As part of my work as an online Latin tutor, I come in contact with a lot of different Latin textbooks. The intent of this section is to use this unique perspective to help inform teachers, language department chairs, parents, and administrators as they make choices about which textbooks and textbook series to invest in.

Below is a list of all the Latin texts currently on my bookshelf. Please click on the name of the review you would like to read. If the name of the book isn’t a hyperlink, it means I have not yet reviewed that book. If there are books on the list you would like my opinion on for a particular use but that I have not reviewed yet, please feel free to email me and I’ll be happy to answer specific questions and/or post the relevant reviews.

I have written about the following topics in each textbook evaluation:

  • the age group it is geared towards and/or I feel it is best used with,
  • the approach it uses and which learning style(s) it is best suited for,
  • its cultural resources, that is, how much students learn about Roman history, life, religion, and politics from it, outside of its treatment of the Latin language,
  • how much experience I have with the book,
  • what I like about the book,
  • what I dislike about the book, and
  • my recommendations for using this particular text book.

The following books are on my bookshelf at the moment. Usually I have tried to review a whole series in one go but I have separate entries for books in a series which I feel are markedly different in terms of their use and their usefulness.

  • Ecce Romani I and II (both the third and fourth editions) and their workbooks, called “Language Activity Books”
  • Ecce Romani III
  • Cambridge Latin Course, units 1 – 4 of the North American edition
  • Wheelock’s Latin and its workbook
  • Latin for the New Millennium, levels 1 and 2 and their workbooks
  • Jenney’s First Year Latin and its workbook
  • Jenney’s Second and Third Year Latin
  • Oxford Latin Course, books 1 – 3
  • Henle Latin, books 1 and 2
  • Lively Latin, books 1 and 2
  • Minimus: Starting out in Latin, book 1
  • So You Really Want to Learn Latin Prep, books 1 – 3 and their workbooks (primarily used in Britain)

These are the main series that have a home on my bookshelf right now. Please let me know if you see any glaring gaps in my collection of texts! I will strive to add supplementary books such as grammar guides and books with additional reading in the future. I have not included texts that are specifically designed to pass a test such as the SAT 2 and AP (except for the So You Really Want to Learn book, since it gives a good foundation of Latin and does not just teach to the test). I have not included books that consist of texts written by Roman authors and edited for the benefit of students. I may add these two types of books in the future, if there is a demand for it.