Book Description
A beginning text in Classical Greek which approaches the language from a grammatical point of view. Fifty brief lessons allow a structured introduction to the language. Short readings follow each lesson beginning with lesson five, and include Aesop, Plato, Thucydides and many others. This book also has a companion text for ancillary exercises. Tutorial software for this text is also available.
Customer Reviews:
Imperfect, in a Grace Jones sort of way.......2007-01-13
"From Alpha to Omega" is an introduction to the classical Greek of Athens (Attic). I'm using it in conjunction with Pharr as I attempt to study Homeric Greek. There are some differences in the dialects, but I like Groton's text because it provides explanations that are relevant to Homer's Greek, and I find the layout much easier to navigate than Pharr's. The book is very good either as a primary text in classical Greek or as a companion to a text in Homeric Greek.
This text was recommended to me by a colleague in Classics who loaned me hers. I liked it enough to buy my own. It isn't a perfect text by any means. It is far more detailed than is needed or wanted by most students of Greek, and I'd hate to have to cover the entire thing in two semesters. I have a fairly good language background, but unless I were a Classics major or were taking no other courses, I'd be overwhelmed by it. A teacher who wants to attract students from other majors into a few semesters of Classics should definitely use a different text.
I think Groton's text is very good for the student who has considerable language experience, or the person like me who can't remember the whats of a language without a thorough grasp of the hows and whys. It's also good for the student who wants to continue studying Greek beyond the first year. If your interest doesn't extend beyond a basic course, this text will likely be a frustrating overload.
This text isn't perfect, but it's perfect for me. Whether it's perfect for you depends on your learning style, your language experience, and your expectations for continuing with Greek. Whether it's perfect for you or not, I strongly recommend buying "From Alpha to Omega: Ancillary Exercises" (Jon Bruss) to go with it. Because Groton's text is detailed, so are the ancillary exercises. You don't have to do all of them, but they really will help you understand and remember the material in the text.
Using this book helps.......2004-03-13
It is an very good companion to a classroom setting, which I am currently enduring, especially with the ancillary exercises which are also essential. I do enjoy the extra detail & find that annotating the book makes classroom note taking unnecessary. It is very well organized: the E-G/G-E dictionaries are keyed to the chapters, & the index, with topics keyed to sections rather than pages, extremely helpful & thorough. When a new principal part is introduced, all principal parts of all previous verbs are reprinted. When the old brain is burned out, just reading the grammatical explanations is therapeutic. It would be nice to have the Greek passages double spaced or in a larger font, so that my work/glosses can be pencilled right into the text, but I doubt any publisher would spring for that. No doubt about it, learning Ancient Greek is tough, tough, tough, unless you have a hoover for a brain. Using this book (with a good prof) helps.
Less here than meets the eye.......2003-12-11
Groton has been our class textbook through Greek 100 and, so far, half of Gr 200. At the start we were very enthusiastic about it, especially those of us who learned Latin from Wheelock, but after a while.... The book is similar to Wheelock's Latin, but much less accessible. The layout is dreadful (particularly the appendices). Ms Groton tells us far more than we need (or want) to know about some things: digammas, thematic vowels, quantitative metathesis and so forth. But more importantly, the readings are inadequate and the exercises will drive you nuts: Is it really useful to know how to say "Either have I now made clear who the stranger is, or shall I also announce what name he has?"?
If you are using Groton, get the Ancillary Exercises as well. They're a big help. You might also get the Loeb Xenophon and try to read it with a lexicon. The point after all is to learn to read greek.
Looking forward to 4th Edition.......2003-11-09
As a first year Greek student I base my opinion of this text not on my expertise in the language but on my use of the text itself.
I have no complaints about the content of the text; it seems reasonably paced and thoughtfully developed.
