A Greek Grammar

by William Watson Goodwin

Book Overview

Goodwin's Greek Grammar is one of the most authoritative texts on Classical Greek. It is both comprehensive and exceptionally accessible, making it suitable for use in schools as well as universities. After graduating from Harvard, William Watson Goodwin gained a PhD from G?ttingen. He later received honorary degrees from Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh. He was Eliot Professor of Greek Literature at Harvard.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1904799248
• ISBN13: 9781904799245
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Tiger Xenophon
• Length: 492 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Older is good

I purchased an 1879 edition from a second hand bookseller and found it an excellent resource. Because it quickly started to disintegrate I purchased a new copy for everyday (amateur)use. I found Goodwin's prose very readable. I use this in preference to Smyth and Messing because Goodwin is less exhaustive, more compact, and easier (for me) to follow. Smyth and Messing appears to be an excellent reference for the professional, but has so much information I find it bewildering in comparison to Goodwin (I'm not a professional Greekist). The recent Oxford University Press Greek Grammar by James Morwood is also well worth the low price, but so concise (a great virtue) it leaves me hungry for more (a successful book). I found myself turning to Goodwin after having my curiosity peeked by Morwood, and turning to Smyth and Messing when puzzled (rarely) by Goodwin. I find it interesting that many of the same sentence examples appear in all three volumes. Ranked from most accessible for self-study to most complete they seem to go Morwood, then Goodwin, then Smyth and Messing. But this is an amateur's opinion. Each one is very useful in a different way. Overall I found Goodwin's older work both charming and helpful.

Why reprint this version over the Goodwin and Gulick?

This is a new reprint of Goodwin's original version. My question is why did they not reprint the 'Goodwin and Gulick' edition Greek Grammar? I now own both books. A quick over view suggest the the 'Goodwin and Gulick' edition may be better than this original. I have not compared these books in great detail, but I would at this point recommend buying a good used copy of the 'Goodwin and Gulick' edition first. It is cheaper, it is more up to date (albeit still circa 1930, it is hardcover in a nice binding, and it has a type set and lay-out which is a bit more user friendly. Also, if you decide to buy the reprint of the 'Goodwin' grammar, buy the Macmillian press hardcover edition. I own a 1963 hardcover, it has a great binding and is much better than the the new soft cover I bought for my friend; the contents are exactly the same. I may be missing something about the Gulick edition; if so, someone please weigh in.

Greek Grammar By: William W. Goodwin

As I tend to shy away from Grammar;and this book does have an air of rigor;it sat on the shelf for quite some time. Also,I am primarily interested in Biblical Greek;the so called "crappy greek". However,I can handle a little Aristophones et al from time to time. At any rate,the book found it's way into my hands and I decided to roll with it. Allowing for several breaks in order to freshen up the mind and eyesight;I was able to patiently work my way through it. This book is based on the Attic dialect with plenty examples of the others. This authoritative,compact book has:breadth,depth, and mass. Most of the time you will find clarification of definitions and concepts when you most need them-as you are reading along. In addition,this book is thorouhly annotated and indexed-virtualy self referencing. There is something to be said for 19th century scholasticism. This 451 page book is divided into five main sections(with a lot of little sections). They are: Part 1 - Letters,Syllables, and Accents Part 2 - Inflection Part 3 - Formation of Words Part 4 - Syntax Part 5 - is a brief treatment of Versification. The Author does not call upon you to worship at his Altar; but rather,intends to make this difficult subject accessible to those who are willing to make the effort and take the time. Also, makes for an excellent general reference. Whatever works for you. Although,I still don't find the Grammar aspect of language overly exciting;for those who want to increase thier understanding and appreciation of Greek-this one will do it. This book suits my purposes well-it's a keeper.

Not a good place to start, but buy it anyway.

Like the reviewer below, it took me some time to get the hang of using this book--and I agree also that it was worth the effort. _Greek Grammar_ is not a textbook, and it is definitely not a good place to start if you are teaching yourself. Like other nineteenth-century grammars (Gildersleeve's Latin grammar, for example, also highly recommended), this work starts from the assumption that you already know the basics. Once you've got a fair grounding in accidence (inflections, etc.) and can read a little prose, however, you are bound to start wondering "why" about all those rules. That's where Goodwin comes in. Thorough, systematic, carefully cross-referenced with plenty of examples (all translated), this is a veritable encyclopedia of classical Greek. It demands careful study, but it repays you for it handsomely. The only two provisos I have are that the print is very fine and may be hard on tired eyes, and that some of the terminology may differ from that used in modern texts (e.g., Gavin & Betts "strong aorist" vs. Goodwin "2nd aorist"). I bought my copy when I was just starting Greek, and it sat on my shelf untouched for over a year. Now, however, I use it all the time.

Dense, but still the classic

When I first tried to work through Goodwin's Grammar in learning ancient Greek, I was astounded at the sheer impenetrability of his system. It took me at least two weeks to find the verb "to be"! But once you get the hang of it, there's nothing like it for systematicity, thoroughness, and detail. Next to the LSJ lexicon, it's the most important volume for any student of classical Greek.