Focus Imprint

"Warrior's text fills a long-acknowledged void for teaching Ancient Religion. There is no real alternative. The best recommendation for her book comes from my students, who voted her Greek and Roman Sourcebooks their favorite texts in my Greek and Roman Religion course." —Randall M. Colaizzi, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Boston

"I am currently using Valerie M. Warrior’s Greek Religion: a Sourcebook and her Roman Religion: a Sourcebook for my class on Paganism. They are absolutely outstanding, in terms of the selection, the range of topics, and the level of detail provided. I will keep using these as long as I keep teaching the class (I hope for decades!). I would recommend them to anyone. Perfect to supplement a class based mainly on lectures, and to get students digging into the real sources of our knowledge and engaging with them." —Jack Mitchell, Department of Classics, Dalhousie University

Greek Tragedy: A First Reading is an intermediate to advanced textbook that includes selections from the Electra plays of both Euripides and Sophocles. It is designed to provide students with a structured access to reading interesting Greek at the advanced level, and as it appears in works of Greek tragedy. It provides a careful introduction to the language of tragedy, Greek poetry as found in Electra, and to the nature and forms of Greek tragedy. The book focuses on material relevant for translation and understanding the unique form of drama through translation.

"Shakespeare scholars Bernice W. Kliman and James H. Lake have carried out the important task of not only bringing up to date the text of Hamlet as edited in the last century by the celebrated Shakespearean George Lyman Kittredge but also retaining its significant features. The editors' discerning analyses of performances by Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branah, Michael Almereyda, and Simon Russell Beale drive home the point that Hamlet today remains alive but restless and unpredictable. It exemplifies Ben Johnson's Shakespeare, who '. . . was not of an age, but for all time!'"
     —Kenneth Sprague Rothwell, (1921-2010), was Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont

Euripides Hecuba is one of the few tragedies that evoke a sense of utter desolation and destruction in the audience. The drama focuses on the status of women, those who are out of power and at the margins of society, by enacting the sufferings of Hecuba. With the city of Troy fallen, Hecuba and Polyxena, her daughter, are enslaved to Agamemnon. Hecuba is despondent with the news that Polyxena is chosen to be sacrificed at the tomb of Achilles. After the sacrifice, the body of her son Polydorus, already a ghost at the start of the drama, is discovered. Polymestor, a king in Thrace who Hecuba sent Polydorus to for safety reasons, murdered Polydorus for his gold. With the tacit complicity of Agamemnon, Hecuba plots her revenge against Polymestor. What transpires next has lasting implications for all involved, including a dramatic trial scene and Hecubas ultimate metamorphosis.

Euripides' Heracles is an extraordinary play, innovative in its treatment of the myth, bold in its dramatic structure, and filled with affective human pathos. The play tells a tale of horror: Heracles, the greatest hero of the Greeks, is maddened by the gods to murder his wife and children. But this suffering and divine malevolence are leavened by the friendship between Heracles and Theseus, which allows the hero to survive this final and most painful labor. The Heracles raises profound questions about the gods and mortal values in a capricious and harsh world. 

"There are few Greek readers on the market for so crucial an author as Herodotus, and this text with its extensive selections . . . and helpful glosses admirably fills that void."
      —Mary English, Montclair State University

No play of Euripides is more admired than Hippolytus. The tale of a married woman stirred to passion for a younger man was traditional, but Euripides modified this story and blended it with one of divine vengeance to create a masterpiece of tension, pathos, and dramatic power. In this play, Phaedra fights nobly but unsuccessfully against her desire for her stepson Hippolytus, while the young man risks his life to keep her passion secret. Both of them, constrained by the overwhelming force of divine power and human ignorance, choose to die in order to maintain their virtue and their good names.

A Greek language reference of Homeric terms and allusions for students of Greek at the third and fourth year of study, the Homeric Dictionary features the most common 9,000 words used in the Iliad and Odyssey, with grammatical forms and illustrations.

This is a collection of the standard texts of ancient Greek which are important components of what we know about Greek myth, religion, language and culture. All of the works collectively known as the Homeric Hymns are collected and translated here in their entirety, and the work includes ample notes and an introduction to provide information on the works' historic importance, a chronological table, genealogical chart, maps of Greece and the Aegean Islands, and illustrations of vase paintings with mythological themes.

