The book was created as a unique, innovative Latin course intended for self-study. Its aim was to prepare students for translating classical texts. The author devised a pioneering method which introduced an innovative layout independent of standard patterns.

Contrary to traditional methods, the author does not begin each module/unit with a text, but rather with a grammatical commentary and preparations and then continues with exercises to practice the newly acquired skills in translation. In the 1970s, there were cassettes on the market, with recorded texts being read, and the Polish Radio broadcast lessons taught by the author.

The textbook is divided into three parts.

The first one features grammatical resources along with original texts, but also jokes, songs, words of wisdom, maxims and proverbs. They are complemented by short texts about ancient culture (text boxes Z życia Rzymian [From the Roman life]). This part is illustrated with humorous drawings by Mirosław Pokora.

The second part contains the texts of ancient authors, simplified to match the lexical and grammatical skills of the student, but also accompanied by more advanced grammatical resources.

The third part contains varia: sayings, proverbs, abbreviations or modern texts, e.g., about spaceships. It is also in the third part where one can find the answer key – the correct translations of texts, solutions to tasks and exercises from the first part and translations of the ancient authors’ texts from the second part. They allow the students to check their answers and assess their progress. In addition to the varia and the answer key, one can also find a bonus: an explanation of the metrics of Latin poetry.

Most texts from the first part on refer to ancient Roman cultural phenomena, as well as Roman beliefs and mythology. Lesson 8 includes a short text about the temple of Vesta and the box From the Roman life on the following page delivers information about the goddess Vesta, the Vestal Virgins, their duties and legal regulations. Lesson 30 features a story about Aeneas, lesson 35 – two texts about Hercules.

In the second part, consisting of originally prepared texts, the emphasis, as far as mythology is concerned, lies on the mythical and legendary beginnings of Rome according to Livy’s Ab Urbe condita or to Virgil’s Aeneid. In addition, amongst the excerpts of Cicero’s speeches against Verres, one can find a text about the cult of Ceres and Proserpina on Sicily and the sacrilege perpetrated by Verres.

The book was also accompanied by a foldout board game Powrót Ulissesa [The Return of Ulysses] designed by Mirosław Pokora. The players move their counters across the lands visited by Odysseus and ‘experience’ his adventures described in the Odyssey. Any instructions explaining each field of obstacle and danger on the way to Ithaca are provided in Latin (each instruction also translated in the answer key).

source: pl.wikipedia.org,
Grażyna Czetwertyńska Komu potrzebna jest łacina w szkole
(accessed: July 27, 2019)