Books to learn Latin are countless out there, some well-known, some unpopular. So how do you know which book is good? That’s why we make a list of excellent textbooks for you. These materials are often recommended strongly by most readers and rated highly on Amazon.
1/ Getting Started with Latin – Level: Beginners
- Full name: Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age
- Author: William Linney
- Price: $21.95
- Rating: ⭐4.7
- Level: Beginners
At the top of the list, this is a simple and easy Latin book for beginners. “Getting Started with Latin” has many easy-to-understand lessons that cover the fundamentals of Latin. Plus, the principles of Latin grammar and new words have been introduced, so anyone can grasp them. For that reason, you can easily familiarize yourself with the Latin language soon.
2/ Latin Key Words – Level: Beginners
- Full name: Latin Key Words: The Basic 2000 Word Vocabulary Arranged by Frequency. Learn Latin Quickly and Easily.
- Author: Jerry Toner
- Price: $14.95
- Rating: ⭐4.4
- Level: Beginners
“Latin Key Words” is one of the best books to learn Latin by yourself. Many simple units with more than 100 common words and significant phrases, and language structure can help you get familiar with Latin easily. Additionally, the book also provides a basic Latin-English dictionary to assist learners to improve their Latin literacy and vocabulary quickly.
3/ The Everything Essential Latin Book – Level: Beginners
- Full name: The Everything Essential Latin Book: All You Need to Learn Latin in No Time
- Author: Richard E Prior
- Price: $12.99
- Rating: ⭐4.5
- Level: Beginners
“The Everything Essential Latin” book is everything learners need to study Latin in no time. It includes the Roman alphabets and translations, the core syntax of Latin, common questions and answers, verb tenses, grammatical notes, etc. Besides, the book is packed with many hints and instructions to help beginners improve their skills, so it is an ideal assistant for the Latin learning journey.
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4/ Wheelock’s Latin, 7th Edition – Level: Beginners
- Full name: Wheelock’s Latin, 7th Edition
- Author: Frederic M. Wheelock, Richard A. LaFleur
- Price: 22.49
- Rating: ⭐4.7
- Level: Beginners
“Wheelock’s Latin” is the best basic Latin grammar book for self study, 40 chapters include a list of helpful vocabulary and some valuable explanations. Furthermore, it has numerous self-tutorial exercises with their answer keys, as well as dozens of illustrated images to help learners understand the Latin language’s fundamental rules.
5/ Easy Latin Stories for Beginners – Level: Beginners
- Full name: Easy Latin Stories for Beginners (Latin Edition)
- Author: George L Bennett MA
- Price: $5.99
- Rating: ⭐4.1
- Level: Beginners
Developed by George L Bennett MA, this is the best Latin short stories book for beginners. In fact, many linguists and language teachers commonly agree that the best method to learn Latin is familiar with the vocabulary in context. In simpler terms, many funny stories in this book will definitely improve your vocabulary in Latin language.
6/ Kennedy’s New Latin Primer – Level: Beginners, Intermediate
- Full name: Kennedy’s New Latin Primer
- Author: Benjamin Hall Kennedy, Marion & Julia Kennedy
- Price: $14.99
- Rating: ⭐4.3
- Level: Beginners, Intermediate
“Kennedy’s New Latin Prime” is one of the best Latin grammar books. This reference material has a lot of grammar exercises and many core vocabulary. Of course, it has a good organization so that beginners can progress step by step. Also, the book is presented transparently and plainly, so this will be a great choice for you to master Latin grammar.
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7/ Latin readings: An Intermediate Rapid Reader – Level: Intermediate
- Full name: Latin readings: An Intermediate Rapid Reader
- Author: Gertrude Drake PhD
- Price: $33.00
- Rating: ⭐5
- Level: Intermediate
“Latin readings: An Intermediate Rapid Reader“ book provides tons of Latin grammar exercises. It covers 96 brief Latin texts with grammatical tenses and pronunciation. In addition to the perfect balance between grammar and exercises, this book is presented in a simple way, so even beginners can guess the meaning of new words in Latin.
8/ Wheelock’s Latin Reader – Level: Intermediate
- Full name: Wheelock’s Latin Reader: Selections from Latin Literature
- Author: Richard A. LaFleur
- Price: $19.99
- Rating: ⭐4.7
- Level: Intermediate
“Wheelock’s Latin Reader” offers many Latin short stories for intermediate. The Latin alphabet is considered as the origin of many languages in the world. Moreover, this book packed thousands of letters and helped people know about the beauty of Latin through stories’ power. If you can handle these materials, we believe you can overcome any Latin language barrier.
9/ College Latin: An Intermediate Course – Level: Intermediate
- Full name: College Latin: An Intermediate Course
- Author: Peter L. Corrigan
- Price: $41.01
- Rating: ⭐4.3
- Level: Intermediate
“This is a unique text that will serve the needs of a group of learners who are currently somewhat underserved.” – Stated Lynne West, Bellarmine Preparatory School
“College Latin” book is a good choice to learn Latin for intermediate learners. This material is designed for those who have a Latin background before and want something that would be more challenging. Overall, it offers an interesting selection of reading texts, some lessons focus on morphology and syntax, and difficult grammar.
10/ The Bantam New College Latin & English Dictionary – Latin learner’s dictionary
- Full name: The Bantam New College Latin & English Dictionary
- Author: John Traupman
- Price: $4.6
- Rating: ⭐7.99
- Level: All levels
This is a dictionary that every Latin learner needs to supply for themselves. It packs 70000 words and phrases in both Late Latin and Neo-Latin. Besides, the entries are divided by different matters such as mythological, geographical, and historical names. Plus, it also has word explanation and pronunciation guides to help people look up easily.
11/ Top FREE Latin books for beginners
We’ve compiled a list of handy resources for you below. You’ll find some books that beginners need to learn Latin for free. Take out your notebook and begin exploring Latin’s beauty!
1/ Latin Made Simple: A complete introductory course with practice readings and exercises: This is a good workbook for beginners. It contains numerous general texts, core grammar with detailed explanations, common vocabulary, and cultural notes. This will be a comprehensive material to have a good start with Latin.
2/ Applied Latin: A Course for Beginners: The title of the book says it all, it will instruct you on how to communicate and write Latin texts in real life. The good news is that the book has a completely free-to-use online platform for beginners. Plus, this material is regarded as an important historical work by linguists. By all its achievements, this is definitely a book worth having in your library.
3/ A Grammar of the Latin Language: The book was developed by Henry John Roby, a Cambridge-educated classicist. The book gives you many-core grammar points and explains them cleverly. With all the author’s talents, he made it become a teaching goldmine in Latin.
With the recommended books to learn Latin, we hope that you have chosen an appropriate one to study. It’s worth noting that there may be more good books not on the list. We have tried our best to collect all outstanding titles. If you know better books, help us complete the list by leaving a comment below!
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