Can epic poetry really be made comprehensible?

This tiered reader of Aeneid book 4 presents several versions of each passage rewritten in Latin of gradually increasing difficulty, so that Vergil’s beautiful original poetry can be read with much greater ease. At 30,000 words, it is about six times longer than the original text, with over 400 illustrations to help explain Vergil’s more specialised vocabulary while maximising time spent in Latin.

Struggling to break free of the intermediate plateau? You can enjoy reading Vergil with me through this book! By explaining complex Latin through simpler Latin (without sacrificing natural expression), we can turn what would have been intensive reading for typical intermediate learners into a delightful extensive reading experience.

The story

Because of the cruel influence of the gods, Dido, the powerful queen of Carthage, has fallen in love with Aeneas. Who’s Aeneas? Why, he’s the Trojan hero destined to become a founding figure for Rome: Carthage’s future enemy! What will Dido and Aeneas do when their ill-fated love affair starts falling apart? How do the figureheads of two world-spanning empires go from being literally in bed with one another to being sworn mortal enemies?

When is this coming out?

I am committed to making this text the best it can be. This includes putting it through a robust editing process from an independent paid professional.

I have submitted the first draft of 30,000 words to my editor and we’re working on carefully refining the writing to deliver Latin which is simplified in a way which does not compromise or distort the natural character of the language.

I’m aiming to get the final edits implemented by the end of April 2023, and the final proofreading and appendices done a couple weeks after that. Because we take our editing seriously, it has been necessary to take longer on this final stage.

Where can I get it?

I will be publishing and selling the physical print copies on Amazon.com, for all of you who want to support this creation financially and who like owning physical books. It will also make a great gift for your friends!

The complete digital version will be offered free to anyone who signs up to my email newsletter. Yes, the complete book, not selections, not previews, not teaser content! All of it! Free!

We will have plans in the near future to make supplementary resources for this book, so don’t miss seeing these things drop! I’ll be emailing my newsletter subscribers updates on related Latin projects as we continue to make awesome things in Latin.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up now and get your free digital copy as soon as it releases!