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Teach Yourself Beginner's Latin Package (Book + 2cds) (Teach Yourself: Language) [Paperback]

George Sharpley (Author), Sharpley George (Author), D. A. Sharpley G. (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Get Started in Latin [With Paperback Book] (Teach Yourself: Language) Get Started in Latin [With Paperback Book] (Teach Yourself: Language)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 3 Com/Pap edition (April 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0071424539
  • ISBN-13: 978-0071424530
  • Product Dimensions: 24.3 x 15.8 x 4.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 384,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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80 of 81 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy addition 13 Sep 2008
By E. L. Wisty TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Amazon Verified Purchase
Despite Latin not being widely studied any more these days, it seems that there are more introductory Latin books and courses around than you can shake a stick at, and no guide for the perplexed to help make a choice. Most courses suffer from an approach of almost giving the impression that Latin was confined to a relatively small geographical area (Italy) over a relatively small period of time (mid 1st Century BC - mid 1st Century AD), trotting out dry bits of Cicero and Caesar and bombarding with declension tables. This approach may still have been considered fine in public schools of half a century ago preparing kids to run the British Empire on a late Republican model, but is likely to put many people today off for life.

Fortunately this book takes a somewhat different approach. The main teaching text is a constructed story specifically designed for beginners, set in an English monastery of the 9th century, against the backdrop of the threat of Viking attacks. Big declension tables are largely confined to the appendix for reference rather than overwhelming the beginner; individual considerations of declension are brought up as and when they are needed. Also, even though Latin is not much used as a spoken language, having the CDs available to hear and practice speaking the language is a huge boon for anyone doing self study (slightly oddly, given that the teaching story is set in the 9th century, the chosen pronunciation is presumed classical, albeit stricty speaking the accuracy of some pronunciation used may be a bit debateable - see Vox Latina).

Don't be put off by the "beginner's" tag, or the "teach yourself" brand which can sometimes seem a bit basic. Though you will need to move on to something a bit more sophisticated after completing this to progress your study, it's probably the best initial introduction to Latin I have seen - a worthy addition to the number of courses available.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely THE best book for beginners 5 Jan 2010
By J. Scott TOP 100 REVIEWER
When I decided that I'd like to learn Latin, I initially spent a small fortune on books: All the way from Minimus (for young children) to the hopelessly unwieldy Reading Latin; and everything in between.

Just as I was about to give up, I found this. It gave me my first real grip on the language and made me feel that it was possible for even someone like me to make *real* progress in Latin.

The chapters are short and simple. It has pictures! It's funny. And best of all, it comes with 2 CDs. These contain (in nicely dramatised form) the various episodes of the story that runs through the book - a story set in a medieval monastery, with Viking raids, mystery, and even a hint of romance. Great fun!

Each chapter (and relevant section of the CD) also includes quotes from 'real' Latin authors. Even though these are initially incomprehensible, they're a wonderful way to hear the 'music' of good Latin.

As a beginner's book, some topics are carefully avoided. The subjunctive form of the verb, for example, is just *barely* touched on - just enough to give you some idea what it's used for.

Like too many books in the TEACH YOURSELF series, the quality of the binding leaves a bit to be desired, and the book will probably fall apart if not treated kindly.

In spite of this, it's just SO good that I'm giving it 5 stars, and would give it more if I could.

My personal pathway into Latin (having wasted a small fortune in my quest) started with this book. Then I moved on the the (also wonderful) So You Really Want to Learn Latin trilogy. I've just finished the final book of that set (which will take you to GCSE level), and I'm happily reading short Latin stories, and just about to make a start on WINNIE ILLE PU
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102 of 109 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The idiots guide to learing a language 16 Aug 2005
By "alexemo"
Having bought this initially for my partner (she's a student teacher) I decided to have a go myself. To be honest it isn't really simple but if you read it properly and listen to the cd it all falls in to place? Remember the old Janet and John books? Well, this course has a similar feel. You read a story and then translate it yourself. try it for yourself and see how easy it can be, after all latin isn't a dead language. If you speak fluent english you will find this infinitely easier as latin is the root of a lot of our words. French and German speaker will find it easy too!
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