Wheelock's Latin Reader

Wheelock's Latin #3

by Frederic M. Wheelock, Richard A. LaFleur

Originally intended by Professor Frederic M. Wheelock as a sequel to Wheelock's Latin, his classic introductory Latin textbook, Wheelock's Latin Reader, newly revised and updated by Richard A. LaFleur, is the ideal text for any intermediate-level Latin course. You'll find a rich selection of of prose and poetry from a wide range of classical authors, as well as briefer passages from medieval and Late Latin writers, each presented in the Latin in which it was originally written. Useful features include extensive notes; a complete Latin-English vocabulary; maps of ancient Italy, Greece, and the Roman Empire; and numerous photographs illustrating aspects of classical culture, mythology, and history featured in the readings.

Genres: Language, Reference, Nonfiction, Classics, Textbooks, History, Classical Studies

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best Latin readers that you are likely to find anywhere. The text is well-glossed (this is so important! and so many readers seem to struggle with this), and the selections are varied. Of course, the focus is very much on the Classical period, and particularly the Golden Age, but this is only to be expected from a general reader. Most students of Latin are likely focusing on this period, or sometime around it. There is a lot of Cicero here, but there are also extensive selections from Ovid and Livy.

There are also a few selections in the latter part of the book from the Vulgate, as well as from Medieval authors. Although these serve as a good introduction to Late Antique and Medieval Latin, these selections only account for a very small percentage of the book. That said, it's great that they are included. In my experience, Medieval Latin is often neglected in general readers.

[Faith B]

It seems to me like Wheelocks is starting out with the hardest and ending up easiest. They've started me out with Cicero! Gack, much harder than Virgil. But I peeked and the end of the book is Medieval Latin ... mainly Bede and random verses. Much easier than Cicero! hehe.

[Richard Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s really hard to say how much pleasure this book has given me, not to mention that it’s a great entry into literature that is fairly inaccessible to most people these days. I’m looking forward to the reader that follows this.

[Kristen Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe a little too hard for high school students, but certainly a great resource to have on hand.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to learn a dead language? This is the book for you!

[Jeff Netting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and useful anthology. The notes were great, the selections were great, and made me eager to go on and read more. A very useful book for independent learners.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems odd to rate this book at all, given it's essentially unedited (or minimally edited) existing texts.

This is a neat collection of intermediate-level authentic Latin texts. There's no Caesar in sight, and little of the regular poets one might think of for highschool learners. The level here is consistently difficult. A student who has got through all of the Wheelock's texts including the unedited excerpts at the end, would still need some guidance here from a teacher and a good dictionary. (And one hopes, some additional fun translating Catullus and, yes, even a bit of Caesar, on the side!) But this is a good test of one's skill. Also a nice reminder for students - whether in classroom or on their own - that, on the other side of this text, lie hundreds of authentic Roman plays, essays, histories, and non-fiction books to be (slowly) (very slowly) (verrrrry slowly) devoured.

[Richelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was I think the first book I got after graduating solely for the purpose of translating Latin for my own pleasure. I found particularly appealing selections of later Latin literature -- such as the Vulgate Bible. Quite enjoyable.