Basics of Latin: A Grammar with Readings and Exercises from the Christian Tradition by Derek Cooper
My rating: 2 of 5 stars The book begins with a great premise: Latin writings by the classical authors "constitute at most 0.01 percent of the total output" of the Latin language. On the other hand, "approximately 80 percent of Latin comes from Christian authors." Thus Cooper intends to create a grammar with its exercises drawn from the Christian tradition, including authors like Bede, Augustine, and Anselm (pp. xvii-xix). This is promising, of course, and the exercises (which for whatever reason are placed in an appendix) are drawn directly from those sources. However, this is where the book runs astray. There are countless editorial errors in the book, and when I write up a full errata I will send it into Zondervan for future editions ;). Here are some: The vocab list in chapter 22 is the same as the vocab list in 11. Chapter 16 Opusculum Theologicum translates the same Latin sentence in two different, incompatible ways (pp. 156, 157). The imperfect passive subjunctive is just the wrong chart (p. 205). Then there are other features that make the book difficult to use. For example, the exercises include words not in the glossary and grammatical concepts not yet introduced in the book if you follow it sequentially (which really makes the most sense). There's a whole lot to like about this book, especially since it is among the best examples of a Latin grammar focused on Christian authors. With some more careful edits and a revamped set of exercises, this would be a great book. View all my reviews
0 Comments
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |