Learn Ancient Greek: A Lively Introduction to Reading the Language FROM THE PUBLISHER
With enthusiasm and wry wit, Peter Jones takes you step by step through the rudiments of the Western World's first great language - the medium of Plato and the New Testament. Always concerned with the effectiveness of the lessons, Jones introduces readers to the Greek alphabet, explains each grammar point in layman's terms, gives plenty of study hints, provides answers for the exercises (please don't peek until you try them), and even presents a "to-do" list at the end of most chapters. Not too far into the book you'll already be reading masterful Greek literature, in extracts chosen from such authors as Plato, Sophocles, and Thucydides.
As a bonus, Learn Ancient Greek offers a discussion of Greek history and culture in each chapter, and another feature that looks closely at Greek words, with special emphasis on related words in English. In these little essays, Jones is never dry and frequently surprising. The reader learns how the Greek gods resemble the force of gravity, what the derivation of the word idiot says about Athenian Life, and how the Athenians found the money to finance their golden age. ("Has ever so brief a period," Jones asks, "exerted such radical influence for so long?") The book is also graced with a dozen charming cartoons that poke fun at both gods and mortals.
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