Latin Quips at Your Fingertips

by Rose Williams

A collection of the writings of Rome's great poets, statesmen, and saints. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760725381
• ISBN13: 9780760725382
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 127 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

10 "chapters", then ends with an introduction to the authors

There are approximately 200 quotations in the entire book, half of which appear in the first two chapters ("Wise Words" and "Follies & Vices"). Each quote is given in English, then in the original Latin, identifying the author and the work from which it's taken. Each page carries two quotations (with occasional illustrations thrown in), spread out so that no single author is repeated all the way down two facing pages. That's important, because the 36 writers featured herein aren't quoted equally. Sixteen have only one quote each: St Augustine (from the CONFESSIONS), Caecilius, Catullus, Florus, Gellius, St Jerome, Livius Andronicus, Lygdamus, Macrobius, Nepos, Pentadius, Phaedrus, Prudentius, Silius Italicus, Suetonius (which is, in turn, a quote from the emperor Vespasian), and Varro. Of the remaining 20 writers, 11 have less than 5 quotes apiece, including Julius Caesar (4 from DE BELLO GALLICO) and Petronius Arbiter (2 from SATYRICON). The most heavily represented authors of the remainder are Syrus (over a quarter of the book, mostly from MAXIMS); the great writers of satire (Ovid, Juvenal, Horace, and Martial, between them providing more than 60 quotes); and a selection of famous names (Virgil, Seneca the Younger, and Cicero). So quite a few of the quotes herein have a bit of a sting in the tail. "Wise Words" even makes fun of itself ("I've seen many men avoid the region of good advice before they were really near it"), and contains quite a few snippets about the wisdom of *not* speaking ("Whatever you want to teach, be brief.") "Follies & Vices", of course, offers a great deal of scope to the great satirists and politicians among the contributing authors, from Horace's SATIRAE ("Why shouldn't a fellow laugh while he tells the truth?") to the orator Cicero ("Any man can make a mistake; only a fool keeps making the same one.") The title quote of the British edition comes from this section ("Going to Hell is easy; it's coming back that's hard!" - Virgil, AENEID). "Money, Politics, & Justice" often combines these topics, but not just by discussing bribery ("Thieves who steal from private citizens spend their lives in bonds and chains; thieves who steal from public funds spend theirs in gold and purple"). Ordinary politics also get a share, from Syrus' "False becomes true when the boss says it is" to Tacitus' "Everyone would have thought him fit to rule if only he never had". "Achievements" covers people who talk about their own too much, people who get fame either too late or undeserved, and a little good advice ("Consider yourself a great orator if you can talk yourself into unpleasant duties."). "Literature & Learning" is worth reading both from an author's point of view ("The book you're reading is mine, Fidentinus; but your lousy rendition is making it yours." - Martial) and a reader's ("No madman has ever dreamed up anything so weird that some philosopher will not say it." from Cicero). "Relationships", of course, offers a lo

Brief but interesting!

This book contains about 200 latin quotes that have been translated into English. It is broken down into topics such as "Politics," "Money," and "Love." If you have an interest in Latin or Roman philosophy in general, this is an interesting read. I think this book would provide a good jumping off point in the study of any particular Roman philosopher, since it can help you to gain a sense of the ideas of Seneca or Syrus, for instance.