Product Description
Egyptian language. Writing in Ancient Egypt, Transliteration of Ancient Egyptian, Muslim conquest of Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Phonology, Ancient Greek, Afro-Asiatic languages, Egyptian Arabic, Coptic alphabet, Greek alphabet, History of the Middle East. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Serious students, avoid.
I have written past reviews, warning people about these books.
Most have been deleted, as the editor and other people saw it as an attack. I shall therefore try to write a proper review.

Being a serious student of egyptology and having made the mistake (yes, mistake) of having bought one of the egyptian titles, I can tell from experience these books are just a hodge podge of unedited, unresearched, quickly put together wikipedias article without any serious regards for anyone who may look for serious or scholarly research.
When I buy a book about ancient Egypt, I do not want to hear about Yu-Gi-Oh or Kheper robot in some anime.
I can also say that reading a book, with proper fonts missing (i.e all the hieroglyphs) and arrows left where it indicated a word used to be a weblink makes for clunky paper reading.
What works on the web has obviously not translated well over to books.
This book, with the subject of ancient egyptian writing, if it lacks all proper example of hieroglyphs, hieratic and demotic fonts will make for close to useless reading.
This company only goes for volume and speed of production. It does not care if the so called quality of the Wikipedia articles are well presented or even relevant. It does not matter if this is done in all legality, if such poor excuses for books are the result.
Serious students of the subjects offered should rather spend the same amount of money on other books. Unless real, knowledgeable editors are hired to correct all these mistakes, I can only advise serious people to stay away from these volumes less they throw away their money.
... Read more

Product Description
Mycenaean Greece. Mycenae, Ancient Greece, Mycenaean Greek language, Achaeans, Bronze Age Collapse, Mycenaean Revival, Greek Dark Ages ... Read more

Product Description
Culture of Greece. Pottery of ancient Greece, Greek art, Ancient Greek coinage, Cinema of Greece, Greek language, Katharevousa, Greek literature, Byzantine literature, Greek religion, Orthodox Church, Greek philosophy, Science, Mathematics, Greek dances, Music of Greece, Education in Greece, Politics of Greece, Greek cuisine, List of Greeks, List of ethnic, regional, and folk dances sorted by origin, List of Greek films, List of universities in Greece, Syncretism ... Read more

Product Description

TEACH YOURSELF BESTSELLING LANGUAGE COURSES!

From Cantonese to Thai, Gaelic to Modern Persian, learning the languages of the world is attainable for any beginning student. Learners can use the Teach Yourself Language Courses at their own pace or as a supplement to formal courses. These complete courses are based on the very latest learning methods and designed to be enjoyable and user-friendly Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually promotes the student to a level of smooth and confident communication, including:

• Up-to-date, graded interactive dialogues
• Graded units of culture notes, grammar, and exercises
• Step-by-step guide to pronunciation
• Practical vocabulary
• Regular and irregular verb tables
• Plenty of practice exercises and answers
• Bilingual glossary

The new editions also feature:

• Clear, uncluttered, and user-friendly layout
• Self-assessment quizzes to test progress
• Website suggestions to take language study further
• Audio recordings on CD for easy access and review

Customer Reviews (14)

Learning our ancient human language.
This is a necessary book to learn the ancient human language.
Remember to practise on daily basis.
Enjoy learning !

Too tough for me!
Retired, wanting to pass a little time, I opted for Ancient Greek. No wish to earn my living by it, just for fun.
I started with Peter Jones (very light-hearted), moved on to JACT (great), struggled with Betts (I have to agree against the Lunate sigma, hell, it's difficult enough without such complications) and have Mastronarde in reserve for a rainy day. But Betts is a bit too much me. I'll keep trying though. Promise!

I needed to re-learn English first
I found that I really needed to brush up on sentence structure and terminology in order to follow the book.

