Product Description

In this third edition, thoroughly revised, Daniel H. Garrison makes these famous poems more accessible than ever to students of Latin. A standard college textbook as well as a comprehensive reference, the book includes a brief introduction about the poet's life and the character of his poems, a fresh recension of all 113 poems, and a commentary in English on each poem, explaining difficult points of Latin, features of Catullus' artistry, and background information. The notes to each poem also illuminate the meaning of Catullus' language, with explanations of word choice, word order, sound effects, and meter. Additional aids to the reader are a Who's Who of the most important people in Catullus' poems, an introduction to Catullan meters, a glossary of literary terms used in the commentary, a complete Latin-English Catullan vocabulary, and six maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #352998 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 234 pages

Language Notes
Text: English, Latin

About the Author
Daniel H. Garrison is Professor of Classics at Northwestern University and the author of Horace: Epodes and Odes, a New Annotated Latin Edition and Sexual Culture in Ancient Greece.

Customer Reviews

Verona's Dark Prince is Back! Way to Go, Daniel.
Learned, exciting and accessible, Garrison's edition of Catullus is the best in over a century (since Elmer Merrill's Carmina in 1893). Garrison has decided not to obstruct a classic's own text, instead allowing Gaius Valerius Catullus to speak for himself--yet offering grammatical advice, relevant historical and political information, and commentary only when absolutely needed. Thanks, Daniel! I'll be keeping my edition for a long time. Here the text and the Poet are given the highest consideration.

Even a Latin scholar who's had the opportunity to take only 100 level classes will be able to read and enjoy all 116 poems--and that's important.

But remember--there's nothing wrong reading Catullus, or any Roman author, in translation. Some translations of Catullus are a little dense for first-timers, but Goold and Cornish's are really good.

The perfect edition for students
This handy edition is perfect for the casual reader of Latin. Garrison's extensive notes answer most questions a reader is likely to have concerning the grammer and they also provide a considerable amount of relevent mythology. The book also contains a complete vocabulary which I have found invaluable. This is not a scholarly edition, but provides everything for the non-scholar.

a fine latin edition of Catullus
Catullus is lovely. We should all read him once a week, lest we lose our exuberance and become prudes.

This paperback edition is excellent for students of Latin, but beware that there are no English translations. There are, however, extensive and high-quality notes by Garrison, including grammatical explanations and vocabulary.