<p>I started out with “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Latin” to sort of test the waters. I got it from my library and finished it in around three and a half weeks. It felt like a huge waste of time, however, I did get a slight grasp on Latin. I don’t recommend taking this route , but if you feel unsure about whether you really want to learn Latin, this is a good way to get a feel for Latin.
I literally had to clear a whole shelf on my bookcase for Latin.
I bought
- 501 Latin Verbs (Barron’s 501 Latin Verbs) by Richard E. Prior. This contains commonly used verbs with full conjugations. I forget irregularities often and this is a great resource.
- A good Latin dictionary is essential. Collins Latin Concise Dictionary (Harpercollins Concise Dictionaries) by Harpercollins Publishers or Cassell’s Latin Dictionary: Latin-English, English-Latin by D. P. Simpson are good references.
3)Wheelock’s Latin (Wheelock’s Latin) by Frederic M. Wheelock (with the accompanying workbook). VERY tedious. Over 40 chapters. I wanted to kill myself sometimes when trying to get through this. But this is the route many self-studyers take, and it works mainly because there are so many practice problems. However, I’m using this because I don’t have to take the Latin SAT II for another two years. So maybe you should consider something shorter if you want to cram. Another book I used that is considerably shorter is Learn Latin (Greek & Latin language) by Peter Jones which has 20 lessons. It is much more condensed (not as many practice problems though) and is great for a beginner.
There are many many more books out there that you can use. Just take some time to peruse through Amazon and look at all the reviews. I personally don’t use a textbook, but this is another option. If you have any questions feel free to ask!
By the way, this is not my full collection. Take your time to shop around. Get through the beginners book first and then add on some intensive grammar and vocab books.</p>