My two critiques (I hope contructive in anticipation of the 4th edition)are thus:
1. The text still contains typos (including within the Greek paradigms) that I am surprised to find in a third edition.
2. The formatting of paradigm tables (particularly in the appendices) leaves something to be desired. The content is complete but they could be laid out better. I suspect that formatting has been compromised for the sake of space. My own opinion (speaking chiefly as a spreadsheet fanatic) is that it would be worth killing a few more papyri for the sake of tables that are intuitive to look at. I would gladly incur the necessary extra cost.
I recommend this text but sincerely hope a 4th edition is in the works.
Hillarious.......2003-07-26
This book was my first introduction to the language. It is a good mix of reading selections (which grow in size and complexity as you progress), vocabulary, and blurbs in English about the function of the language. The exercises given in each chapter exhasperate and delight as you realize that you are translating a sentence which reads, "Hurry, O Goddess! They hasten out of their tents and into the ocean." Or, "Pay heed, O Lady of the house! The letters are on the couch!"
Ever wonder how to decline "Socrates"?
This book is best if you have a good sense of humor. The one thing it is not very helpful with is accentuation. It does explain the topic, but it's explanation is quite poor.
Book Description
A major contribution to our understanding of the basic laws of the universe -- from the author of
The Book of Nothing.
The constants of nature are the fundamental laws of physics that apply throughout the universe: gravity, velocity of light, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. They encode the deepest secrets of the universe, and express at once our greatest knowledge and our greatest ignorance about the cosmos.
Their existence has taught us the profound truth that nature abounds with unseen regularities. Yet while we have become skilled at measuring the values of these constants, our frustrating inability to explain or predict their values shows how much we have still to learn about inner workings of the universe.
What is the ultimate status of these constants of nature? Are they truly constant? And are there other universes where they are different?
John D. Barrow, one of our foremost mathematicians and cosmologists, discusses the latest thinking about these and many more dramatic issues in this accessible and thought-provoking book.
Customer Reviews:
Historical and Baffling at times!.......2007-08-27
Barrow's has a good humour about philosophy but also takes it seriously enough to explain all concepts clearly. Numbers are not my thing but this one pulled me in pretty tight. This bloke knows his stuff but the book is very readable. If you're interested in math and M Theory stuff, this a good one. It starts from the beginning when measurements were first used and numbers' significance in the universe, thus spiralling into some fairly complex and modern issues.
Are there any constants in the universe?.......2007-02-23
In considering physics, Einstein once asked whether God had any choice in laying out the rules.
After discussing the history of human measurements (historically a product of chance), Barrow turns his attention to the so called physical constants of measurement and ultimately asks the question of whether they too are a product of chance (albeit on a different scale).
Though admittedly he makes errors along the way (like saying it takes 3 seconds for light to reach Earth from the sun instead of eight minutes), Barrow nonetheless manages to create a physics book that accessible makes cutting edge insights available to the casual reader.
And what Barrow has to say about the "constants of the universe" and perhaps their ultimately changeable nature speaks mightily to the boundless enigma that is the universe (perhaps one of many) in which we live.
Good book.......2007-01-13
This was an entertaining book but a little tedious at times. Also it was not exactly what I expected. I thought it would be more of a description of different physical phenomena, while this is more like a survey of different historical approaches to uniting all constants with one theory, which constantly failed but shed light on many side issues along the way.
ARE FINE-TUNED CONSTANTS EVIDENCE OF GOD?.......2006-09-30
As one who believes that life is a natural property of the universe, I am intrigued by the concept that the constants of nature seem to have been fine-tuned to make life possible. The conservative Patrick Glynn asserts, in God: The Evidence, that they constitute essentially incontestable evidence for what was once merely a matter of faith: "the existence of soul, afterlife, and God." The notion that the universe is really an infinite multiverse, and that we just happen to inhabit one of the infinitesimal few whose constants make the wildly improbably string of coincidence leading to our existence possible, is dismissed as far-fetched nonsense propagated by atheistic scientists desperate to find some way to justify their materialist dogma.