Best choice for motivated self-learners
After using Gavin Betts' Latin title in this series, I figured I couldn't go wrong with the Greek volume, and I was not disappointed.This is probably the best choice for highly motivated self-learners.Those who have the stamina and desire to really work at learning the language will be very satisfied with this book.It relies very little on artificial "baby Greek" and exposes the reader to authentic and challenging passages as soon as possible.There is no question that this makes the book a bit more difficult, but the trade-off is that you will be making quicker progress and reach advanced topics much sooner, as opposed to simply repeating the same kinds of simple (and boring) sentences over and over again for weeks at a time.Another big plus is that, in contrast to most other titles on the market, which are designed for classroom use, this has answers to all the exercises, so you will never be guessing if you got it right.

The reader must be very disciplined about mastering every lesson before moving on to the next, but those who do so will find no problems reading authentic Greek once they finish this book.Those who want a more relaxed introduction to Greek may want to choose a different title, but if your goal is to begin delving into original Greek works as soon as possible, go with this one.The only thing really lacking in this book is English to Greek translation exercises, though I suspect most learners aren't really concerned with writing Greek as much as reading.Others have pointed out the somewhat annoying use of the lunate sigma, but simply put, unless you just enjoy whining, there's no reason why you can't deal with it.It's just one letter.I've not had any problems adjusting to the traditional forms of sigma after moving on from this book.

I'm A Beginner, and I Like It
First of all, being a complete neophyte (hey, that's a Greek word!), it's impossible for me to compare this book or its method with any other. However, I have found it quite satisfactory. For one thing, it has you jump right into "reading" Ancient Greek from the get-go, rather than overwhelming you with ALL the grammar and ALL the word morphology first before allowing you into the pool.

I have found that purchasing a separate lexicon - it appears that Liddell and Scott, Abridged Edition, is the odds-on choice for the elementary level student - is worthwhile. Although the words in the book are "mostly" there in the included lexicon, there are many words that are not (they just give you the definitions parenthetically within the Greek text), and I've found it helpful to be able to look those up as well. My copy of Liddell and Scott gives me a bit more insight into the "gimme" words.

One big plus is the way the book works with the online enrichment material, so that the book is in fact "bigger than it appears on the outside." In particular the "revision" material (what we Yanks call review or quiz) is very helpful as it has you doing things like declining nouns and the like.

The complaint about the use of "c" for all instances of lower-case sigma is worth noting, but I've hardly found it a problem. In fact, when I WRITE Greek as part of the lesson work, I just go ahead and use the initial/medial and final forms of sigma. I must say I don't get the authors' comment that they decided to use "c" because it is "increasingly used in modern editions." In my browsing through bookstores looking at other references I have yet to see a single other instance of this.

But I repeat that, for THIS reviewer at least, it has NOT been a problem at all. ... Read more

Product Description
C.A.E. Luschnig's An Introduction to Ancient Greek: A Literary Approach prepares students to read Greek in less than a year by presenting basic traditional grammar without frills and by introducing real Greek written by ancient Greeks, from the first day of study. The second edition retains all the features of the first but is more streamlined, easier on the eyes, more gender-inclusive, and altogether more 21st century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Great Book for a Tough Course
As a student at St. John's College Santa Fe, we taught ourselves Greek from this book with the aid of a tutor. Having compared it with several others since, it is better organized than most. The explainations are clear and the order in which it is taught is logical.

Many of the practice sentences are taken from classical authors which makes them fun and rewarding to translate.

Several typos in the Greek were encountered, so be aware of that and don't lose your mind trying to translate something that is obviously wrong.

On the whole a very helpful book for such a hard subject. Strongly recommended for beginners.

A Tough Language Made Easier
Dr. Luschnig has tackled a rough task: write an Ancient Greek textbook for beginners. On the whole, I think she succeeds admirably well. What appealed to me most of all with this textbook was the early and frequent inclusion of ancient writers in the translation exercises; "cookbook Greek" is kept to an excellent minimum. The student is started right off with the first principle part and all principle parts are included well. She gives the subjunctive and optative little and late attention for such important forms in Ancient Greek and her mini-dictionary index should not be relied upon for translation. These complaints aside, the industrious student should be well equipped in a year of study to begin translating Aristotle and Plato.

