A look at new Latin textbook

CAN there really be anything new to say in a Latin textbook? Richard LaFleur, who took over the “Wheelock's Latin” series in the mid-1990s after author Frederic Wheelock's death in 1987, says Latin may not have changed much, but teaching has, and the culture in which Latin students learn has evolved as well. 

The original Wheelock's Latin, published a half-century ago, was unusual for its time. It got students reading authentic Latin passages almost from the start rather than using “made-up'' Latin to reinforce lessons. And while most Latin texts relied heavily on Julius Caesar's battlefield dispatches, Wheelock did away with Caesar in favour of a broader selection.