While I once considered the notion of a multiverse to be unlikely, further study has convinced me this is not so. However, even if the multiverse is a fact, the theory offers no more support for materialism than fine-tuned constants constitute evidence for a God whose existence is completely external to the universe. We have no way of examining these other universes, and hence no way of knowing that they have constants incompatible with the evolution of life and intelligence. If consciousness is intrinsic to physical existence, and there is no compelling reason for insisting that it is not, then the constants of nature would necessarily have "fine-tuned" values.
It is odd that John Barrow's interest in this possibility arouses such animosity and ridicule in some people. Is the idea that our existence might not be an accident really so distasteful? There are those who argue that the anthropic principle should instead be called the insectoid principle since the constants are also fine-tuned to produce insects. True enough, but insects are unable to discuss the matter. We are.
Dr. Barrow's book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of some of the intriguing coincidences of nature, and of the myriad ways in which these coincidences have been interpreted by scientists of different historical eras. There are some minor errors in the book, such as the sun being three light-seconds from Earth instead of eight light-minutes, but these are really important. The one question I have is the claim that human behavior, even if free will is illusory, is unpredictable in principle because if people are aware of the predictions made about their behavior, then they can act to falsify those predictions. But if free will really is illusory, why should the scientist not be able, in principle, to predict that behavior also?
(Peter Payne, author of CAPTAIN CALIFORNIA BATTLES THE BEELZEBUBIAN BEASTS OF THE BIBLE)
Barrow embraces change........2005-10-03
Interesting and topical to a discussion on the possibilities of existence. Barrow explores the difficulties of objective measurement, Einstein's fascination with what the universe could have been, Eddington's strange love of theory over experiment, the position of Dirac in the coincidence vs. consequence of habitable places, and the unexpected finding of possible variance in the fine structure constant from the worlds earliest known nuclear reactor.
Book Description
Today we are on the verge of discoveries that should soon reveal the deepest secrets of the universe. In Alpha & Omega, Charles Seife takes us to the front lines of the cosmological revolution to synthesize the discoveries of scientists at observatories and laboratories around the world who are actually peering into both the cradle of the universe and its grave. The cast of characters includes galaxy hunters and microwave eavesdroppers, gravity theorists and atom smashers, all of whom are on the trail of dark matter, dark energy, and the growing inhabitants of the particle zoo. Seife's lucid explanations of scientific theories and current research make cutting-edge science both crystal clear and wonderfully exciting.
Customer Reviews:
wow!.......2007-10-06
Amazing! Truth can be stranger than fiction. Vacuums filled with activity. The beginning and end of the universe. Spacetime a rubber sheet. And all described specifically and clearly.
satisfactory overview.......2007-01-09
This book provides a satisfactory overview of the history and current state of cosmology. Unfortunately, the book describes Copernicus as wasting many years trying to explain the radiuses of the planetary orbits in terms of the five Platonic solids, when in fact it was Kepler who was obsessed with this idea. The majority of popular books devoting space to the history of astronomy mention this, with most also including a picture of Kepler's model, thus it is certainly not an obscure fact. This error made me wonder whether the book was reviewed by anyone knowledgeable prior to publication. I was disappointed to see such a major error in the book as it made me wonder what other errors might be lurking in the text. It definitely showed that the author was not as familiar with the material as he should have been.
This book is a good intro to cosmology and explains every discovery so far..........2005-12-15
I like Seife's writing style. He wrote this book keeping in mind that 'regular' people will be reading it. He starts with the very first theorys on the universe and explains them in a way that slides right into to your mind like butter. The theorys are written chronologically and gradually get more complex as new things are discovered. He also describes these new discoveries chronologically and detailed to where the average person has a broader more precise understanding of the whys and hows and whats of each theory.This book has confirmed what I always thought was a huge part in the creation of the universe: symmetry; particularly TCP symmetry (I wish there was more info on that in the book)...The previous reviewer mentioned that this book suffers by "trying to explain mathematical ideas without using mathematics"... that is a bunch of bull b/c there is a great glossary that explains every mathematical term/symbol....speaking of math; I'll leave you with a though: in this book we find out that the universe is in fact finite(albeit ever-expanding) but how can you truly decifer the language of a finite universe with an infinite language of illusions and possibilities(MATH!)that allows anything to go?... If we could then over 95% of the universe still wouldn't be invisibe dark matter now would it!
