This product is superb for Latin learners. One the even pages there is the original Latin text, and opposite it on the odd pages is an English translation. The English tries to stay fairly true to the Latin, so if you get stuck with the Latin you can just look across the page to find out the meaning of a word or phrase. As a result, though, the English is possibly less rhetorical than other translations, as is pretty much always the case with translations that stay as true as possible to the source material. So, if you only want an English copy of this book, this one won't read as smoothly or poetically as many others. But if you want a Latin copy with English there to help you if you ever get stuck, this is perfect.
The maps at the back (one is fold-out!) are wonderful. They make it easy to track Caesar's progress as he describes it in the text. He was such a refreshingly clear writer that he describes each location or country in detail before going on to say what actually happened there, so even without a map you have a good idea of the lay of the land. As with all good historical works, Caesar explains the relevant details and reasons of everything: he doesn't merely say, "This country attacked that one," but he says why they felt compelled to attack by giving a paragraph or two to describe, say, the political climate of the last few years in that country. There is also a short guide to the various military formations and strategies of the time, which is pretty cool. At the beginning, before everything else, there is a brief biography of Caesar himself, so even someone who has only vaguely heard of him can still enjoy the book thoroughly. It is complete (all 8 books) and self-contained: no other materials necessary (dictionaries, maps, etc.)
Someone else commented that their copy was hard to read, being black text on grey paper. This is not standard for Loeb books, and I suspect that what they received was a poor copy. Mine was normal, easy-to-read text, as is to be expected of the Loeb Classical Library. Make sure you get the real thing and you'll be fine.
I think this is a perfect first Latin book for people who have finished a basic text and want to step things up a notch. If you've done most of Wheelock's, or Orberg's wonderful Lingua Latina, then you'll immediately understand most of this without needing the English at all. I loved being able to check the meaning of unusual, military-specific words, so it was perfect. It's a small book, 17cm x 11.5cm x 3cm (3cm thick because it's 600 pages long), so it's easy to take it with me on the bus or to the bank to read while waiting. I try to read at least one chapter every day; textbooks are great, but the fluency granted by frequently reading decent amounts of actual Latin simply cannot be underrated.
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Seems to be cheaply made
This is based solely on the physical book, not the content! The spine on mine came completely pulled away from the pages. Wasn’t a shipping issue either, since the outer and inner box were in great shape. Hoping the replacement Amazon is sending is better, but I’m not optimistic.Note- to the people who say there are no maps, etc. there are some at least in the hardcover version at the very back.
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013
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This is based solely on the physical book, not the content! The spine on mine came completely pulled away from the pages. Wasn’t a shipping issue either, since the outer and inner box were in great shape. Hoping the replacement Amazon is sending is better, but I’m not optimistic.
Note- to the people who say there are no maps, etc. there are some at least in the hardcover version at the very back.
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- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2020
Beautiful book, in English + Latin.
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