Canonical name: Kidd, D. A.
Legal name: Kidd, Douglas Alexander
Birthdate: 1913
Date of death: 2001-12-27
Gender: male
Nationality: UK
Scotland
Birthplace: Scotland, UK
Places of residence: Christchurch, New Zealand
Education: Aberdeen University (MA)
St John's College, Cambridge (BA|1936)
Occupations: Professor
Classicist
Organizations: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
University of the Gold Coast
Royal Navy (WWII)
Short biography: Kidd married fellow Aberdeen graduate Margaret Barr in 1942. They had two daughters, Alison and Aileen.

During World War II, Kidd served in the Royal Navy on the corvettes escorting convoys through the North Sea and on cruisers, namely the Bermuda, in the Mediterranean. After the war, Kidd resumed lecturing in Aberdeen, and by 1950 had been appointed foundation Professor of Classics at the University of the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Then followed 21 years as a Professor of Classics at Canterbury, from 1957 until 1978. At Canterbury, Kidd was described as leading a ‘quiet revolution’ to enhance Classics, by introducing Classical literature and history in English translation alongside the traditional study of them in the original Greek or Latin.

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Collins Latin dictionary & grammar

Really very good. Die-hards will want to start saving for the $500 for the two-volume Oxford Latin Dictionary (which I plan to purchase sometime in the next decade) which surely contains every word ever used by the Romans. In the meantime, the Collins is a good dictionary to have for the intermediate Latin speaker. Divided equally into Latin-English and English-Latin, the dictionary is sure to also provide keys when looking up a word that differs in, say, the perfect stem. This makes things a helluva lot easier! This is my go-to at the moment, as I make the transition from reading adapted excerpts to breaking into the "real" Latin.

The dictionary also contains three supplements:
1) at the start, a brief summary of noun and verb tables, allowing you to quickly check conjugations and declensions;
2) in the centre, a precis of Roman culture, including place names, a guide to poetic metre, and key Latin phrases used in modern-day English culture;
3) at the end, an extensive 250-page summary of Latin grammar. While it's no substitute for your own knowledge, this is an immensely helpful explanation of, really, every aspect of grammar that is required. As well as listing all the basics, the section goes into detail on elements such as the various ways to describe a negative, key hints for translation, and a handy summary of most common Latin verbs, including full conjugations of unique and defective ones.

Great stuff.

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therebelprince | 1 other review | Apr 21, 2024 |