Wheelock's Latin: The Classic Introductory Latin Course, Based on Ancient Authors

Wheelock's Latin: The Classic Introductory Latin Course, Based on Ancient Authors | Frederic M. Wheelock, Richard A. LaFleur | A Solid Introduction to Latin Gammar

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Wheelock's Latin: ...

	Wheelock's Latin: The Classic Introductory Latin Course, Based on Ancient Authors Frederic M. Wheelock, Richard A. LaFleur HarperCollins, 2000 - 560 pages average customer review:based on 72 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Gateway into the Roman World

I decided to take Latin after having studied French for six years. Latin is an extremely difficult language to learn, even with prior Romance language experience. The goal of the introductory Latin sequence is to provide students with the tools necessary to read the ancient texts. This means that you will learn, for example, the perfect and present active systems in the first few weeks of the course, followed by passive, etcetera. It can take an hour or two to translate a few English sentences into Latin.
However, unlike French or Spanish, you are also translating texts of cultural importance. My professor takes the time to provide the context of the Latin passages, which are extremely interesting. The study of ancient languages is your gateway into the mind of the ancients. Latin is one of the more important languages in the history of Western civilization (if not the most important; I'll let scholars of Greek and Latin fight that battle). Wheelock's Latin provides the elementary tools necessary for a better understanding of a time and place that serves as a base for our own, and which can also prove to be rather alien to the modern mind.

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A Solid Introduction to Latin Gammar

This is an excellent introduction to Latin grammar. Wheelock's offers a lot of practice exercises that accompany each unit, which reinforce the new skill. Right now I am using this book along side of Latin Via Ovid, which offers a lot of classical readings, more than Wheelock's, in fact. Reading it is important for reinforcement of both vocabulary and grammar, so I would definately suggest to those learning Latin on their own to use both of these texts.

An Excellent Resource for those who wish to learn Latin!

This is probably the most widely used first-year Latin text, and with good reason. It's a 40 chapter cornucopia of readings and exercises, many culled from ancient authors. Starts easy, and is well-paced, but doesn't cover the subjunctive until very late in the book. Longer excerpts from classical texts and optional self-tutorial exercises (and answers) in the back. The accompanying workbook can also be a helpful motivator.

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Lots of yes and a little no!

I decided to teach myself Latin a few months ago, and bought this book, the workbook, the "comprehensive guide", a dictionary, and the Latin Now! computer CD. I probably spend 3-4 hours a week studying.
This book is all it claims to be. The material is presented clearly and fairly completely, but you will be happy to have the other resources if you are working on your own.
As others have mentioned, the lack of answers to the exercises is a very major drawback, only partly compensated for by the self-tutorial exercises in the back of the book. Giving translations for the sentences and little stories would be a big help.
However, that hasn't stopped me from working with the book. Latin IS difficult. My hope is that it is keeping my brain young!

review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God

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Don't believe the hype

This book is pretty good, and I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 3 only because I want to err on the side of caution. It deserves points for its winning enthusiasm and smarmy humorousness; it garners negatives for the awful "snippety" nature of its exercises in which no context is given and sentences are expected to be understood. I am not sure about the reviewers who discuss how Wheelock alone made them understand grammar: it seems that other books are good at that as well. I think that overall I recommend it (having learned Latin from it) but not as wholeheartedly as some of the other reviewers.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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