Aesthetics: A very attractive textbook. The Greek text is gorgeous and a pleasure to read, even when you're cursing it when a word stumps you. Important terms are in bold font for easy recognition, as are vocabulary words, etc.

Durability: The softbound cover is fairly resistant, but don't expect miracles if your study habits abuse books. The spine will crease if you repeatedly fully open the spread, and if you are careless, the cover will crinkle and bend. If you are careful, you will be adequately rewarded. The pages stay in the volume and the textbook should last quite a few years. However, study volumes as a rule get abused, and this one does not respond well to wear. Buy it in hardcover or be very careful.

Size: A good size for a textbook. Wide enough so it stays open without too much trouble (I laid a smallish book bridging it to the table to keep it open) and not too clunky, probably because Luschnig gives you the bare-bones needed to read/translate Ancient Greek.

Price: Almost unbeatable for a new Ancient Greek textbook. Comparable textbooks are almost twice this much on occasion.

All told, a quality textbook for the beginning Greek student. It will give you the information necessary to read Greek, provided you don't beat on it too hard (its greatest fault) along the way.

Thorough, Succinct, and Clear
I am a student independently studying Ancient Greek with a little guidance from my Latin teacher. After struggling through Reading Greek: Text and Vocabulary (Reading Greek), I switched over to this book. It has been an incredible aid. Everything in the book is perfectly explained, and things that I never understood before have been made clear. It's great for anyone, but especially for someone who has studied Latin, because when a concept is similar in the two languages, a side note points it out.

C.A.E. Luschnig, An Introduction to Ancient Greek, 2nd edition
An excellent book for beginners!From my experience the students quickly learn the basics of both grammar and syntax, and they also enjoy the way the book presents the material. The increments of new material are carefully apportioned with deep consideration of how much can a student absorb in a lesson. The sequencing of subjects is pedagogically effective. Grammar is explained clearly, with sufficient linguistic background to assist in comprehension. The presentation of syntactical concepts is exemplary in its clarity. Sentences in the exercises are based on lines culled from ancient writers, often aphorisms expressing the sort of universal truths students find engaging. These glimpses of Greek thought help encourage the students to persevere in their work. Unlike many books, this text exposes the student to original Greek immediately, in the Introduction -- and they can do it!The author's sometimes humorous tone is appealing, and students find the book "friendly." Luschnig approaches the student as intelligent and committed, including advice on how to tackle memorizing forms, for instance, a sort of mental discipline with which many students today are unfamiliar.I've taught from a variety of books, and I've never found the progress so easy. An efficient and enjoyable book for both students and teachers!
Hanna Roisman, Colby College

C.A.E. Luschnig, An Introduction to Ancient Greek, 2nd edition
An excellent book for beginners!From my experience the students quickly learn the basics of both grammar and syntax, and they also enjoy the way the book presents the material. The increments of new material are carefully apportioned with deep consideration of how much can a student absorb in a lesson. The sequencing of subjects is pedagogically effective. Grammar is explained clearly, with sufficient linguistic background to assist in comprehension. The presentation of syntactical concepts is exemplary in its clarity. Sentences in the exercises are based on lines culled from ancient writers, often aphorisms expressing the sort of universal truths students find engaging. These glimpses of Greek thought help encourage the students to persevere in their work. Unlike many books, this text exposes the student to original Greek immediately, in the Introduction -- and they can do it!The author's sometimes humorous tone is appealing, and students find the book "friendly." Luschnig approaches the student as intelligent and committed, including advice on how to tackle memorizing forms, for instance, a sort of mental discipline with which many students today are unfamiliar.I've taught from a variety of books, and I've never found the progress so easy. An efficient and enjoyable book for both students and teachers!
Hanna Roisman, Colby College ... Read more

Product Description

The first edition of this extremely popular Greek text has been

successfully adopted in many high schools and colleges; the organization

and approach used by the authors, make it an equally effective tool for

those who would enjoy learning the language on their own.