"Tom Simone's translation is simply superb. Of all the translations with which I am familiar, this is the one that is the most faithful to what's there in the Italian: no frills, no poetic sallies, no choosing a word because it brings the line closer to iambic pentameter—just unadulterated Dante with good old Anglo-Saxon words and in highly readable prose."
    —Peter Kalkavage, St. John's University

This text is part of a Focus series of student editions in Spanish designed for students of Spanish and general readers who are not native speakers. Each book carries the full text, notes, introduction and questions in the manner of Advanced Literature Placement examination questions. All are in Spanish and are designed to help the reader approach the materials with both linguistic, literary and cultural issues.

This text is part of a series of student editions in Spanish designed for students of Spanish and general readers who are not native speakers. Each book carries the full text, notes, introduction and questions in the manner of Advanced Literature Placement examination questions. All are in Spanish and are designed to help the reader approach the materials with both linguistic, literary and cultural issues.

"This is an excellent book for use in AP Spanish literature and culture classes, and also for use at the college level. The readers' guides and historical and cultural overviews of Spain are especially useful." —Patricia Smith, Tufts University

A new edition is now available (released in September 2020). Click here for more information about the new third edition.

Introduction to Greek, Second Edition is an introductory text to Classical Greek. It is designed for the first full year course and it concentrates on the basics in a way that allows the material to be covered easily in courses that meet three times a week over the course of two semesters. The focus of the text is on grammar with slightly altered readings drawn chiefly from the works of Xenophon and Herodotus.

A widely adopted textbook for first-year Classical Greek, Introduction to Greek has been rethought from the ground up in this third edition to make it even more effective and user friendly.

"Introduction to Greek, Third Edition is a major revision of, and significant improvement upon, the second edition. The third edition strengthens the few areas where the second edition was weak and adds some useful new features to make it more adaptable to different teaching approaches. Most importantly it is succinct and well designed, so that students can reasonably complete it during a standard two-semester course. The new edition should be extremely attractive to both faculty and students. It is unreservedly the textbook I plan to adopt the next time I teach first year Greek." —Michael G. Clark, Lafayette College

Instructor Resources: A digital answer key to the textbook (PDF only) is available to qualified course instructors. To request the answer key please use this form.

Introduction to Latin, Second Edition is a complete introductory Latin text specifically designed for college level courses taught for three hours credit over a two semester period. The text is designed as a streamlined and uncluttered approach to Latin and grammar, providing a complete course, but without the nuance of more advanced explanations that hinder the first year student's mastery of the material. It covers all aspects of Latin grammar in a familiar pedagogical flow, with English grammar explained as needed, providing students with an in text reference point for new Latin material. Course Instructors: An electronic answer key for the textbook (PDF only) is available for qualified adoptors. If you have adopted the text, click here to request the answer key.

DeHoratius' Introduction to Latin: A Workbook, Second Edition is an essential companion to Introduction to Latin, Second Edition, providing additional innovative exercises of the type found in the textbook that help students build reflexes in the Latin language.

Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and BAFTA nominee for Best Foreign Film, JOYEUX NOEL (MERRY CHRISTMAS) tells the true-life story of the spontaneous Christmas Eve truce declared by Scottish, French and German troops in the trenches of World War I. Enemies leave their weapons behind for one night as they band together in brotherhood and forget about the brutalities of war. Diane Krüger (Troy), Daniel Brühl (Good Bye, Lenin!) and Benno Fürmann (The Princess and the Warrior) head a first-rate international cast in a truly powerful, must-see film. Location in Cinema for French Conversation, 4th Edition: Chapter 5. Location in Cinema for German Conversation: Chapter 1.

"The New Kittredge Series is both a delight and a steal. Kittredge's textual authority, updated by eminent scholars sensitive to classroom needs and alert to staging choices, is once again available in these slim, elegant, inexpensive, user-friendly volumes. With lucid notes and incisive introductions geared especially to popular film versions, the series also offers an overview of both stage and film performances of each play. A must for any Shakespeare class."
     —Laury Magnus

ACTFL 2020 Virtual Convention Author Workshop: Juntos: Italian for Speakers of English and Spanish. Presented by Clorinda Donato (California State University, Long Beach). Watch it on Vimeo here.

Juntos: Italian for Speakers of English and Spanish, Third Edition, is the first comprehensive textbook for the teaching of Italian to students who already possess knowledge of Spanish, whether as L1 Spanish speakers, heritage speakers, or L2 Spanish learners. Suitable for students at the high school and college levels, Juntos is also the first textbook to cultivate interlinguistic awareness through intercomprehension, developing bridges that foster the recognition and use of students’ bilingual repertoire as a tool for learning Italian and acquiring other Romance languages. "A Revolution in Language"—read about UC Irvine's new accelerated Romance language courses for Spanish-speaking students and their experience with Juntos.

