun form (including the more obscure, such as dependent and deponent verbs), etc.

It's in here. It's far more than a dictionary. If it isn't here, that means you need a straight-out usage or text book; this little dictionary goes far and above an average little dictionary. I've been using the same copy since high school and it's still next to my desk all the time. I don't even have a career related to Latin; I just love it. I love it for my own writing (in English), and simply my own edification.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good little dictionary, February 2, 2004

By	Gary Bisaga "Christian Father and Husband" (Leesburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good little Latin dictionary. It contains a variety of words used over the years, mostly focusing on classical Latin but including some from the ecclesiastical period. You can't expect to have every Latin word in here, because it's a very small format. The small format is very convenient, and the binding is good - I have used mine a great deal and the binding has held up very well.

I especially like the way they deal with variant forms of words, especially participles. They often list the participial forms of verbs separately (but under the same root verb heading, prefixed by the word "Hence"). Latin participles, of course, are very easily determined from the verbs, so it's not absolutely necessary; but the way they did it is tremendously helpful in two ways:

1. Sometimes the participle has a slightly different meaning or emphasis from the original verb. This allows them to separately distinguish the senses of the participle from the senses of the basic verb;

2. It is a tremendous boon to memorizing vocabulary. Very often, an English word has been taken almost letter-for-letter from the participle, while the original verb has not come across into English. (Example: the verb "ago" doesn't come across in English, but the participial form "agens/agent" does.) Relating the verb to the English is a great help in memorizing vocabulary.

My only real problem with this dictionary has to do with the size and printing. At this size, it is very difficult to distinguish the marks they use for long vs. short vowels. It would have been better to never mark short vowels, so you know that if it doesn't have a long vowel mark it's short. Sometimes you're left puzzling over whether a given vowel is long or short, not a good feature to have in a dictionary.

Other than this, it's an excellent book, and an excellent value.