Early beta editions for Pygmalion & Galatea and Pyramus & Thisbe from Ovid’s Metamorphoses have been added to the Ovid page, which already includes early betas for Icarus & Daedalus and Daphne and Apollo.

Readers now have the ability to suggest changes online for Plato’s Apology and College Vergil. The links take readers to the pdf in the cloud (Adobe), where readers can suggest changes, and I receive a notification to read the suggestions. Changes are included in a revised paperback and pdf within two or three weeks (often sooner). Eventually, I will expand this feature to most of the commentaries in the series.

Teachers, if there is some ancillary or other form of support that you would like to see for readers. please let me know in the comments or via email.

Happy New Year!

Teachers have contacted me and offered a number of ways that they use the pdf to enhance instruction. Below are a few tips worth passing along:

(1) Enlarge the pdf on the desktop which you are projecting to create a quick and easy presentation.

(2) Enlarge the pdf on the desktop and take screenshot images of the selected text (Mac: shift-command-4, Windows: Snipping tool) to insert in presentations, handouts, quizzes, and tests. (Enlarging the pdf improves the image resolution.) This is a very easy way to maintain formatting between the book, presentations, and handouts.

(3) Post the pdf (or a link to the pdf) on your class website and ask that students use the paperback in class and pdf at home or vice versa and not carry the book in their book bags. This method discourages daily wear-and-tear on your books and yet ensures that students always have access to the commentary.

(4) Need flashcards? Search Quizlet or Anki before you make your own. The flashcards may already have been created. If you wish to make your own flashcards, most applications allow you to copy and paste vocabulary and then ask what punctuation you wish to use to divide up the word from the definition. Choose “:” (a colon) and within seconds you will convert the vocabulary list copied from the pdf into a set of flashcards. Then, simply copy the link to the flashcard set and send it to your students.

(5) Use the search function in the pdf to find relevant grammar constructions throughout the commentary: e.g. search “subj” to find all labeled subjunctive constructions and “dat” to find labeled dative constructions.

(6) If the students have mastered the core vocabulary, copy and paste selected dictionary entries from the corresponding vocabulary sections (e.g. word occurring 3-8 times) as you read to create vocabulary lists for students to review and memorize.

If you have any other suggestions to add to this list, please let me know.

This commentary includes all the selections on the College Board AP (Advanced Placement) syllabus for Vergil’s Aeneid in 63 Lessons. The latest pdf is available for free here, and the paperback is available on Amazon here.

• Book 1: 1-209, 418-440, 494-578
• Book 2: 40-56, 201-249, 268-297, 559-620
• Book 4: 160-218, 259-361, 659-705
• Book 6: 295-332, 384-425, 450-476, 847-899

Together College Caesar and College Vergil cover the entire AP Latin syllabus in 133 daily lessons.

Why choose this series over competing AP textbook series? 

1. Free access to the pdf edition: Teachers can present the pdf in-class or virtually to support instruction and upload the pdf to a class website for student access. Students can access the pdf at home and in class.
2. Lessons divided to promote pacing: Teachers can assign daily lessons to promote good pacing. Since each lesson is two pages long, students know precisely where a new assignment begins and ends. The 63 lessons in Vergil and 70 in Caesar allow teachers to complete the syllabus and still have time for regular testing, breaks, and review before the AP exam.
3. No page flipping: Students have ready access to all non-core vocabulary and grammatical notes for each lesson without turning a page.
4. Translation sheets are arranged by lesson to keep students organized: The text on the downloadable and printable translation sheets is identical in format to the text in each lesson, so students can take notes, stay organized, and never lose their place as their eyes between the commentary and translation sheets.
5. Thin and portable: Students can fit each volume in the pocket of a binder.
6. 7 x 10 inch size: Students can keep volumes open flat on desk as they work.
7. Inexpensive: College Caesar and College Vergil cost $9.95 each.

T.H. and other authors have just published a Pharr-formatted Latin commentary for Perpetua on Amazon here and as a free pdf download here.

J. Shaw’s commentary is now available on Amazon here (for 13.95 USD), and the latest pdf version is available as a free download here on his website.

J. Shaw’s commentary on St. Augustine’s Confessions is also available on Amazon here (for 9.95 USD), and the latest pdf version is available as a free download here on his website. 

Finally, a very early beta edition for 10 Letters of Seneca is available on this website.

J, S. has just published  a Pharr-formatted commentary on Ars Amatoria Book 1, a didactic poem that instructs readers on how to pick up members of the opposite sex. The opening lines are known to be a bit challenging, but if you read ahead just a little, you will be rewarded with a guided tour of the best places to find love in Rome.

If you have enjoyed reading Ovid in the past but never considered Ars Amatoria, it is certainly a great summer read. The paperback is available on Amazon here, and a free pdf of the commentary is available on her website here.