Free Latin and Greek Textbooks from Online Archives
At the risk of harming today’s curriculum printers, Latin and Ancient Greek haven’t changed significantly in over a thousand years: why not take advantage of free textbooks everyone can access?
I have some opinions about pedagogy.
Mostly, maybe we need to stop entertaining our kids.
But that’s neither here nor there.
The main point here is that children can make anything fun. Boxes and blocks are still the best toys. So they have an ability to enjoy tedious rote memorization.
There, I said it.
Enjoy the free Latin textbooks out there, and even some Ancient Greek ones, and find a way to engage your child or yourself at a much lower cost.
Today, we’re going to review 3 major sites that host a lot of books: Open Library, Internet Archive, and Google Books.
Who it's For:
Cost:
In Detail:
Open Library's Latin & Greek Textbooks
Open Library is part of the Internet Archive (more on that below), and it has a commendable goal: “The ultimate goal of the Open Library is to make all the published works of humankind available to everyone in the world.”
Not everything is freely available there yet, although many things can be downloaded or e-rented through Controlled Digital Lending.
I love that we live in a day and age where books are so available.
Even though Open Library and Internet Archive work together, I did find a different selection of textbooks when searching one or the other. I’m sure it just has to do with their search algorithm and my search terms, but either one will help you get started on Latin and Ancient Greek grammar.
Internet Archive's Latin & Greek Textbooks
The Internet Archive, which hosts many of the free books on Open Library, has an even bigger mission: “The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.”
My hat is off to them.
Working together with its Open Library arm, it has a long list of resources for learning Latin and Ancient Greek grammar.
Go, browse, enjoy.
Google Books' Latin & Greek Textbooks
Google Books is a funny resource. “Search the world’s most comprehensive index of full-text books,” they say. They spent a lot of time and money digitizing copyright free books in libraries. And more books, too. But when I tried to find evidence of the Classics (on the free & full view options), I came away with practically nothing.
On the other hand, most of the textbooks available on the Free Resources and Handouts page are proudly emblazoned with the Google scanning mission.
So in summary, these three sites have really worked together to provide the resources you need to learn Ancient Greek and Latin.
Types of Textbooks You'll Find
- Comprehensive textbooks: with introduction, grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and explanations.
- Reading exercises: simple, straightforward passages of Latin or Ancient Greek to read. Sometimes vocabulary, grammar, and commentary, sometimes not.
- Composition: true fluency is marked by the ability to translate English (or your native language) into Latin and Ancient Greek. Good luck, everyone.
Rating:
Trajan/Augustus