Farnsworth’s Latin Tamer.

Ward Farnsworth is an old favorite around here; see my reviews of his Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric (LH, The Millions) and Farnsworth’s Classical English Metaphor (LH). He has now sent me a copy of his latest magnum opus, The Latin Tamer: Mastering the Language of Rome (cowritten with Sarah van der Pas), which looks ideal for the kind of learner it is aimed at. To quote the Preface (which is available, along with a good many other parts of the book, on the associated website): The book is distinctive in a few ways. It seeks to spell out the workings of Latin with an extra measure of clarity and patience. It illustrates every point, large and small, with short examples. The examples are mostly from ancient writings and they’re all explained on the spot. That’s the premise of the book: to let you learn Latin by reading and understanding lots of short specimens of the real thing. This book, and the website that goes with it (along with a lot of practice), will enable you to…