Our Latin Heritage (Our Latin Heritage)

Rating:
Summary: A traditional, no-nonsense school text.
Review: Our Latin Heritage (Book III) continues to offer a traditional, "old school" approach to Latin 3 in which Cicero's four orations against Catiline form the backbone of the text. An extensive, complete review of basic Latin morphology, syntax and vocabulary introduces the text. This ten-unit review features continuous readings adapted from Sallust's Catiline together with form drills, sentence-level Latin composition, and Latin-to-English sentence exercises. Well-organized syntax and morphology charts, an important element throughout the Hines' Our Latin Heritage series complements this comphrensive, introductory review.

Before the four Orations against Catiline are presented, section two of the book offers an introduction to Roman government, law and oratory in the time of Cicero as well as pertinent biographical details of Cicero's life and literary output. Section three, then, brings on the four orations against Catiline, the oration for the Manilian Law, For Archias, and a selection of other Ciceronian works from De Republica to the Tusculans, all carefully glossed with notes appropriate to the intermediate learner of Latin. As usual, the text concludes with morphology charts, a good syntax summary and a full Latin-English glossary and a somewhat shorter English-Latin glossary.

The only real competition for this solid, third-year school text is Jenny's Third Year Latin, which is similar in format but lacks Hines' introductory review. From the perspective of a traditional Latin teacher, who instructs students who require more review than I would wish, Our Latin Heritage seemed the best choice for Latin 3.

Rating:
Summary: Straightforward, simplified
Review: Too bad Book IV is out of print; however, books I through III are still extant. Recently, I decided to rediscover my high school Latin I-IV. Having no current clues to available texts, I browsed many bookstores, reading many reviews on and offline. Ms Hines' straightforward methodology begins with the first lesson and never flinches throughout all three texts. Essentials of grammar are prerequisite since there are no conversational approaches to Latin; however, the author massages the student not with boring drills, but marvellous examples, never losing sight of Our Latin Heritage. Miss Donahue, my first Latin teacher, would surely be proud of these classic texts. To round out your fourth year, try Jenney's as an alternate.