- Hardcover
- Publisher: Random House Reference & (12 May 1979)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679101861
- ISBN-13: 978-0679101864
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
5,809,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #37 in Books > Languages > By Language > Ancient Languages > Latin > Phrase Books
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Product Description
Review
"An enjoyable, user-friendly guide" (The Good Book Guide )
"The idea is sound and as a tuition medium it works well." (France Magazine ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"The idea is sound and as a tuition medium it works well." (France Magazine ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
This is a comprehensive introduction, equally well suited to beginners and those with some previous knowledge of the language.
The clearly structured course introduces original Latin at an early level. In each of the 31 units an explanation of new grammar is followed by Latin sentences and passages. Where appropriate, a third section either introduces you to a topic of interest for Latin studies or gives you additional reading from some of the greatest Roman authors.
There is a comprehensive section on the pronunciation of Latin and a glossary of grammatical terms which gives full and clear explanations of all the terms used in the book.
At the end of the book you will find 17 pages of verb tables, a key to the reading exercises, a 42-page Latin-English vocabulary listing and finally, a grammar index to all the structures covered - all you need to give you a comprehensive knowledge of the language.
The leader in self-learning with more than 300 titles, covering all subjects.
Be where you want to be with Teach Yourself. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The clearly structured course introduces original Latin at an early level. In each of the 31 units an explanation of new grammar is followed by Latin sentences and passages. Where appropriate, a third section either introduces you to a topic of interest for Latin studies or gives you additional reading from some of the greatest Roman authors.
There is a comprehensive section on the pronunciation of Latin and a glossary of grammatical terms which gives full and clear explanations of all the terms used in the book.
At the end of the book you will find 17 pages of verb tables, a key to the reading exercises, a 42-page Latin-English vocabulary listing and finally, a grammar index to all the structures covered - all you need to give you a comprehensive knowledge of the language.
The leader in self-learning with more than 300 titles, covering all subjects.
Be where you want to be with Teach Yourself. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For an author to to shoehorn a comprehensive Latin course for the independent learner into 400 pages is a challenge, as there is insufficient space to include enough practice material. The choice is therefore between writing a book for the complete beginner that proceeds at a fairly leisurely pace but omits detail or a more condensed but comprehensive book. Betts has chosen the latter option, so the book is fairly dense and a lot of new information is presented in each chapter. After the first few chapters, all the exercises are original Latin and are quite difficult. Exposing the student to original Latin as early as possible may be appropriate in a classroom situation where the teacher is present to encourage and explain, but the difficulty of the exercises means that the independent learner starting from scratch is likely to give up after a few chapters. The total beginner would be advised to look elsewhere. For a shorter introduction Sharpley's Teach Yourself Beginner's Latin is recommended, or for a more comprehensive introduction Wheelock's Latin with its accompanying Workbook (together with the answer keys for both, available from the publisher) and Grote's Comprehensive Guide to Wheelock, occupying a total of around 1500 pages and therefore providing sufficient practice material.
On the other hand, for someone who has already learned the basics of Latin, Bett's book provides a good revision course. As well as all the basic material, Betts explains some grammatical concepts in a slightly different way, introduces a few grammatical concepts not covered by Wheelock, and brings together some material that is rather dispersed in Wheelock.
Answers to all the exercises are given in the back of the book, but even for someone who has already worked their way through Wheelock, they are not easy.
The book is densely written, but the explanations and examples are clear. This book is therefore recommended for the more advanced independent learner who is determined to master Latin. Complete beginners are advised to look elsewhere.
On the other hand, for someone who has already learned the basics of Latin, Bett's book provides a good revision course. As well as all the basic material, Betts explains some grammatical concepts in a slightly different way, introduces a few grammatical concepts not covered by Wheelock, and brings together some material that is rather dispersed in Wheelock.
Answers to all the exercises are given in the back of the book, but even for someone who has already worked their way through Wheelock, they are not easy.
The book is densely written, but the explanations and examples are clear. This book is therefore recommended for the more advanced independent learner who is determined to master Latin. Complete beginners are advised to look elsewhere.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book very useful. Betts covers his subject in a logical, comprehensive manner, and his explanations have a lucid economy of style that reflects his thorough grounding in the classics. There is no repetition, and I suspect that the absolute beginner will need to revise thoroughly after every ten units or so. The reading exercises are varied and challenging, and are well chosen to illustrate the points covered in the relevant unit. Much of the material is original Latin, sometimes modified for clarity in the earlier units. The vocabulary at the end of the book contains several thousand words and covers all of the reading exercises and example sentences. About midway through the book the author introduces longer reading exercises. Excerpts from Vergil's Georgics, from Caesar and Lucretius (inter alia) are included, with notes to help in parsing difficult passages. Many units include an 'excursus' to illustrate points of Roman history and daily life. For the well-motivated reader prepared to approach the learning of Latin in a methodical, disciplined manner, and at a realistic pace, this is a superb learning resource. The book has one fault: in common with many other titles in the Teach Yourself series it is very poorly bound. My copy has disintegrated into a loose-leafed collection of tattered pages. What a pity it is not available in a well-bound hardback edition.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book presents the principles of Latin grammar in a logical manner, building up vocabulary at the same time, and is therefore ideal for revision purposes by those who have learned Latin before. It is clearly laid out with sufficient examples.
However, for the complete beginner learning on their own, it would be hard going. The material is presented fairly rapidly and there are insufficient exercises to consolidate learning. The author may have realised this, and there is now a companion website with additional exercises, but many readers might prefer more exercises in the book itself.
The book also requires a good understanding of grammar. Although there is a section explaining grammmatical concepts, the rapid pace of the book means that the beginner trying to learn Latin and assimilate unfamiliar grammatical concepts simultaneously is likely to become discouraged before progressing very far.
Furthermore, authors of Latin courses seem to be obsessed with introducing 'original Latin' from the earliest possible stage, and Betts is no exception. As a result, the reading exercises are quite difficult and this is exacerbated by their paucity. It would have been better to delay the introduction of quotations from original Latin until a point in the book where the reader had already learned the basics and developed more confidence.
In summary, this is a good revision course for those whose Latin is rusty. However, I can envisage few total beginners persevering beyond the first few chapters and only a beginner who is strongly motivated is likely to reach the end of this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent book
Really good book. Easy to follow and in logical grammatical order.
Brilliant for those who already have a background in Latin and also for total beginners. Read more
Brilliant for those who already have a background in Latin and also for total beginners. Read more
Published 13 months ago by mslucy619
Disappointed
The first lesson pitches the pupil straight into the complexity of latin cases, declensions etc. in one go. I was hoping for a "one step at a time approach.
Published 18 months ago by egbert
Treats you like an adult but slightly overwhelming
I like language books to progress rapidly but this is quite difficult to keep up with for a curious bginner like myself. Read more
Published on 1 July 2009 by Mrs. A. C. Eggeling
Overall Very Good
Gavin Betts makes a fairly good job of explaining a complex language here. There are a few weaknesses, firstly the purpose for many of learning latin will be involvement in church... Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2004 by Mr. O. Keenan
Excellent book but...
This is an excellent book, which I enjoyed working through. Unfortunately there are no english to latin exercises (except on the web site). Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2001
A well structured and effective text for learning Latin
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... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 1999
Fascinating.
This book has helped me learn the very basics of Latin and much more. It is marvelous because it teaches all the important stuff of this extinct language. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 1998
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