Additional Online Resources: A title support website with audio, activities, and additional web resources for all 36 lessons in Juntos is available here.

Training Videos for Instructors: Training videos designed for instructors looking for step-by-step instructions for teaching Italian multilingually to Spanish-speaking students are available here.

Instructor Guide and Answer Key: A PDF-only Instructor’s Guide and Answer Key is available to qualified instructors by request. Please use this form to request the Instructor’s Guide and Answer Key.

"An innovative, highly engaging Italian textbook, that can be used at the high school or university level. . . . With its translingual perspective, new comparative approach, and array of activities, Juntos provides learners of Italian a new tool to hone their linguistic skills, improve their cross-cultural competence, and deepen their understanding of how languages and cultures are interrelated and mutually enriching." —Christina A. Mirisis, St. Norbert College, and Simona Wright, The College of New Jersey, in The NECTFL Review

George Lyman Kittredge's insightful editions of Shakespeare have endured in part because of his eclecticism, his diversity of interests, and his wide-ranging accomplishments—all of which are reflected in the valuable notes in each volume. The plays in the New Kittredge Shakespeare series retain the original Kittredge notes and introductions, changed or augmented only when some modernization seems necessary. These new editions also include introductory essays by contemporary editors, notes on the plays as they have been performed on stage and film, and additional student materials.

"This is a terrific edition that really brings King John and Henry VIII to life. Consistently inviting student participation, the edition makes the plays wonderfully accessible, through explanations of the language, descriptions of context, topic guides, plot outlines, illustrations, and genealogies. A particular strength is the emphasis on performance. Thanks to the insightful histories provided, King John and Henry VIII are richly illuminated as stage and screen creations, allowing for genuinely imaginative engagement with these most fascinating Shakespearean dramas."
     —Ramona Wray, Reader in English at Queen's University, Belfast

"By adding comments on recorded performances to Kittredge's notes . . . [which] were fun and helpful to my early study of Shakespeare . . . Kenneth Sprague Rothwell gives students and researchers the means to explore how performance can elucidate 'the script' of King Lear."
     —Harry Keyishian, Fairleigh Dickinson University

This is an English translation of Sophocles' famous tragedy of Oedipus and the fate he so much tries to avoid. Focus Classical Library provides close translations with notes and essays to provide access to understanding Greek culture.

"An extraordinary artistic achievement, Richard II remains one of Shakespeare's most satisfyingly ambiguous plays and expertly-penned exercises in shifting audience sympathies. Pendleton's even-handed introduction and judicious supplements to Kittredge's annotations lay out the play's issues in a way that make its delightful poignancy even more available to readers. Especially useful are Pendleton’s extensive in-text performance notes, which recount how film versions deal with the challenges and possibilities the play presents."
     —James Wells, Muskingum University

"In this splendid edition, Jacquelyn Kilpatrick gives us a comprehensive primer on Shakespeare's performance craft and an ideal text for teaching Richard III, particularly to students new to Shakespeare. Her introductory materials make a century of scholarship and filmmaking both accessible to the newcomer and illuminating for the experienced student or performer. Her keen understanding of the original performance circumstances of Shakespeare's plays and insightful accounts of salient stage and film productions work together to open up the rich array of possibilities and choices in performance, both then and now."
     —Catherine S. Burriss, California State University, Channel Islands

The Focus Student Editions are designed for French language courses in literature and culture. Prepared with non-native French speakers in mind, these editions include an introduction (in French), the complete work, and linguistic and cultural notes in French, a current bibliography and study questions. A masterwork of modern francophone African literature, L’enfant noir has the artistry of a novel and the authenticity of an autobiography. This prizewinning 1954 tale describes the narrator’s journey from childhood in Kouroussa, in northwestern Guinea, to France, and the conflict of sacred traditions with the ways of the modern world.

Molière's 1662 comedy L'École des femmes is considered by critics to be among his finest work. The story of a man who is so obsessed by feminine unfaithfulness that he plans to marry his young, naïve ward, whom he has groomed to be the perfect wife, is a classic example of Moliere's bold comedic style. This edition features the French text of Molière's play with vocabulary and notes suitable for students studying for the AP exam in French Literature.

