Latin for Reading : A Beginner's Textbook with Exercises

Rating:
Summary: An invaluable tool.
Review: I admit that I am a biased reviewer - I had Professor Knudsvig as my instructor in an Introductory Latin course at the University of Michigan. I would go on to earn a teaching certificate in Latin, as well as Mathematics, and use his text, Latin for Reading, in my first teaching assignment.

I had access to other texts - the Cambridge series, Wheelock's text, and other material - but I chose Latin for Reading as the foundation for my teaching approach. While other texts provide a greater breadth of vocabulary, extended prose, (many exercises in Latin for Reading are 2-3 sentences at most), and historical references, this text provides a fundamental and carefully constructed analytical approach to learning the grammar, syntax and semantics of the Latin language.

For those who would suggest that the exercises in this text are overly difficult, I would suggest that as opposed to other approaches to Latin study, this text, and its concepts of 'kernelling' and sentence mapping, demand an understanding of language at the most basic of levels. In fact, I would use this book as a supplement for any linguistics course.

I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: No Help
Review: This "teacher's guide" is by it's own admission a preliminary edition, would that the authors had finished what they started.
This is book is practically worthless as a compainion to "Latin for Reading". All it adds is the translation of a few of the
exercises and no guide to the overview of the rather different approach to teaching Latin that is the heart of "Latin for Readers".

Rating:
Summary: No Help
Review: This "teacher's guide" is by it's own admission a preliminary edition, would that the authors had finished what they started.
This is book is practically worthless as a compainion to "Latin for Reading". All it adds is the translation of a few of the
exercises and no guide to the overview of the rather different approach to teaching Latin that is the heart of "Latin for Readers".

Rating:
Summary: If Gradgrind taught Latin...
Review: This book is recommended for those who are more interested in charting and graphing sentences than learning Latin. The focus is primarily upon dismantling sentences and placing them on "kernal charts," with little or no emphasis on reading. The "basic sentences" frequently contain material not yet covered. It is poorly glossed. In its favor, the book moves relatively slowly through paradigms, addressing the cases as need arises. And, if one works through the book, one is likely to accidently learn some Latin. However, the same end could be reached with almost any other book. I know half a dozen other languages, and have never seen a less efficient textbook. Like Gradgrind, the authors of this text seem hellbent on making certain that learning Latin is not tainted by pleasure. Despite wonderful instructors, this book left me with a dread of approaching Latin class.