seeking Latin self-teaching book

[Jeanelle Barrett]

Wheelock's is still in print and is in its 6th edition
right now. I'll second Dr. Maberry's endorsement.
The text and accompanying workbook are very
good for a self study of Latin.

Now if I could just find the time to finish the
study I started!


At 11:29 AM 11/27/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>These are very good suggestions. I would add Wheelock's "Latin : an
>introductory course". I used it many years ago in a course where we
>basically got through most all of the grammar in one year. As I recall it
>was quite good, and I think it is still in print. If not, there are
>probably thousands of used copies available.
>
>allen
>maberry at u.washington.edu
>
>On Tue, 27 Nov 2001 pskuhlman at JUNO.COM wrote:
>
>>         One possibility is "Latin for Reading" by Knudsvig & Craig,
>> University of Michigan Press.  Order both textbook and teacher's manual.
>> It is a college level text.  The authors have thought through very
>> clearly the process of learning to approach a Latin sentence and make
>> sense of it.  Obviously learning Latin is a lot easier if you know what
>> grammatical terms such as indirect question and sequence of tenses are in
>> English, but this text certainly does not assume familiarity with them.
>>         The best beginner's Latin grammar I know is "Latin Grammar" by
>> Robert J. Henle, S.J., Loyola University Press.  A good advanced grammar
>> "Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar" by Gildersleeve & Lodge.
>>         If you are serious about learning Latin, invest in a good
>> dictionary up front.  The Oxford Latin Dictionary is very good and has a
>> clear format, but is limited to ancient Latin.  Lewis and Short's "A
>> Latin Dictionary" also published by Oxford is more useful to the reader
>> interested in both ancient and later Latin.  Both are lexicons with
>> citations from Latin authors.
>>         I recommend Cicero's letters to his friends (Epistulae ad
>> familiares, Epistulae ad Atticum)as the very best way to get a sense of
>> the language as it must have been spoken.  Shackleton Bailey did some
>> wonderful translations (out of print?) of these letters which are perfect
>> for reading after you've worked on reading a letter yourself.  If you
>> can't locate these translations, the Loeb facing page translations are
>> okay. If you can get a hold of Erasmus's "Colloquia Familiaria", these
>> are great fun and a good way to get Latin in your "ear".  (Mine is a
>> photocopy made from a borrowed book while I was living in Rome.)  How
>> else will you learn how twelve examples of "blandior salutatio inter
>> amantes"?
>>         Please feel free to have your correspondent contact me with any
>> questions.
>>
>> Patricia Kuhlman
>> Brooklyn, NY
>> pskuhlman at juno.com
>>
>> On Tue, 27 Nov 2001 11:59:02 -0500 Mark.Mandel at LHSL.COM writes:
>> > A correspondent says:
>> >
>> > >>>
>> > I have been enjoying the Latin stuff so much I am thinking about
>> > taking a
>> > class in it if I can find one.
>> > Do you know of a good self teach Latin primer if I don't find a
>> > place to
>> > take it as a class?
>> > <<<
>> >
>> > Any advice?
>> >
>> > -- Mark, now 53 years old and the joker is weird!
>> >
>>
>
********************
Dr. Jeanelle Barrett
Assistant Professor of English
Coordinator, Graduate Program in English
Department of English and Languages
Tarleton State University
P.O. Box T-0300
Stephenville, Texas  76402
Office: 254-968-9319
Fax:    254-968-9393