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.
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 →