The text is designed for a two semester course at the introductory level.

This second revised edition incorporates the authors' improvements and

corrections gathered from users' commentary. Those who are currently using

the first edition will find this update valuable, those who are seeking a

Greek language text will find Greek: An Intensive Course one of the most

complete and accessible books on the market. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Awesome Book
This is a really good textbook and I got it in very good condition, thanks a lot!

Excellent, Well-Organized Greek Grammar
This is an excellent, well-organized introduction to Attic Greek. The descriptions of morphology and syntax are extremely clear and thorough, better than any other textbook I've looked at (JACT, Ancient Greek Alive, Pharr, Homeric Greek:A Reading Course); the Greek font is large and clear; the layout of paradigms, examples and exercises is attractive, simple, and uncluttered. Other reviewers have noted that the vocabulary included is small. I believe that was done deliberately to keep the focus on the grammar. There are plenty of exercises and some self-correcting exams including answer keys.

The book would work well as a classroom text supplemented by additional vocabulary and readings. It is not very well suited for self-study except in two situations. If you have studied Greek elsewhere (I had worked through Pharr's Homeric Greek before Hansen and Quinn), then the bare bones, crystal clear grammatical review will be helpful. Or, if you have learned to read several other foreign languages and have gotten to the point that you learn new ones by reading a grammar quickly and then tackling unedited text with a dictionary, then you could use this book to learn Greek grammar.

Great Purchase for Students of Classical Greek
I have been a student of New Testament (koine) Greek for several years, and I always wanted to see how the Greek language had evolved from the classical period of the language used by writers, such as Homer (13th Century B.C.) and Plato (4th Century B.C.) to the Hellenistic period (roughly 330 BCE to 330 CE). All of my koine Greek texts indicated that various changes had evolved over time prior to the the Hellenistic period, so I wanted to see for myself some of the changes.I didn't know which Classical Greek text to choose, but I finally decided to choose this particular textbook.I am very pleased with my purchase as the authors definitely wrote a first-class textbook that has extensive sets of exercises.I only have two possible wishes should the authors and publisher ever decide to adopt either of them.First,the textbook is very large and difficult to hold while your are studying it.It might be better if the publisher would consider printing the textbook in two separate volumes.Second, since I am studying the textbook on my own and do not have an instructor to correct any of my mistakes in translating the exercises, I suggest that the author include English translations for the Greek sentences so that self-studying students would know if they have translated them correctly.The answers to the exercises could possibly be included as a third volume if the author/publisher considers this option to be viable.Otherwise, I really do like this textbook, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested, like I was, in comparing koine Greek to the earlier classical period of the language.

Great Textbook
Extraordinarily systematic and organized (far more than the Cambridge text, which has you dabbling a little bit in grammar here and there and reading chunks of greek without having a good grasp on the grammar contained therein.) Get this textbook if you want a thorough handle on classical greek grammar. I just love how they introduce to you the 6 principal part verb system of Greek relatively quickly, which in my opinion, greatly expedites your understanding of the language.

Very good, but...
This is a very good book. I tried to learn Ancient Greek from it, and in fact learned a lot, mostly grammatical points. This book contains very good drills and clever exercises, but I feel they are not suitable for beginners. If you are a beginner, I'd recommend instead "Learning Greek with Plato", an easier and safer approach. Read that through, then come back to this for review. ... Read more

