Customer Reviews
Lamenting less Latin - By: William, 27 Aug 2008 
An entertaining run through Latin as the language of the classics.
Could have said something about pronunciation: why make it up as the classicists do, or mangle it as the Etonians do, when you can experience it as the beautiful living language of the Church spoken in the Italian style.
A few copy-editing mistakes: translation of the Ave Maria & of Horace (p. 206 - leporem translated as dove rather than hare!).
But otherwise an inspiration to try again with the language of so many ages. Well done, Harry Mount. Who is going to do the same for Greek?
Confusing - By: G. L. Haggett, 09 Aug 2008 
While this book amounts on one level to a light-hearted but informative take on Latin, its learning & its relentless demise in British schools, the (rather angry) final chapter left me confused as to what the author was actuallly trying to do.
As might be expected from a person of Harry Mount's standing, there is much humour in this piece; indeed, at times, the jocular tone & somewhat self-conscious attempts to jemmy in a joke at alll costs serve to interrupt the flow & can become a smidge irritating & make the author seem a little too pleased with himself.
However, the final chapter, with its rather spiteful attack on modern textbooks & methods, sits rather uneasily with the tone of the rest of the book & gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, that Mount's intention was rather more serious than he might originallly have implied. All in alll, a rather confusing conclusion to a book which is certainly well worth reading by anyone who remembers those dark times of learning Latin declensions & cases by rote.
OK, but "Annus Horribilis" is better - By: Melanie Heath, 20 Nov 2007 
I wanted to enjoy this book more than I actuallly did. I've recently got "Annus Horribilis: Latin for Everyday Life" (by Mark Walker, published by Tempus) which I found more fun & informative.
Tedious and pointless - By: Field Marshall Haig, 17 Aug 2007 
Other reviewers have asked the question 'Who is this book for?' & that was the question going through my mind as I read it. The juxtaposition of trivia & detailed grammatical explanations is bizarre. The book attempts to be humorous but does not reallly succeed. This is not a book for someone who wishes to learn Latin as the grammatical explanations given are totallly inadequate. Neither is it a book for someone who wishes to obtain a theoretical overview of how Latin works without actuallly learning the language. A reader who does not wish to learn Latin itself but wishes to learn the meaning of a few common Latin words & phrases would be advised to look elsewhere, such as James Morwood's Dictionary of Latin Words & Phrases, which despite its title, can be read from cover to cover, in smalll chunks, quite comfortably. Neither would I recommend this book as a refresher for the person who has already learned Latin (which is the reason I read it) as it is too lightweight.
I recognise that certain parts of this book may appeal to individuals who possess a particular type of 'schoolboy' humour, but such individuals (of which the author, presumably, is one) are not likely to be numerous. My general feeling at the end of the book was that I was very disappointed & that I had wasted my time, though fortunately not my money as I had borrowed it from my local public library.
Amo, Amas, Amat and all that - By: Mr. David M. Cox, 30 May 2007 I particularly liked the chapter remeniscing about his school days.