Federico García Lorca's 1945 drama is set in a small Spanish village, where the five daughters of a tyrannical mother struggle against her strict control. The play explores themes of repression, passion, and conformity, and the effects of love upon men upon women. This edition is designed to help students approach the original Spanish text through an introductory essay, vocabulary and cultural notes, and study questions. All material is in Spanish, and complete in one volume, appropriate as an introductory text for Spanish language courses in literature and culture.

La culture francophone: Le monde à l’écoute is an innovative textbook designed for intermediate to advanced French courses that aim to introduce the Francophone world and its cultures in an authentic context. From Africa to the Caribbean, to Quebec, to Europe, it explores selected Francophone histories and geographies through a multitude of fascinating avenues, including: lively overviews of French-speaking countries, regions, or populations; excerpts of classic Francophone texts; discussions of prominent Francophone films (films not included, but readily available from numerous vendors), culinary dishes, music, public figures, vignettes of everyday life, and more. An array of engaging exercises offer rich opportunities to build language skills, as students become active participants in both language learning and Francophone culture itself. North American Rights Only. 

Click here for additional online audio resources and the index of songs covered in the book. Click here to see the list of films covered in La culture francophone and information about where to watch the films online or purchase DVDs and digital download/rentals of the films.

Instructor resources: An answer key for the textbook (PDF only) is available to qualified instructors, click here to request a copy.

"Rice's La France contemporaine à travers ses films successfully fosters a dynamic learning of French language and culture through the study of French cinema. It should appeal to a broad range of learners and avid cinphiles, while providing interesting glimpses into some of Frances most complex and hotly debated cultural issues of today."
     —Cheira Belquellaoui, DePauw University, in French Review

A compilation of over thirty Latin letters with introduction, commentary and grammar review. The letters are focused on Cicero and Pliny, but include numerous other authors and a wide range of fascinating topics. Authors represented are Cicero, Seneca, Pliny, Augustus, Cornelia, Claudia Severa, Vergil, Sidonius, and Ausonius. Designed for use in the first or second-year Latin college level course.

This classic text has been reset and reprinted based on the classic North and Hillard text. It includes all common words and constructions, special vocabularies, rules for the orders of words, list of synonyms and prepositional phrases, and more. Course Instructors: An electronic (PDF) answer key available to qualified course instructors who have adopted this text for their course, (not available for sale to students). If you have adopted this text, click here to request a copy of the answer key.

Corneille's Le Cid, the powerful, classic, seventeenth-century tragicomedy, has been designed in this edition to help English-speaking students approach the original French, with an introductory essay, language and culture notes, and study questions, all in one convenient volume.

"From Le Dernier Métro to Intouchables, Bissière and Singerman cover the latest trends of French cinema, emphasizing context and analytical method as Singerman did in Apprentissage du cinéma français (Focus 2004). The authors offer a selection of films most French cinephiles will applaud, and they incorporate insights from some of the best critical work on French cinema. Students of French film will also find all the bibliographical pointers they need to dig deeper, and instructors will appreciate the pedagogical components included in the chapters."  —Jonathan Walsh, Department of French Studies, Wheaton College, Massachusetts

Clips from each film covered in the textbook are available to qualified instructors in a password protected Vimeo collection. Instructors wishing to access clips from the films for course use may request access by using the online form here. (download a PDF of the TOC listing all of the films) 

Paris, 1960. Jean-Louis (Fabrice Luchini, Potiche, The Girl From Monaco) lives a bourgeois existence with his neurotic socialite wife Suzanne (Sandrine Kiberlain, Mademoiselle Chambon) while their children are away at boarding school. The couple’s world is turned upside-down when they hire María, a Spanish maid who introduces Jean-Louis to an alternative reality a few stories up on the sixth floor servants' quarters. Befriending a group of sassy Spanish maids (including Pedro Almódovar’s star Carmen Maura, Volver, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), the women teach him there’s more to life than stocks and bonds, and their influence on the house ultimately transforms everyone’s life. (StrandReleasing.com). Location in Cinema for French Conversation, 4th Edition: Chapter 10.

"Colleagues who teach courses on contemporary France in French departments will be very pleased by the much-anticipated arrival of the fourth edition of Les Français, co-authored by Jean-François Brière and Julie Fette. While the updated version reflects the profound changes that have taken place in French society since the publication of the third edition in 2001, among them the effects of the digital revolution and the increasingly visible roles of women and minorities, the book remains faithful to the spirit of the book’s original author, Laurence Wylie. Unlike other textbooks on contemporary France, Les Français does not merely catalog recent events in French history. Instead, it focuses on the ways in which the history and traditions of French society and culture have shaped current attitudes toward a variety of issues, from the debates on laïcité to the laws on parité and le mariage pour tous. This historical and comparative perspective, which gives American students the tools to understand why the French think and behave differently from Americans, constitutes the greatest strength of the book, making it the foremost French-language textbook on contemporary France." —Venita Datta, Professor of French Studies, Wellesley College

Click here to watch authors Julie Fette and Jean-François Brière's Les Français online book launch event hosted by the Institute of French Studies at NYU.

