Completely Parsed Cicero: The First Oration Of Cicero Against Catiline
Those of us who studied Latin and Greek during the '50s and the '60s remember those old interlinear translations of the various Classical authors which were the staple of the high-school curriculum during the period; they were euphemistically called 'ponies' or 'trots.' Very often, if we relied on them too closely, our teachers would tell us to get off the pony, probably because they owned a copy of the text themselves. In any case, this reprint of MacLardy's interlinear edition of Cicero's First Catilinarian, first published in 1899, is rather interesting because it is more than an old interlinear translation; the book also includes a basic introduction about the events surrounding Cicero's term as consul, a detailed linguistic commentary, and a polished translation of the oration. The commentary alone, in my opinion, makes the book worth purchasing. The author parses every word in the text fully, and even the most advanced student will learn from MacLardy. The book was written in a bygone leisurely era, but still packs a real punch. One can only hope that Bolchazy-Carducci will reprint the remainder of the books in the Completely Parsed Classics Series, if they can be found. In other words, the book has aged well. --Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University, Bryn Mawr Classical Review