Product Description
A Historical Greek Readerprovides an introduction to the history of the ancient Greek language by means of a series of texts with linguistic commentary, cross-referenced to each other and to a reference grammar at the front. It offers a selection of epigraphic and literary texts from the Mycenaean period (roughly the fourteenth century BC) to the koiné (the latest text dates to the second century AD), and includes a wide range of Greek dialect texts. The epigraphic section balances a number of well-known inscriptions with recent discoveries that may not be easily available elsewhere; a selection of literary texts traces major developments in the language of Greek poetry and literary prose. The book finishes with an account of the linguistic and sociolinguistic background of koiné Greek. The commentary assumes no prior knowledge of Greek historical linguistics, but provides a basic amount of up-to-date bibliography so that advanced students and others can pursue linguistic issues at greater depth where necessary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An Excellent Introduction to the Subject
Colvin's book is an excellent and timely addition to the generalist's library or that of the beginning linguist or philologist. The only other modern(ish) introduction to ancient Greek dialects in English is that by the great Carl Darling Buck (see here or here for my review of that). In that review I compare Buck and Colvin, both of them favorably, and ultimately recommend going through Colvin but, after his treatment of each dialect, turning to the corresponding chapter in Buck for further inscriptions and additional insights before moving on to the next dialect in Colvin. There are also some other suggestions in that review; I hope this helps you decide.

Also, for an overview of ancient Greek from many different angles, I heartily recommend Christidis' (ed.) magnificent History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity, which includes dialects and much, much more. ...Best of luck!

Review of the Oxford Historical Greek Reader
This book is very, very helpful for reading Greek texts. It is essentially a condensed version of Buck's work on Greek dialects. The authors of the Reader first explain the fine rules of grammar for the various Greek dialects, as well as the specific rules for major literary figures (Homer, Thucydides, etc.) and then presentpassages to represent these dialects and authors. The selections are great representations, and, furthermore, they are each supplemented by an analysis of specific variations. This would make a great textbook for a higher level Greek course.

An ancient Greek biography
Stephen Colvin intended to write an academic prose that caters for both professionals and amateurs alike. For some Greek enthusiasts who have only little exposure to periodicals and whose knowledge about the language comes mainly from 100 years old grammars this book tells you how ancient Greek language has been reinterpreted in 20th century. For example, 19th century introductions on classical Greek will say Greek people came from three waves of immigration corresponding to Ionic, Aeolic and Doric dialect respectively. Nevertheless more recent scholarship has rebuked this hypothesis. Colvin's book classifies the language in classical era into a quintet: namely Arcado-Cypriot, Attic-Ionic, Aeolic, west Greek and Pamphylian. Another plot from early Minoan-Mycenaean period down to the classical Greek world was drawn; this evades the semi-structuralism the old theory might assume and also contains some formerly less documented language varieties.
The 300 page book roughly divides in two parts. In the first part the auther articulate a brief history from Mycenaean language (not yet evolved into "Greek" according to the author)to Hellenistic Koine. Colvin described the whole ramification with detailed features in phonology and morphology. The second part of this book is samples from all strata of Greek mentioned in the previous section. Early Mycenaean syllabary is listed in transliteration in Latin alphabet, the translation in Greek with necessary extra marks, translation in English and annotations of the original text; other dialects are given the latter three parts. All samples are from tablets and stones to ensure authenticity.
So I think this book is a perfect biography of the Greek language in which you trace from its birth to the late antiquity. High price is a blemish but I won't devaluate the book by this criterion. ... Read more

Product Description
This innovative textbook offers students a dynamic introduction to classical Greek. It inspires a constructive sense of enthusiasm in the classroom while helping students master grammatical principles and reading skills.

Among the imaginative features of the book is a two-week introduction to spoken Greek, which immerses students in the sound and basic vocabulary of the language so that they are comfortable as they learn to read and write. (Conversational scripts are provided.) For its reading passages, Ancient Greek Alive uses engaging and even humorous stories drawn from folklore around the world and rendered freshly into classical Greek.