Volume 2 of two readers containing essential important works on constitutional liberty and the foundations of modern western political theory.

This volume is the completely reset Second Edition of Jeanne Marie Neumann's A College Companion (Focus, 2008). It offers a running exposition, in English, of the Latin grammar covered in Hans H. Ørberg's Familia Romana, and includes the complete text of the Ørberg ancillaries Grammatica Latina and Latin–English Vocabulary. It also serves as a substitute for Ørberg's Latine Disco, on which it is based. As it includes no exercises, however, it is not a substitute for the Ørberg ancillary Exercitia Latina I. Though designed especially for those approaching Familia Romana at an accelerated pace, this volume will be useful to anyone seeking an explicit layout of Familia Romana's inductively-presented grammar. In addition to many revisions of the text, the Second Edition also includes new units on cultural context, tied to the narrative content of the chapter.

"Familia Romana and A Companion to Familia Romana came as a complete revelation. I'd heard they were unique, but they are literally nothing less than a work of genius. They would completely revolutionize the classroom, and I would urge all teachers of first-year Latin at universities and all high school teachers to seriously consider adopting this radical approach to learning Latin. The companion volume provides all the traditional exposure you would want, but the main volume shows every prospect of genuinely internalizing Latin in the learner's brain as a living language, calling on a whole set of language-acquisition skills and instincts normally neglected in the teaching of a dead language. Mind-blowing." —Jack Mitchell, Department of Classics, Dalhousie University

A sequel to her widely used A Companion to Familia Romana (now in its second edition), Jeanne Marie Neumann's A Companion to Roma Aeterna offers a running commentary, in English, of the Latin grammar covered in Hans H. Ørberg's Roma Aeterna, and includes the complete text of the Ørberg ancillaries Grammatica Latina and Latin–English Vocabulary II. It also serves as a substitute for Ørberg’s Instructions, on which it is based.

"Jeanne Marie Neumann’s A Companion to Roma Aeterna provides students, instructors, and homeschoolers with a treasure trove of learning that will enable them to fully benefit from Ørberg’s absurdly underused Roma Aeterna."  —James Dobreff, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, UMass Boston

"In using Ørberg's Roma Aeterna students undertake the daunting task of reading Latin containing advanced and complex grammatical concepts without the aid of any English explanations or assistance. Neumann’s companion text regularly serves as a welcome relief and periodically as a necessary crutch in the task. Using the two texts in coordination with each other is a highly effective method for learning Latin, maximizing the strengths and minimizing the weaknesses of Ørberg’s "Natural Method." In the end it all boils down to this: Roma Aeterna will successfully teach students to read Latin, and Companion to Roma Aeterna will help those students understand the complex grammatical and syntactical concepts that underlie the Latin language."  —Michael Holstead, in The NECTFL Review

De Bello Gallico is a supplemental reader in the Lingua Latina series. This text includes abridged annotated versions of Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars Books I, IV and V designed for students who have finished Part I, Familia Romana or anyone interested in learning Latin using the Lingua Latina Hans Orberg method.

A valued supplement to Hans H. Ørberg’s Lingua Latina Pars I: Familia Romana, Colloquia Personarum offers carefully graded Latin-language texts that follow the progression of Familia Romana and offer additional stories about the fictional Roman family introduced in that volume. The Second Edition offers full-color versions of the illustrations that appeared in the First Edition. Also included is the text of Ørberg's Colloquia Personarum: Latin–English Vocabulary.

"Colloquia Personarum is a great complement to Familia Romana. At the end of each chapter of Familia Romana I use Colloquia Personarum because the structures and the grammar that students have been learning is presented in a new situation and is used again in a new context. The strength of these dialogues is also that they are amusing and fun. Students can perform the skits by reading them and acting. Such practice lets students improve their pronunciation while having fun. I also like the charts and the vocabulary at the end fo the book. Nice illustrations in color. Ørberg was a genius and a very fine Latinist." —Rita Pasqui, University of Memphis

Entirely in Latin (with vowel lengths marked), this book includes 209 readings from the Old Testament Books. There are also engaging exercises, including crosswords and matching. Epitome Historiae Sacrae been edited according to the Lingua Latina per se Illustrata series, is ideal for students who have completed Familia Romana as it drills and reviews grammar while adding more than 1,300 words to their vocabulary and modeling excellent Latin prose style. Course Instructors: The Epitome Historiae Sacrae answer key and marginal notes (by Frank Nitsche-Robinson) is available as an electronic file (PDF only) for qualified adopters. If you have adopted the text, click here to request the PDF answer key and marginal notes file.

