As a Latin teacher, I have used a number of texts (Orberg, Jenney, Wheelock, Latin for Americans), but I have to say that Henle's Latin series is my favorite. Old school it is, but Henle's method is extremely effective. Students who work through the first volume will have a very solid grasp of the most important features of Latin grammar, a comfortable vocabulary designed to help them into Caesar's Gallic Wars (the primary content of Volume 2), and the ability to read and comprehend Latin. The text has a huge amount of exercises, primarily, but by no means only, translation from Latin to English and English to Latin, this second type being the true test of a student's ability to manipulate the language and test his mastery of the grammar and syntax. The entire 4-volume Henle series is designed for the traditional Latin Classical curriculum: grammar mastery, Caesar, Cicero, and finally Vergil, with a significant number of Christian readings as well (many taken from the Latin Vulgate Bible and liturgical hymns). I have found that students gain a great deal of confidence in their mastery of Latin from this book. Frequent repetition, constant review and re-entry of previously learned material guarantees solid learning.
This book was written---as has been noted in another review---at a time when true mastery of the language was demanded and expected. Henle approaches his material methodically and clearly (the accompanying "Grammar" is essential as a supplement for all four volumes), but keeps a challenging pace and avoids boredom. It is true that in Volume 1, the vocabulary is kept somewhat lower (around 500 words) in the interests of mastering the grammar, but these are high-frequency words in Caesar and so are practical at the same time. The First Year text (Volume 1) moves through the five noun declensions, adjective agreement (both 1/2 declension as well as 3rd declension adjectives), and the entire present and perfect systems indicative (-io verbs, oddly, are not taught until much later in the book) plus other grammar topics in the first five Units (Book 1 has 14 Units in all), an ambitious but very doable goal due to the abundance of exercises. This allows students to read a wide variety of grammatical content at a comparatively early stage. Units 6 & 7 cover, among other things, the four tenses of the (active) subjunctive in indirect questions and purpose clauses. (Compare this to many texts which put off the subjunctive until 2nd year.) This means that by halfway through the text, the students have mastered much of Latin grammar and guaranteeing an eventual smooth transition into reading real Latin written by real ancient authors (Caesar, for a start).
The only caveat is that those students who will ultimately be taking AP Latin (Caesar and Vergil according to the 2013 syllabus) will not be able to rely on the Henle texts alone. The Henle texts were written long before the AP program came into existence, and his excerpts from Caesar's "Commentarii de Bello Gallico" and (in Volume 4) Vergil's "Aeneid" do not completely correspond to the required readings of the AP syllabus. It is my personal belief that, particularly with Vergil, Henle offers a wider, more interesting sample of the text, but to take (and pass) the AP Exam, students will need to cover other passages from Caesar and Vergil (I recommend Mueller's text for "Caesar" and Boyd's text for the "Aeneid"). However, if you are homeschooling or otherwise not interested in the AP Latin program, stay with Henle through all four volumes.
In short, a masterful text, the quintessential expression of the grammar-translation method at its best.
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Reviews with images
A high-school level work
This volume and the others in the Henle sequence are not at all bad, but buyers should know they are geared toward high school students, either home-schooled or in public school. This means the explanation of grammar are extremely basic and a lot of wade through. This particular ADULT student prefers Wheelock.
Top reviews from other countries
Darryl Staflund
The book is willing but the binding is weak
Reviewed in Canada on July 30, 2021
Nina Willoughby
Best Latin for independent learners
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2023Mike Mackay
A great first Latin course.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2017