TOP 10 Books to Learn Latin from Beginners to Advanced

5 min readJul 26, 2022

Books to learn Latin are countless out there, some well-known, some unpopular. So how do you know which book is good? That’s why we make a list of excellent textbooks for you. These materials are often recommended strongly by most readers and rated highly on Amazon.

1/ Getting Started with Latin — Level: Beginners

Full name: Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age
Author: William Linney
Price: $21.95
Rating:
4.7
Level: Beginners

At the top of the list, this is a simple and easy Latin book for beginners. “Getting Started with Latin” has many easy-to-understand lessons that cover the fundamentals of Latin. Plus, the principles of Latin grammar and new words have been introduced, so anyone can grasp them. For that reason, you can easily familiarize yourself with the Latin language soon.

2/ Latin Key Words — Level: Beginners

Full name: Latin Key Words: The Basic 2000 Word Vocabulary Arranged by Frequency. Learn Latin Quickly and Easily.
Author: Jerry Toner
Price: $14.95
Rating:
4.4
Level: Beginners

“Latin Key Words” is one of the best books to learn Latin by yourself. Many simple units with more than 100 common words and significant phrases, and language structure can help you get familiar with Latin easily. Additionally, the book also provides a basic Latin-English dictionary to assist learners to improve their Latin literacy and vocabulary quickly.

3/ The Everything Essential Latin Book — Level: Beginners

Full name: The Everything Essential Latin Book: All You Need to Learn Latin in No Time
Author: Richard E Prior
Price: $12.99
Rating:
4.5
Level: Beginners

“The Everything Essential Latin” book is everything learners need to study Latin in no time. It includes the Roman alphabets and translations, the core syntax of Latin, common questions and answers, verb tenses, grammatical notes, etc. Besides, the book is packed with many hints and instructions to help beginners improve their skills, so it is an ideal assistant for the Latin learning journey.

f4/ Wheelock’s Latin, 7th Edition — Level: Beginners

Full name: Wheelock’s Latin, 7th Edition
Author: Frederic M. Wheelock, Richard A. LaFleur
Price: 22.49
Rating:
4.7
Level: Beginners

“Wheelock’s Latin” is the best basic Latin grammar book for self study, 40 chapters include a list of helpful vocabulary and some valuable explanations. Furthermore, it has numerous self-tutorial exercises with their answer keys, as well as dozens of illustrated images to help learners understand the Latin language’s fundamental rules.

5/ Easy Latin Stories for Beginners — Level: Beginners

Full name: Easy Latin Stories for Beginners (Latin Edition)
Author: George L Bennett MA
Price: $5.99
Rating:
4.1
Level: Beginners

Developed by George L Bennett MA, this is the best Latin short stories book for beginners. In fact, many linguists and language teachers commonly agree that the best method to learn Latin is familiar with the vocabulary in context. In simpler terms, many funny stories in this book will definitely improve your vocabulary in Latin language.

6/ Kennedy’s New Latin Primer — Level: Beginners, Intermediate

Full name: Kennedy’s New Latin Primer
Author: Benjamin Hall Kennedy, Marion & Julia Kennedy
Price: $14.99
Rating:
4.3
Level: Beginners, Intermediate

“Kennedy’s New Latin Prime” is one of the best Latin grammar books. This reference material has a lot of grammar exercises and many core vocabulary. Of course, it has a good organization so that beginners can progress step by step. Also, the book is presented transparently and plainly, so this will be a great choice for you to master Latin grammar.

7/ Latin readings: An Intermediate Rapid Reader — Level: Intermediate

Full name: Latin readings: An Intermediate Rapid Reader
Author: Gertrude Drake PhD
Price: $33.00
Rating:
5
Level: Intermediate

“Latin readings: An Intermediate Rapid Reader“ book provides tons of Latin grammar exercises. It covers 96 brief Latin texts with grammatical tenses and pronunciation. In addition to the perfect balance between grammar and exercises, this book is presented in a simple way, so even beginners can guess the meaning of new words in Latin.

8/ Wheelock’s Latin Reader — Level: Intermediate

Full name: Wheelock’s Latin Reader: Selections from Latin Literature
Author: Richard A. LaFleur
Price: $19.99
Rating:
4.7
Level: Intermediate

“Wheelock’s Latin Reader” offers many Latin short stories for intermediate. The Latin alphabet is considered as the origin of many languages in the world. Moreover, this book packed thousands of letters and helped people know about the beauty of Latin through stories’ power. If you can handle these materials, we believe you can overcome any Latin language barrier.

9/ College Latin: An Intermediate Course — Level: Intermediate

Full name: College Latin: An Intermediate Course
Author: Peter L. Corrigan
Price: $41.01
Rating:
4.3
Level: Intermediate

“This is a unique text that will serve the needs of a group of learners who are currently somewhat underserved.” — Stated Lynne West, Bellarmine Preparatory School

“College Latin” book is a good choice to learn Latin for intermediate learners. This material is designed for those who have a Latin background before and want something that would be more challenging. Overall, it offers an interesting selection of reading texts, some lessons focus on morphology and syntax, and difficult grammar.

10/ The Bantam New College Latin & English Dictionary — Latin learner’s dictionary

Full name: The Bantam New College Latin & English Dictionary
Author: John Traupman
Price: $4.6
Rating:
7.99
Level: All levels

This is a dictionary that every Latin learner needs to supply for themselves. It packs 70000 words and phrases in both Late Latin and Neo-Latin. Besides, the entries are divided by different matters such as mythological, geographical, and historical names. Plus, it also has word explanation and pronunciation guides to help people look up easily.