The book's grammatical explanations are unusually clear. Helpful, one-step-at-a-time exercises are incorporated into the lessons. Entire chapters are devoted to vocabulary review to underline its importance and provide rest stops. There are special sections on aspects of Greek culture. Students test their reading skills along the way on intriguing passages in original Greek texts, which range from Heraclitus and the New Testament to Diogenes and Greek gravestones. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

A lost opportunity
The authors are misguided in their inclusion of many African and Asian stories as translation exercises. These stories make up a large portion of the book, but are irrelevant to the life and history of the Greeks. The authors lost an opportunity to include many stories written by the Greeks themselves, which would have served as a valuable introduction to the Greek mentality and culture.

If the authors did not want to restrict themselves to the writings of the golden age of Athens, then why not choose from the thousands of pages of original works in the Attic dialect, which were written in the following 20 centuries. In the Loeb Classical Library there are novels (Chariton, Achilleus Tatius, Lucian, etc.) and collections of stories (Plutarch, Aelian, etc.) in the hundreds of pages. (Not to mention the many historians available.) There are worthy Byzantine authors writing history, humor, hagiography, and travelogue in perfect Attic Greek, but the authors ignore them all.

The authors are oblivious to the vast output of later Attic-Greek literature because they seem to share in the common prejudice of classical academics: that post-classical Greek writings are "decadent," inferior, and not worthy of presentation in a textbook. How else can one explain the authors prejudice toward unconnected, disjointed foreign literature. Saffire and Freis should come down from their elitist ivory tower and help their students discover the vast treasure of Greek literature, especially because the discovery of this Greek (not foreign) literature is the reason students strive to learn Greek in the first place.

No English translations
In my expensive quest to find a self-study Greek book simple enough for not-very-smart-me, I've bought and worked with Athenaze, JACT, Mounce, Dobson, Found, Jones, and Cory. And Ancient Greek Alive.

Some of these are good. Some aren't so good. The one, the only one, that is utterly and absolutely UNUSABLE is Ancient Greek Alive. And I don't mean "unusable" in the sense that it really sucked (although it did).I mean that for self study "you can not use it".

Why? Because for the great bulk of the examples and exercises and readings THERE ARE NO ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS, NO KEY, NO WAY TO KNOW WHAT THE F#%$ THE GREEK WORDS MEAN.

The reason it has no English translations is, it's designed to be used in an academic course, with a teacher providing explanations and translations. But, since you're reading reviews on Amazon, I presume you haven't been assigned the book by a professor.

Also, even if there were English translations, the book would still suck for self study. The logic of the grammatical presentation is scattered and spotty. And since I'm wound up, I'll mention that the Greek font is san-serif and hard to read.

My shopping suggestion: Instead of buying Ancient Greek Alive, spend your money on a hammer, and drive a nail into your head. The experience will be exactly as unpleasant, but the pain will be over quicker. And you'll have just as much chance of learning ancient Greek.

If you want to actually learn ancient Greek, start with Dobson and Mounce, the move on to Athenaze or JACT, or both.

Totally Awesome
This book is great if you are a first-time student of Ancient Greek and learning in a classroom setting. It would be difficult to use if you were planning on teaching yourself; it is designed to be used in a classroom.

The best feature is the stories. Many of the stories are ancient folktales and fables that are used to teach vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, etc. All language texts use this but never do they use real fairy tales or folktales. The amount of history contained in these stories is pretty extensive. I think part of the reason for this is because it is hard to thoroughly understand a language without understanding the culture that developed it. Hooray for not having to read that Dick and Jane are playing tennis, have played tennis, will play tennis, etc.

It is a very comprehensive text and one that I would recommend to any professor or student of Ancient Greek.

Excellent for classroom or creative self-study
Ancient Greek Alive pleasingly focuses on Greek as a living language, immersing you in actually using the language (and challenging you to think about it) and not only learning the basics. Ancient Greek is no simple language, but it's very beautiful and intricate, and I appreciate this textbook for not treating me like a child. Rather, Ancient Greek Alive seems encourage students to enter into the minds of the Greeks, because after all, as you study the Greek language, you're essentially learning how the Greeks actually thought (and how they experienced life).

