A good choice, but not the best, December 1, 1999
Reviewer: A reader
Since the first edition of Wheelock's Latin appeared in 1956, it has been the textbook of choice at many US colleges. According to a survey done by the American Philological Association a couple of years back, about 50% of all departments responding used the third edition of this textbook, whereas Moreland and Fleischer, the second most popular textbook, was used by only 8%. The book offers an introduction to Latin grammar and the technical terms used to describe language that is easy to understand even for absolute beginners. I also like that the book provides macrons and stress marks for every Latin word and insists on loud reading with the correct pronounciation which will make life much easier for students should they ever come to study Latin poetry in the original. Whether this textbook is the best introduction to Latin imaginable, however, is a matter of debate.

A lot of instructors assign Wheelock's Latin with considerable hesitation. Especially in the beginning chapters, the book doesn't really offer the "real" Latin that it promises. Except in the case of short proverbs, all the sentences taken from, e.g., Cicero, Horace, and Seneca have been shortened and simplified to such a degree that I find it hard to call them "real Latin".

In order to reach these completely unconnected snippets of text, one has to work his/her way through a list of 25 new words, only to discover that one is unable to translate about half of the practice sentences without further vocabulary help although some of them don't consist of more than two or three words.

Nevertheless, Professor Lafleur improved Wheelock's original course considerably. He not only removed sexist sentences like "the glory of girls was and is and will always be their beauty" (formerly ch. 6) but also by adding more reading passages. Again, these are based on ancient texts but offer only a very distorted view of the original. I wonder if it doesn't do a disservice to students to present Horace and Catullus to them in this mutilated fashion. The poets themselves, I'm sure, are rotating in their graves whenever somebody reads the freely adapted prose versions of their poems in chapters 2 and 4. In addition, these reading passages are still considerably too short to give students enough practice in reading and translation. For this reason, many instructors assign Groton and May's "38 Latin Stories" in addition to Wheelock's textbook.

Finally, the book doesn't offer any illustrations. It leaves it up to the instructor to try to make Rome and its culture come alive by supplying background material and visual input. Other textbooks offer (sometimes even colored) pictures that give students an idea of what a <i>Roman<i\> house looked like (as opposed to their own) etc. At the same time, these illustrations often go with the reading passages and allow students to develop valuable pre-reading strategies by deducing as much as possible about the content of a passage from the picture and the words they already know. These pre-reading strategies will come in handy when they tackle real Latin literature later on.

In sum, Wheelock's Latin is a textbook that has worked for many people. How many of them really went beyond mere translating to <i>reading<i\> and appreciating Latin literature is another question. Some obviously did, but it seems to me that they managed to do this despite the outdated pedagogical method of the book, not because of it.

An indispensable introduction, April 2, 2002

I've used Wheelock's Latin from both sides: as a disaffected student, eager to learn a language that I didn't have to -speak-, and as an instructor, in several of Indiana University's entry-level courses.

As a student, I fell maddeningly in love with this book. It's not an easy read, nor is it like most college textbooks. It can be pedagogical at times, old-fashioned at others (another reviewer pointed out the recent excisions of some non-PC examples), but above all, it's -thorough-. It was written in the 1950s, when most college students were expected to have a better grasp on English grammar and general history and mythology than perhaps students do today. If you don't know your reflexive pronouns from your prepositional phrases, you'll run into trouble even in the early chapters. But with a little effort, you'll find that Wheelock's really teaching you -two- languages: Latin and better English.

As a teacher, I evaluated a few different texts (such as Hillard and Botting), before settling on Wheelock. I'll admit that a large part of my decision was based on my own experience learning from it (and why not? If -I- didn't like learning from it myself, why would I want to subject my students to it?), but there were other factors, such as its -less- pedantic tone and better-organized way of introducing grammatical concepts. Based on feedback from the three courses in which I used it, most students had positive things to say about the book, appreciating the demands that it made on them. Of course, some students didn't like it at all, probably because of those same demands.

