5.0 out of 5 stars Veni, Vidi, Scripsi

S.X. · October 25, 2016

Finally! After numerous publication deadline delays my copy arrived last week and am now forty pages into this long anticipated work.Having participated in an attempted spoken Latin group for several years with several folks who had actually studied with Reginald Fosterin Rome, I was very eager to see how this master teacher approached the subject and I am not disappointed.If you have always wanted to learn Latin,and the sheer size and weight of this book doesn't scare the hell out of you, then Ossa Latinitatis Solawill prove to be a worthwhile investment.Having been a student of Latin off and on for over 50 years, I am always interested in new ways to learn it and Foster certainly is refreshing.He has thrown out all the paradigms of declensions,conjugations , hic,haec,hoc, etc in favor of logical explanations of how a language works.In one respect, this is great but for a total newbie, I am not so sure. The only supplementary study aid Foster recommends is a good Latin/English dictionary which he maintains one can ferret out meanings and usages of words not explained in the text.With this lack of any "road map" the independent student is on his own. In spite of the authors' distaste of tables ( which have sometimes been overused in conventional teaching) I find they are useful for sorting out the various tenses,declensions, hics and hocs.My suggestion to someone starting out with this book would be to obtain a copy of Robert Henle's Latin Grammar Latin Grammar (Henle Latin) which succinctly lays out all the tables that Foster abhors but makes his text more understandable as his explanations unfold.My only other criticism is that Foster uses the British case system for nouns placing the Accusative (objective) ahead of the Genitive (possessive) which only confuses matters since the stem for all the case endings is derived from the Genitive. I always found this clumsy compared to standard American texts where the Genitive is learned right after the Nominative and the other cases flow from there.Also,thank the gods that he didn't follow that dreadful modern Oxford tradition of using the letter "u" for the letter "v" as in "uir" for "vir" (man)For this much anticipated new approach to studying Latin, one can only be thankful for these minor problems. The Latin chapter headings and grammatical terms and the wonderful and varied reading selections make this book a real treasure.This is a work well worth waiting for and illuminating for discipuli Latinae at any stage.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful description of how Latin as well as it does as a language

S.C. · January 15, 2018

This is a wonderful textbook. All human languages are finite in the sense that the "rules of the game" can always (with a few tricky exceptions for experts) be understood within a few years of learning. (That being said, I am writing from the perspective of someone who has never had the time to fully learn a foreign language). This book, while it seems fairly long, performs the trick of explaining how Latin made complete sense to the people who spoke Latin: it (Latin) was not some intellectually-coded language with all sorts of arbitrary rules and exceptions but something, as a language, simpler and more human - just the way that thought naturally flowed through words as they (Latin speakers) spoke (or wrote, or listened, or read). Other textbooks might work just as well or better for some people but this particular textbook lives up to the promise the author makes near the beginning - to provide an accurate and thorough description (as far as I can tell), complete as to the basics (ossa sola) - of a beautiful language.Typically, I would criticize any beginning Latin book for not including macrons over the vowels to indicate the length (why not - it is not as if we are actually reading ancient scrolls, and how many of us have memorized the length of every uncertain vowel in the extensive Latin lexicography?) but in this case I don't, as the author explains so well the techniques for learning Latin, and one of those techniques is to become familiar - confidently - with how common words sound. In any event, Latin is easier than English with respect to figuring out how words sound from how they are spelled, so my advice is don't let the lack of macrons bother you too much.

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it! Use it! Love it! Live it!

M.B. · October 23, 2016

If you have never tried to learn Latin before, this book will cover everything you need, from the basics to advanced stuff. You will learn the language by internalizing it, without having to learn jargon for talking about the language instead of talking in it. You will get to read carefully chosen selections from Latin literature through the centuries, full of beauty and interest and humor. You are in the hands of a master teacher.If you already know Latin or took it in high school, you will still find plenty to learn, and amazing insights into what you thought you already knew. In a world where amazing Latin books on every subject and from every period are easily available from Google Books, Hathi Trust, and the Internet Archive, stepping up your Latin is worth every minute and every cent.If you are a Latin teacher or a homeschooling parent, you will find a teacher's manual without parallel. (And full permission to photocopy the heck out of the reading sheets, which are designed for distribution.)The only disadvantage is the book's length and cost -- but hey, you're getting something like five years of Latin class in one package. Forty bucks is cheap for a textbook these days.And finally, I recommend it as being full of humor, wisdom, acerbity, and common sense. This is the paper version of that teacher you've always wanted to have.

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't praise it highly enough: Ossa Latinitatis is a gift for the intellect and the spirit!

D. · October 22, 2016

I just received Reginald long awaited book that I’ve ordered October 2015. Just out of the box I read with fruition the introductory pages, and couldn’t stop starting “Encounter 1”, enjoying real intellectual pleasure. I heard about Father Reginald pedagogical method and was curious about it. I know some Latin and was looking for a non grammar based book to have at hand as reference to consult. However what this book is offering goes beyond my imagination and initial intention: this book will be a life companion for anyone with intelectual curiosity to devote and engage themselves with learning and teaching Latin. Reginald's method will take a reader to a joyful journey to recover the treasures of the Latin Language of Ancient Rome, Medieval times, Renaissance and Enlightenment. Exercitatio atque excitatio mentis: a truly gift for the spirit!

As if taught by a real teacher

S. · July 26, 2019

It is the best latin book I have ever purchased. It is like a real teacher talking to you explaining the key of latin. Highly recommended!

Excellent book for learning Latin

t. · November 25, 2017

This new set of Latin language courses (the book includes beginner through advanced levels) is a new approach to learning the living Latin language, written by the former Papal Latinist for John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The exercise book is still in development, but this grammar study takes you through everything you need to know to learn the language. Might be a bit difficult to read straight off, as Fr Foster has a very particular way of writing (it's also how he speaks...). I recommend following the Latin summer school at Ealing Abbey (London, UK), which uses this program. It's much easier to grasp the content of Ossa with a tutor guiding you through it!