To desribe the textbook, it's full of great and fun stories to be translated, and it also has a selection of ancient texts near the end of the book. It introduces new ideas in a good order, and the book will prove EXTREMELY useful for you to go back and look up a concept that you need to review. Also, there's a good dictionary in the back to help you along with way, but feel confident that you'll grow comfortable with the language over time and after a little hard work.

The workbook Dr. Fries has developed (not yet published) is the perfect companion for the textbook. It reviews the basics from each lesson while providing great activities to help you grow comfortable with the concepts taught. Once Dr. Freis publishes the workbook, Ancient Greek Alive will become the ideal way to learn and fully appreciate the ancient Greek language.

Student
I used this textbook while studying Greek at Millsaps College with Dr. Catherine Freis.I had already taken Latin with Wheelocks so I was expecting another traditional linear textbook with learning the concept, memorizing vocab, practicing basic sentences, and then learning a new concept, vocab, sentences, and then new concept, vocab, etc.

I had no idea how beautifully organized the text is.The chapters begin with 10 "scripts".In these 10 scripts a small taste of different concepts are introduced.For example certain common pronouns, certain verb forms, basic uses of the cases, common prepositions, etc.This can be a little overwhelming for those who give up easily.

When the complete concepts are introduced in the following chapters, I always had those smaller versions of the concepts anchored in my memory from the scripts.Nothing was foreign and I had seen everything we studied in some form in the scripts which were read aloud and concrete in my memory.

This experience was like being blindfolded and thrown into a pool of Ancient Greek.Then I slowly felt my way around watching the beauty of the language unfold.

Freis has written a workbook to accompany the text.I was one of the first to use it and I absolutely loved it.Anytime the book was vague or I just didn't understand I could look at the workbook for another explanation which was usually more traditional and straight-forward.The workbook was born out of years of Freis troubleshooting with the textbook.

With the new workbook it made it possible for me to understand it without the classroom. I would imagine that one could be self-taught with the use of the new workbook. Though I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to learn Greek with others.

I have never really enjoyed translating Latin. It was boring and monotonous. I have always looked forward to studying Greek and I've learned a great appreciation for the Greek verb, the structure of the language, the etymology of the words, and the unexpected enjoyment of learning Greek.I'm convinced that this stemmed from the approach and organization of the book.

Matt Vieron ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Kinchin Smith and Melluish make learning Greek a pleasure
Many years ago a teacher whom I knew gave me a copy of this book.It helped me get started on learning Greek, and I did not have to unlearn anything I got from it.Further, the authors make the journey of learning Greek to be a pleasure.Kind of like volunteering to ride on a sail boat, but you do work in order to be on the boat.

The authors do not claim that when you complete the book you will be ableto read one of the histories, or a play of one of the dramatists.This is an introduction to Greek.

Since I have not read Gavin Betts' book, I will not comment.One book that will get you ready for reading Greek, however, is An Introduction to Ancient Greek: A Literary Approach.

I know a Greek professor who really prefers the reading approach, particularly An Independent Study Guide to Reading Greek.This book I linked is the study guide, but there are a couple of other books that must go with it, the reading selections, and also the grammar book, too.In this one is baptised, so to speak into the reading, and you learn grammar along the way.

But for a first taste, that will not spoil you on learning Greek, Kinchin Smith and Melluish are to be recommended.

Bring this book back!

For serious students it has been superseded by Betts' book, but perhaps useful for those wanting a taste of Classical Greek
The old version of TEACH YOURSELF GREEK, written by F. Kinchin Smith and T. W. Melluish and dealing with Classical Greek, was first published in 1947. It proves a very different work from the later version by Gavin Betts that remains in print.

