Latin for even more occasions: lingua latina multo pluribus occasionibus

Latin for All Occasions #2

by Henry N. Beard

Henry Beard (a.k.a., Henricus Barbacus), the author of Latin for All Occasions, is going all out to bring this formerly moribund language into the twentieth century. Your Latin education simply isn't complete without it.

Genres: Language, Humor, Reference, Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Henry N. Beard (born ca. 1945) is an American humorist, one of the founders of the magazine National Lampoon and the author of several best-selling books.

Beard, a great-grandson of Vice President John C. Breckinridge, was born into a well-to-do family and grew up at the Westbury Hotel on East 69th Street in Manhattan. His relationship with his parents was cool, to judge by his quip "I never saw my mother up close."

He attended the Taft School, where he was a leader at the humor magazine, and he decided to become a humorous writer after reading Catch-22.

He then went to Harvard University from which he graduated in 1967 and joined its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon, which circulated nationally. Much of the credit for the Lampoon's success during the mid 1960s is given to Beard and Douglas Kenney, who was in the class a year after Beard's. In 1968, Beard and Kenney wrote the successful parody Bored of the Rings.

In 1969, Beard, Kenney and Rob Hoffman became the founding editors of the National Lampoon, which reached a monthly circulation of over 830,000 in 1974 (and the October issue of that year topped a million sales). One of Beard's short stories published there, "The Last Recall", was included in the 1973 Best Detective Stories of the Year. During the early 1970s, Beard was also in the Army Reserve, which he hated.

In 1975 the three founders cashed in on a buy-out agreement for National Lampoon; and Beard left the magazine. After an "unhappy" attempt at screenwriting, he turned to writing humorous books.

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially a comical/goofy phrase book I read to satisfy an obscure GR challenge. I don't know Latin. I don't know fake Latin. I still don't know Latin.

But I'll save you time and just give you the 5 phrases you'll need from this book:

I think, therefore I am depressed.
Cogito, ergo doleo.

Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?
Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?

Yes, that is a very large amount of corn.
Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est.

You talking to me?
Memetne adloqueris?

See that man? He's a spy for the German tribes.
Videsne illum? Explorator Germanicus est.

[Elise Renckens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jammer dat het voor een aanzienlijk deel bestaat uit herhaling van het originele boek, dat voelt niet als waar voor je geld. Maar het blijft hilarisch.

[Jordan St. Stier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather amusing read, that while not being useful in any possible way, is very entertaining and is a rather fun way to practice your Orient Express Latin or whatever Latin situations you may find yourself in.

[Red Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to reread now that I’m actually learning Latin and can at least pronounce the phrases

[ak · Rating 4 out of 5]

*see review for X-Treme Latin*

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

a bit of fun

[Izzie Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun, hahaha. I thought this book was astounding. I learnt something and i had great many laughs doing it. Splendid. Bravo, truly.

[Zui · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not as funny as the original but a good read anyway