Very convincing.......2004-07-25
I am a skeptic. I have a mind of my own, and I like authors who treat the reader with respect. If I wanted religion, I would go to church. I want to be convinced.
In particular, I am very skeptical of the whole big bang idea. I've been exposed to some of the evidence, but it has always seemed relatively scant to me.
No longer. Seife has convinced me. The big bang, basically, probably, did in fact occur.
His deep respect for skeptical scientists, my heroes, runs through the whole book. Seife acknoledges that much of the old evidence was really not overwhelming. When he refers to very recent experiments which disprove moribund but reasonable ideas (some of which have occurred even to laymen like me) he does not criticize the scientists who had held out hope. Actually, he seems to admire the tenacity of the iconoclast.
The icing on the cake is the list of ongoing and future experiments. This section may soon be outdated, but for now it has the effect of including the reader in the scientific pursuit. I am now very excited to learn the results of some of these experiments, though they may be years away.
If you just want to admire the insights, go with Hawking. If you want to dream, try Brian Greene. If you want to be dragged kicking and screaming into the new cosmological era, read this book.
Why only 4 stars? The book becomes less convincing in the final chapters. But it is the best I've found.
Good introduction for non-science types.......2004-07-15
A fine and clear review of the development of cosmological theory from Ptolemy to the present, definitely written for the curious non-scientist.
Seife has a good feeling for how strange the universe is, and for how unsettling it can be to contemplate it. He takes your hand and leads you through the stories of discovery with respect, but assuming you know little to nothing about the subject.
I had trouble putting it down.
Average customer rating:
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Lifepac Gold Language Arts Grade 9 Boxed Set
Alpha Omega Publications
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Customer Reviews:
I am doing LifePac - and I really like it!.......2000-09-21
This is my first year of LifePac Gold History, and I have found it to be a great book. It has made history much more fun, and it's from a Christian perspective. Great books!
Book Description
This text of ancillary exercises is designed to accompany the introductory Greek text by Anne Groton. It contains additional exercises and explanation of grammatical points for each of the chapters in the text.
Customer Reviews:
Worthwhile help.......2005-10-08
This book is a great help for those taking beginning level Attic Greek with the Groton textbook. Since the authors for the two books are different, there are some minor problems. I've also found two errors in the book so far. Basically a great help, but imperfect.
Huge study help.......2004-02-25
I bought this book going into my second semester of a Greek course based on "From Alpha to Omega," and I wish I'd gotten it sooner. The drill and repetition really helps with the quick memorization of grammar and vocabulary that you need in a course that goes through the whole book in two semesters, and having the answers readily available gives you immediate feedback on whether or not you're doing it right. Plus, this workbook is really quite inexpensive, and I think it's a great value.
Product Description
In the first offering of this beloved duo, the Humez brothers take on the twenty-four letters of the Greek alphabet (plus those elusive dead letters ), and through the device of the abecedarium bring the Greek culture and thought to life. From acoustics to zygote, they provide not only an engaging romp through the Greek language but also a series of glimpses into the world and man s place in it. The historical, philosophical, mathematical, cosmological, and political (all Greek words) approaches we take toward life, its description, elucidation, and evaluation, are all mainly derived from several thousand years of Greek culture. The vocabulary of language is a mirror of the minds of its speakers, and in this book we see the first reflections of the modern world.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting but..........2007-02-23
We have here an interesting and at times a far-reaching exploration of word origins. At times, it is also so far-reaching it seems disconnected from the root. The material whets the appetite but does not go far enough. The authors have a sense of humor but that is not enough to carry the book.