There are a couple of drawbacks that prevent me from awarding Wheelock that fifth star. First, the current (6th) edition isn't as solid (for lack of a better word) than the 3rd, which you should immediately buy if you ever find it for sale. Second, the reading passages in the back of the book aren't nearly as useful (or interesting to most students) as the ones in Groton and May's _38 Latin Stories_. Third, as other reviewers have pointed out, Wheelock doesn't contain any sort of anecdotal historical or cultural information to liven up the delivery of what can be pretty dry grammatical material. This is an especial weakness, in light of my comment in the previous paragraph about how little historical background knowledge students usually have. But there are no other Latin introductory texts that strike Wheelock's perfect balance between the classical pedagogy of the 19th century and the more recent attempts to mass-market Latin to "complete idiots" and "dummies".

Great Book, But Needs A Companion, July 5, 2001

WHEELOCK'S LATIN is clear, well-organized, and brief. There's only a few pictures and not much talk about Roman history, but for those of us who are serious about wanting to learn Ancient Latin, their absence is not sorely missed.

Since the chapters are short (about 5-7 pages in most cases) the book is ideal for self-study. I would add, however, that whether studying in school or on your own, but especially this latter, the addition of a companion guide will prove to be invaluable.

For this, I recommend Grote's COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO WHEELOCK'S LATIN -- a book that offers a little more repetition, fuller grammatical explanations, and is written in a calm, reassuring style. (Another plus is that it, unlike others, has its answer key printed in the back of the book -- so you don't have to wait a few months for your answer sheet if you get one at all.)

Not very pleased, November 27, 2004

As a person in my late twenties who enjoys learning independently, I do not recommennd Wheelock's Latin. The approach is very grammar-based and gives me horrific flashbacks to the AWFUL "Warriner's English Grammar and Composition" textbook series that was forced on most American middle and high schoolers.

I am more interested in learning Latin (1) to familiarize myself with the language's connection to our language today and (2) to be able to read Latin so that I may read classic literary works.

I have found better success with "Ecce Romani 1" and "The Cambridge Latin Course". These two alternate textbooks are more vocabulary driven and present grammar but do not put a student into a full immersion of it from the start. I feel that "Ecce Romani 1" and "The Cambridge Latin Course" also closely mirror many other World Language texts used today including "Spanish for Mastery 1-3" and "Voces Y Vistas", "Pasos Y Puentes", and "Arcos Y Alamedas" (from ScottForseman) both of which I learned from in high school... from Spanish I all the way up to Spanish IV.

I am fully aware that I need a text that keeps the material at a more basic level, but I am sure there are others out there who learn just as I do and will walk away from Wheelock's unsatisfied and feeling that they have learned nothing.

Excellent, October 17, 2004

This book is excellent in explaining the concepts and grammatical rules of Latin. Even though it might feel like a lot to remember, there are Grammatical Summary Forms in the back of the book along with adapted Latin Literatures (Loci Immutati). There are exercises along with answers in the back of the book. So if you do practice correctly, this book is just amazing. Just buy it if you're serious about Latin.

not for the faint of heart, October 16, 2004

Many criticize this book difficult because of the strong emphasis on grammar. However, I would have to assume that this is the case with any dead language. Since Latin is no longer a spoken language, you don't have the opportunity with it that you do have with French, German, etc. to learn to speak a language quickly by means of audio tapes or cultural immersion. With dead languages, grammar is the ticket. If grammar isn't one of your strong points, Latin is not for you. Don't blame it all on Wheelock.

The translation exercises are taken from classical sources, so you get some exposure to Roman culture. There is some historical and literary content at the end of each chapter, but it's inobtrusive and won't hinder people who want the meat of the matter--the grammar. The book is all about learning Latin grammar, not culture.

If you are the kind of person who learns best in a "no-nonsense" setting, Wheelock will be perfect for you. Many textbooks today employ colorful sidebars and references to pop culture to hold the student's attention. This is not the case with Wheelock. If you are not accustomed to learning in this style, you will be best suited to finding a different book or perhaps a different language altogether.