A mature but accessible Latin, a narrative brimming with historical significance and fascination: these were once touted as obvious advantages of reading Caesar's Bellum Gallicum. A change in sensibilities, however, read Rome’s brutal invasion and conquest of northern Europe as problematic, if not disturbing. But questions about the validity of Rome’s actions—and of Caesar's, especially in his later Bellum Civile—are precisely what make these commentaries compelling to read and to discuss. Additional selections from Caesar's letters, speeches, and poetry offer fresh perspectives on his stylistic versatility. Tatum’s commentary guides readers through it all, pointing up Caesar's significance as a representative of his age, culture, and class, while not skirting issues raised by the "intriguingly unsimple mentality" that gave us these works.

This Latin reader offers 14 selections from the works of Marcus Tullius Cicero, orator, statesman, philosopher, and man of letters, who lived (106-43 BCE) during the final generations of the Roman Republic. Passages have been selected from Cicero's orations, his rhetorical and philosophical writings, and his letters. Each of the passages (which vary in length from 25 to 60 lines) has a detailed commentary, explicating grammatical, syntactical, and historical points of interest.

Epic crowned the classical hierarchy of genres, in large part because of the prestige of its subject matter—the establishment and maintenance of divine and human order. In ancient Rome, epic’s significance begins with Ennius, who adaptated Greek dactylic hexameter into Latin, securing the genre’s primacy as a narrative vehicle for celebrating Roman achievements. From these beginnings Latin hexameter was refined in the poetry of Lucretius and Catullus; the form flourished in the hands of Vergil and his successors.

Designed for Latin students, A Latin Picture Dictionary for Everyone asks the learner to make a ready connection between an image and its corresponding Latin word. Illustrated exercises provide an opportunity for students to practice with and internalize the Latin vocabulary.

The appeal of Livy, the great historian of the Augustan age, lies both in his riveting storytelling and in the sophistication, clarity, and accessibility of his prose. Aiming to preserve the memory of Rome's achievements and morally rejuvenate his contemporaries, Livy takes readers on a tour of Rome's past as he thinks deeply about historiography, its uses, and its challenges.