A fabulous book.......2004-05-13
The word 'polymath'(one who know a lot about many subjects) is Greek and that is what the Humez bros are considered to be. Learned they are indeed, and so gracious about it too.
You'd think this book was modeled after Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy as the book is composed of one digression after another -- but without ever losing the thread. Very humorous and informative tour, by way of digressions, of not only the Greek language but also of current English words with Greek origins.
Obscure factoids about linguistics, mathematics, dead languages like Phoenician, and Greek myths, history and literature await to delight the reader on every page.
For example, in talking about hydro-, hypo-, hyper, and hygro-, the authors also manage to fill you in on some delightful trivia about the process of making glass --- all in the same paragraph.
In reading this book, you'll be convinced that there is not a single boring letter in the alphabet.
I gave this book to my academically disinclined nephew many years ago, and he was so turned on to learning afterwards that he eventually ended up going to a hard-to-get-in East Coast school. Highly recommended to all but especially to smart young people who are bored to tears by school.
A fascinating review of word origins.......2002-04-14
This is an excellent introduction not only to the greek alphabet but to the origin and meaning of many english words as well. The authors start each chapter with a letter from the greek alphabet. They then demonstrate how many words from english are derived from those greek words beginning with that letter. It is a fascinating and intriguing foray into the world of word meanings and origins.
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Lifepac Gold Language Arts Grade 7 Boxed Set
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Lifepac Gold Language Arts Grade 3 Boxed Set
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Customer Reviews:
Horrible........2001-11-13
I notice that this happens all the time. A professor, whose intelligence of a subject matter is so great and profound that everyone thinks they should write a book with all the information they know. However, most people don't take into effect the fact that good intelligence is not the same as being a good educator. Like another one of the reviews stated, she may be smart, but the lay out of the book is horrible.
There are better options out there.......2000-11-10
Although this book contains reasonable explanations of Attic Greek grammar, the practice sentences and appendices are deplorable. I often wonder whether I have translated a sentence correctly because it does not make sense in English. For anyone familiar with Wheelocks concise, clear, and generally wonderful grammatical appendices, this book will be quite a shock -- the verbs are not arranged in anything even resembling a clear order, and all of the headings are in the same typeface, which makes them difficult to find on the page. A much better text, particularly for independent study, is the Joint Association of Classical Teachers' _Reading Greek_ series, which has a companion book specifically designed for independent study. I highly recommend it.
There are superior texts to be found (God willing).......2000-02-07
I have no doubt that Dr. Groton is a top notch classical scholar but this grammar text is very, very disappointing. Most of the grammar explanations are too short and way overloaded with technical definitions. Even more frustrating are the practice sentences--they are hard to translate because when translated they hardly make sense in English! They are very convoluted and utterly uninteresting. There are selected adapted stories from Aesop in the first 25 chapters and while these may have some merit, I find them dull. I am a college student and I imagine most people who use this text are and I find the fables uninteresting. It really is a shame that a format like Wheelock's Latin could not be adapted to Greek; I think adapted sentences from Plato or Homer would be far superior to tanslating such sentences as "Oh Goddess, let the wise boys pursue the maidens into the sea" or similarly trite and contrived constructions.
the best text book for greek I have ever seen........1999-09-04
I'm dyslexic and have a hard time with all langauges. this book made it simple and easy for me to learn Classical Greek and gives a great background for reading Plato.
An excellent introductory Greek text........1999-04-21
Anne Groton is to be congratulated for writing such clear explanations of Greek grammer. She is very knowledgeable and chooses vocabulary and reading selections which build rapidly to a working knowledge. Her lessons are just large enough to be digestable at a sitting. Having learned from a rather grim pre-WWI text, I truly appreciate her work, and am enjoying using it to brush up on this wonderful, flexible, and expressive language. Very strongly recommended!
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From Alpha to Omega Ancillary Exercises
Answer Key from Alpha to Omega
Greek, Classical Vocabulary Cards: Academic Study Card Set
Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary
Oxford Grammar of Classical Greek
