Lively indeed. For a poor uneducated person like myself, it was amazingly informative. I thank the author. ( )

Latin is by default an odd language. No speaks it anymore, but knowing it is considered a sign of erudition, and the countless books for learning Latin out there speak to a demand for learning the language. One of the many problems with Latin is that it is incredibly compact and nuanced. Changing the order of the words, the endings of verbs, or even missing a single letter changes the entire meaning of what is being said. Peter Jones’s Learn Latin is a rather interesting approach to learning the language that deserves a closer look.

First off, Jones understands the mild insanity that learning Latin entails, and to that end, he takes a more humorous approach than most textbooks. He presents twenty lessons that the reader is supposed to work through over the course of twenty weeks. Each week covers a different aspect of the language. From basic conjugation to parts of speech to different tense and cases, this book covers the fundamentals of learning Latin. With that in mind, don’t read it straight through in two days like I did. For something that requires as much attention to details like Latin, a crash course will do nothing for long-term retention.

Jones’s lessons are interesting, illustrated well, and intended for those who know a little bit about the fundamentals of other languages. He makes interesting connections between Latin and modern English, French, and Spanish. This guide helps the reader make their way through some basic texts and understand the reach of Latin into the modern day. If you’re at all interested in learning Latin, then this book will do fine for you. Just take your time with it, and it will come. A very fun book. ( )

3 stars -- it's average. I'm getting a decent overview of the language, and for that I'm grateful. It was unfortunate to get to Carmina Burana, only to have a long list of new vocabulary thrown at me. It would have been much more efficient to gradually introduce at least a few of the words during the preceding 7 chapters. Also there are an embarrassing number of typos; hopefully those got corrected in later editions. ( )

This is a simplified approach to a fairly complex subject. You'll learn just enough to get a general understanding of Latin -- not enough to feel like you've mastered the language by any means. That's actually a plus in my book, since learning a new and uncommon language is challenging at best; sometimes general overview is the way to go.

What this book does to alleviate some of the difficulty is focus on a target text or three, and instruct you on only what you'll need to know to read those texts. Certainly, then, numerous grammatical fine points and plenty of vocabulary are left untouched, but that's okay. This is an introduction to Latin, and should be taken as such.

Other high points of this book are the to-the-point lessons, numerous exercises, and amusing yet useful examples. Of course, it's not a perfect book. There's a fair bit of grammar terminology used in the lessons, and if you haven't studied grammar or other languages before you may be a little overwhelmed at first by terms like accusative case and perfect passive tense. Also, I would have preferred it if Jones had introduced new verb vocabulary by emphasizing the infinitives rather than the "I" form conjugation. Perhaps that standard practice for Latin instruction ... I don't know, but I found it frustrating and less helpful.

So, in summary, I doubt this is the best book on Latin instruction but it is a good place to start. Especially if you've ever flipped through Wheelock's Lation (lauded by many reviews as THE book on Latin) and felt intimidated. Use this book as a introduction before graduating on to something more in-depth. ( )