The 1st edition paperback of Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae is now available for free to instructors  who are reading the Latin text in a scheduled class (a) during Fall 2017 and (b) at an accredited college or university in the contiguous United States.

The purpose of this offer is to field-test the commentary before it is made available with revisions to the general public later this year. A free pdf of the book is currently available on the Sallust page.

If you are an instructor who meets the criteria above and would like to receive (a) a free paperback for yourself or (b) free paperbacks for both yourself and your entire class, please contact me with your name, your address, the number of copies that you are requesting, and a way to verify that you are offering the class (e.g. a link to the course schedule). The books will be ordered and mailed free of charge.

Teachers are under no obligation to provide feedback, and no attempts will be made at any time  to solicit reactions. My hope, however, is that teachers who participate will be willing to share their reflections and recommend changes before a revised edition is available at retail.

If you are interested, please contact me in the comments section or at the email address printed in the preface of the pdf. Thank you.

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

(1) Enlarge the pdf on the screen and connect the computer to a projector to create a quick and easy presentation.

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

(3) Copy and paste the Greek or Latin text to insert in translation quizzes and tests.

(4) 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.

(5) If the students have mastered the core vocabulary, copy and paste selected dictionary entries from the corresponding vocabulary sections as you read to create vocabulary lists for students to review and memorize.

(6) In a secondary school setting, 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 is an easy way to discourage daily wear-and-tear on your books and yet ensure that students always have access to the commentary.

(7) If you wish to add selected vocabulary to Quizlet or Anki to make flashcards, most programs allow you to copy and paste lists of vocabulary and then ask what punctuation you wish to use to divide up the word from the definition. Choose “:” and within seconds you will convert the vocabulary list copied from the pdf into a functional set of flashcards. Then, simply copy the link to the flashcard set and send it to your students.

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

What ancillary materials should this site provide that would help you, as an independent reader, student, or teacher, make the most of the commentaries on this website?

What do you recommend?

(Comments will be visible to all)

Update: As a result of the comments to this post, upcoming changes will include:

(1) Translation sheets in .doc and .pdf formats so teachers and readers can more easily copy, paste, and manipulate the Greek and Latin text for presentations, quizzes, tests, and personal use.

(2) Core Vocabulary lists in .doc format.

(3) Links to core vocabulary flashcards on Quizlet

…and a number of changes to the commentaries themselves.