Smith and Melluish wrote a book that was meant for those who wanted some basic knowledge of Greek to understand it's enormous influence on the English lexicon and who wanted to try at reading some simple prose before deciding on further study of the language. As a result, there are are no Greek composition exercises (= translation of English sentences into Greek), a hallmark of a rigorous introduction. Even accents have been left off the words to avoid burdening the learner. The tone throughout is humorous, though some of the jokes may now be difficult to get now that the British schooling tradition assumed in the book is no longer around. Of course, the book does have a daunting amount of paradigm tables, but these can hardly be avoided in the teaching of Classical Greek.

It's curious that the publishers of Teach Yourself didn't have this book updated and reissued as TEACH YOURSELF BEGINNER'S ANCIENT GREEK, since it would make a fine companion volume to Teach Yourself Beginner's Latin.

If you just want to see what Classical Greek is like without it being assumed that you're committed to reading real prose--and poetry and drama as well--then this book of Smith and Melluish may be worth searching out on the used market. If you are a serious student, however, Betts' book is the one to get. ... Read more

Product Description
Greek: A History of the Language and its Speakers, Second Edition reveals the trajectory of the Greek language from the Mycenaean period of the second millennium BC to the current day.

• Offers a complete linguistic treatment of the history of the Greek language
• Updated second edition features increased coverage of the ancient evidence, as well as the roots and development of diglossia
• Includes maps that clearly illustrate the distribution of ancient dialects and the geographical spread of Greek in the early Middle Ages ... Read more

Product Description
The Oxford Grammar of Classical Greek gives clear, concise, and easily understood explanations of all the key points of Classical Greek grammar. With additional features such as a glossary of grammatical terms, a vocabulary list covering all the Greek words found in the main text, study tips, and practice exercises to help develop knowledge and gain confidence, this invaluable resource ensures that students have all the support they need to complement their language learning. The Oxford Grammar of Classical Greek also offers hundreds of example sentences illustrating grammatical points, an explanation of literary terms, and a guide to how Classical Greek was pronounced. The first book of grammar dedicated to Classical Greek for students in almost a century, this handy reference will replace existing Greek grammars and help students bring this ancient language to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Good as described.
The book was in good condition as described.
It arrived within a few days.
I am satisfied with the seller and the book.
Thanks.

Clear Presentation
I originally found this in the local library. It was so helpful that I was reluctant to return the book to the library. I purchased my own copy. This is a great value. Topics are clearly and concisely presented.

Handy Tool
I found the Grammar of Classical Greek to be very informative as it has continuously shown itself to strengthen both my lexicon and understanding of both ancient and modern Greek, both to which it heavily applies. In fact, it has also shown me how little modern Greek has changed in comparison to Classical Greek. With this in light, I was thoroughly unconvinced by its argument on the pronunciation of the alphabet and the words herein, which have been firmly preserved by the Greek Orthodox Church since St. Ignatius in the mid-1st century, which continues to use Classical Greek as the language for its liturgical services, unaffected by the slight changes in the vulgar which consequently resulted in the Greek spoken today.
Overlooking this shortcoming, the book gave a fantastic insight into the grammar and proper conjugations, even for the irregular verbs and nouns. This tool will be useful to me even after the book starts falling apart from age and use. I would even suggest searching for a hardcover copy of the book...

Best Reference Grammar for most students
I always wondered why no one had ever produced a Greek Primer to rival Kennedy's Latin Primer: well-laid out;precise and complete. At last they have! This is the first Grammar produced in almost a 100 years and does not dissapoint. the paradigms are well laid out,the finer points of Greek Grammar are demistyfied, and the sections well organized and easy to follow. There are tables of the most common irregular verbs.
There is a brief English Greek, Greek English vocablary, and some exercises, useful, but you should not buy this Grammar for these added features, you should buy it because it is the best intermediate reference grammar available

Awesome book and excercises
To those who complain about answers not being given, most if not all exercises come out of original Greek texts (hence what's inside the parenthesis) and can be found on the internet or at a local library.

This textbook is awesome and works great, especially with the Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary.Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary ... Read more