MASTRONARDE, D.J., — Introduction to Attic Greek.

University of California Press, Berkeley (...), 1993. 1st ed. IX,425p. Paperback. Upper edge foxed. Library stamp on half title. Else fine. 'This is a remarkably thorough textbook, offering a full presentation of the basics, and then some, of ancient Greek (or, more precisely, Attic) grammar. Those who are familiar with M.'s careful and excellent work on Greek tragedy will be unsurprised to find those same qualities in this book. (...) In short, this book is for those who like their Greek grammar straight up. Anyone who learns this book thoroughly will indeed know a great deal of Greek. The format is conventional. Each of the forty-two units begins with the presentation of new grammatical material, in almost every case morphology followed by syntax. (Three Appendixes ['Table of Contractions', 'Verb List', 'Paradigms'], Greek-English and English-Greek Glossaries, and an ample Index supplement these Units.) Some of the units, especially in the beginning, are prefaced with a general - and quite useful - discussion ('Preliminaries') of grammatical principles, such as number, tense, and mood. Following the grammatical presentation are exercises, including those suitable for drills, as well as sentences and connected prose in Greek, along with (in most units) sentences to be translated into Greek. Between the presentation and the vocabulary and exercises, every unit has a 'What to Study and Do' section, clarifying the expected attainments for each unit. M. begins with nouns and adjectives, holding off the introduction of the verb until Unit 8; it is not until p. 53 that the student meets even a simple sentence in Greek. The many pleasures of the Greek verb are presented throughout the book, not lumped all together in a few lessons. For the subjunctive and optative the student must wait until the later Units (31 and 32 respectively), which are then followed by conditional sentences, object clauses and the like. Starting roughly halfway through the book, some slightly adapted or abridged (and in the later Units unadulterated) reading selections from Xenophon, Lysias, Thucydides and Plato appear. The greatest strengths of this book are the full grammatical explanations and multiple examples used in illustrating grammatical principles. For example, the treatment of the accusative case (121-25) is a model of clarity and thoroughness. Internal objects get a full airing and many examples illustrate this important feature of the language. Similarly, the uses of various prepositions are very amply illustrated (40-3, 88-9). 'Vocabulary-building Hints' (60 and 158) and 'Advice on Learning Principal Parts' (338) will also do much to help students as they try to master the rich vocabulary and seemingly intractable verbal system of ancient Greek.' (MICHAEL R. HALLERAN in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 04.05.32).