Book Recommendations for Learning Latin

Someone asked me what books are really good for the learning of the Latin language.

Well, here are my recommendations:

Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age
by William E. Linney
(http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Latin-Homeschoolers-Self-Taught/dp/0979505100/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1)

I strongly recommend this book for ALL who have not been exposed to Latin before.

The problem with many Latin textbooks out there is that they use the grammatical terms throughout the entire book with little or no explanation as to what they mean. Many who start out learning Latin tend to get very confused by the technicalities.

Linney does a great job in overcoming this problem. He ensures that you be familiar with those technicalities by slowly introducing you to them. And with the use of constant and repeated exercises on the same things, you slowly develop a firm understanding and foundation of basic Latin grammar. This will allow you to pick up other Latin textbooks and not be so confused by the grammatical concepts that are regularly referred to.

Teach Yourself Beginner’s Latin
by G. D. A. Sharpley
(http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Beginners-Latin-Sharpley/dp/0071424512/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2)

This is a really amazing book to use after you have completed Linney’s book.

With the aid of stories and other fun and exciting methods, Sharpley introduces new Latin words and grammatical concepts to you in a very slow and progressive way.

Having used this book before in teaching the Latin Appreciation Workshop, I can say that participants do really enjoy the stories. It’s a whole lot of fun going through them and learning Latin.

It’s definitely a must-have after Linney’s book!

A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin
by John F. Collins
(http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Ecclesiastical-Latin-John-Collins/dp/0813206677/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1)

This is a marvellous textbook in learning Latin. However, I do recommend that you use this book after you have completed the first two books recommended earlier.

I am aware that several seminaries around the world use this for the teaching of Latin.

Anyway, this book is wonderful because the grammatical concepts are explained in a way that is much clearer than other textbooks that I’ve come across. And the best part is that this book makes it a point to equip you with the knowledge of ecclesiastical Latin words.

By the time you are done with this book, words found in the Bible, Divine Office, and the Mass, will not seem so alien to you anymore.