The collection begins with the adventure of Pygmalion, the Cypriot sculptor who carved a woman out of ivory, and ends with nearly 200 verses of original Latin from books two and three of Ovid's Metamorphoses. The vignettes are annotated with helpful margin notes and are accompanied by beautiful historic woodcut illustrations. The volume contains two appendices: a list of vocabulary and a glossary of proper names. Fabulae Syrae can be used concurrently with Familia Romana for further enrichment or as a review text after completing Familia Romana. It is, however, also a stand-alone work and could also be used as a reader in mythology separate from the Lingua Latina per se Illustrata series. New vocabulary is kept to an absolute minimum, so the reader can truly enjoy the readings, while focusing on a mastery of the grammar and essential vocabulary taught in the Familia Romana.

Indices contains list of Roman consuls and their triumphs (Fasti consulares and Fasti triumphales), a name index (Index nominum) and a word index (Index vocabulorum) of all the words used in both parts of the course. An integral supplement to Roma Aeterna.

Lingua Latina Latine Doceo is designed to provide background to the methodology and philosophy of the Lingua Latina series. It includes the prefaces of many earlier editions and to some of the worldwide editions of Lingua Latina. It also includes a wealth of teaching tips and strategies for the book as a whole and for each of the specific chapters in the first book. It is an invaluable for instructors at colleges, schools and at home.

Presented via the natural method by Hans Ørberg, Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love) allows students to read lightly altered Latin texts. The text is a poem in three books by Ovid. The first two books consist of instructions to men on the wooing of women of easy virtue; the third, of instructions to woman on seduction of men. The work is full of humor and charm, and contains interesting glimpses of Roman life and manners—the circus, the theatre, the banquet. It was perhaps partly on account of its immorality that Augustus banished the poet to Tomi by the Black Sea. These poems can be read by students who have completed the first five chapters of Ørberg's second-year text Roma Aeterna, (Lingua Latina Pars II), also available from Focus.

This workbook contains supplemental grammatical exercises for each of the 133 lectiones (lessons) in Familia Romana (the main book of Pars I of the Lingua Latina per se illustrata series).

Hans H. Ørberg's Familia Romana, Pars I of the Lingua Latina series, and Jeanne Marie Neumann's A Companion to Familia Romana, Second Edition, available for sale as a set at a reduced price. The set may be purchased with a hardcover edition of Familia Romana and a paperback edition of A Companion to Familia Romana, or with paperback editions of each volume. Instructor examination copy orders of the set will include paperback editions of each volume. 

Familia Romana (the main book of Pars I of the Lingua Latina per se illustrata series) contains thirty-five chapters and describes the life of a Roman family in the 2nd century A.D. It culminates in readings from classical poets and Donatus's Ars Grammatica, the standard Latin school text for a millennium. Each chapter is divided into two or three lessons (lectiones) of a few pages each followed by a grammar section (Grammatica Latina) and three exercises (Pensa). Hans Ørberg's impeccable Latin, humorous stories, and the Peer Lauritzen illustrations, reproduced in full color, make this work a classic. The book also includes a table of declensions, a Roman calendar, and a word index (index vocabulorum).

"Familia Romana and A Companion to Familia Romana came as a complete revelation. I'd heard they were unique, but they are literally nothing less than a work of genius. They would completely revolutionize the classroom, and I would urge all teachers of first-year Latin at universities and all high school teachers to seriously consider adopting this radical approach to learning Latin. The companion volume provides all the traditional exposure you would want, but the main volume shows every prospect of genuinely internalizing Latin in the learner's brain as a living language, calling on a whole set of language-acquisition skills and instincts normally neglected in the teaching of a dead language. Mind-blowing." —Jack Mitchell, Department of Classics, Dalhousie University

Familia Romana Essentials Online online courseware is also available. More information can be found in the links below:

COURSE INSTRUCTORS: Request free instructor preview access and learn more here.

INDIVIDUAL LEARNERS: See purchasing options and FAQs about the self-paced learner version of the cousre here.