Latin authors
Which Latin author should you read first?
Every author in the library, ordered by the easiest reading each one offers, using Librorum Capsula difficulty scores. Pick a name to see what is on offer and where to start. Some are short selections, not complete works, and each page says which.
Looking for Latin texts more broadly, not sorted by author? See Latin texts — read Latin literature online.
Difficulty 4.7 to 4.8 · 2 readings
Erasmus
Erasmus wrote his Colloquies to be read: witty dialogues in clear Renaissance Latin.
See the readings →Difficulty 5.1 to 5.2 · 2 readings
Eutropius
A brisk fourth-century summary of Roman history, and one of the most accessible authentic texts you can read.
See the readings →Difficulty 5.1 · 1 reading
Hyginus
Myths told in a few lines each, in plain Latin, and a good pairing for anyone who already knows the stories.
See the readings →Difficulty 5.4 · 1 reading
Egeria
Often described as one of the earliest surviving travel narratives by a woman, and a good example of plain late antique Latin.
See the readings →Difficulty 5.6 · 1 reading
Jerome
Late-antique Latin with a full plot: captivity, a forced marriage and a dramatic escape.
See the readings →Difficulty 5.9 · 1 reading
Cornelius Nepos
Nepos writes short, clear biographies, which makes him one of the gentler authors of the classical period.
See the readings →Difficulty 6.1 to 6.7 · 2 readings
Pliny the Younger
Pliny's letters are polished but personal, and they include the best-known eyewitness account of Vesuvius.
See the readings →Difficulty 6.2 to 8.3 · 3 readings
Seneca
Seneca gives you three registers of Latin at very different difficulties: conversational letters, a polished essay, and tragedy.
See the readings →Difficulty 6.3 · 1 reading
Julius Caesar
The most common first stop for authentic Latin prose, and a fair test of whether your course Latin has become reading Latin.
See the readings →Difficulty 6.9 · 1 reading
Catullus
Short, personal, sometimes savage poems, and a good place to meet Latin verse that is not epic.
See the readings →Difficulty 7.7 to 7.9 · 3 readings
Frontinus
A collection of short military anecdotes, ideal for reading in small pieces.
See the readings →Difficulty 7.8 · 1 reading
Cicero
Cicero is the benchmark for Latin prose style, and his long, balanced periods are exactly what make him hard.
See the readings →Difficulty 8.0 · 1 reading
Augustine
Philosophical Latin about the mind, and a reminder of how demanding late antique prose can be.
See the readings →Difficulty 8.3 · 1 reading
Sallust
Sallust is deliberately abrupt and old-fashioned, so he is harder than the length of his sentences suggests.
See the readings →Difficulty 9.1 to 9.7 · 3 readings
Tacitus
Tacitus is compressed, allusive and hard. Short, dramatic episodes are the sensible way in.
See the readings →Difficulty 9.4 · 1 reading
Ovid
Ovid tells stories quickly and cleverly, in hexameter. The stories are easy to follow; the Latin is harder than the plots suggest.
See the readings →Difficulty 9.5 to 9.7 · 3 readings
Virgil (Vergil)
Latin's national epic is also among its hardest verse. Know what you are getting into, then read it properly.
See the readings →Difficulty 10.3 · 1 reading
Persius
Persius is famous for being obscure. Read him when you want the hardest Latin in the library.
See the readings →