Out of the blue, I decided I wanted to read the Iliad in ancient Greek. I went through all the web links looking for information and I stumbled across this book "Learn Ancient Greek" by Peter Jones. The Jones book promised to get you up and running quickly with basic ancient Greek without the usual stumbling blocks of grammer and syntax. Since I own my own business, I don't have a lot of free time. Whatever time I could set aside for my new interest would be fairly circumscribed, and at fifty years old I didn't want to lose interest because I wasn't seeing any progress, which I thought would be likely if I went with one of the thick textbook volumes I perused at the bookstores and online. Once I decided upon the Jones book, I couldn't find it anywhere. Happily, an eBay search turned up an edition at a good price, so I bid and won and soon enough I had the book in my hands. So far, it has proved to be everything it promised to be and more. The material is presented in an easy to comprehend style with clarity and even comedy! Just as advertised, in short order the pupil is mastering the Greek alphabet and learning to competently pronounce words and short phrases. (A pronunciation tape is available directly from the author, which I ordered shortly after receiving the book, which helps keep the ambigiuous vowels on track. The tape is not required but it is nice to have.) Professors of Greek language might turn their noses up at Jones' style, which takes a back door approach to learning the language, but I have always felt that any language (even an ancient one!) should be learned as if you are stepping off a boat to a strange country and want to ask how to get to the market. This is just the route Jones leads you down and it is rewarding. I was thrilled to be able to successfully read words of a Greek postage stamp from a postcard I received. I think that once I master the basics with the Jones book, I will invest in a more thorough academic course, but by then my fundemental skills will be such that I will have the patience -- and the interest -- to pursue the grammer! Stan Prager (PS -- Please note that your title of this review states the author's name incorrectly. He is Peter, not Brian W. Jones!)Read full review
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Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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