A Latin Reader

Preorder. Ships this fall.

Not macronized.

The First Latin Reader of Its Kind
Experience the poetry of Emily Dickinson transformed into Latin.

This meticulously-crafted Latin Reader presents twenty-six selected poems by one of nineteenth-century America’s most distinctive poets, artfully metamorphosed into Latin for the intermediate-to-advanced Latin student. Each poem has been newly composed into Latin with unique attention to the syllable count and poetic structure of Dickinson’s original – save a small number of lines where adaptation called for greater flexibility. The result is a collection that invites students to encounter Dickinson’s poetry anew through the possibilities of the Latin language.

Features of this Edition
– An introduction to Emily Dickinson’s life and poetry, the posthumous publication of her work, her distinctive writing practices, and the influence of Transcendentalism on her poetry
– Twenty-six hand-selected Dickinson poems, each accompanied by an original Latin title, illustrations, and interdisciplinary comprehension questions addressing grammar, rhetoric, literary interpretation, Transcendentalism, and classical literature
– A culminating reading section featuring elided passages that invite students to experience the transformation from Dickinson’s English originals into their Latin counterparts and to observe how meaning, structure, and language converge across the two versions
– The English originals of all twenty-six poems, presented according to the authoritative texts of Thomas H. Johnson
– A comprehensive Latin-English lexicon designed specifically for use with this Reader and to serve students beyond these selections in their Latin courses

Nesciens quando Aurora veniat,
Pando omnem Ianuam,
Utrum ei Plumae, ceu Volucris,
An Fluctus, ceu Litus –
Not knowing when the Dawn will come, / I open every Door, / Or has it Feathers, like a Bird, / Or Billows, like a Shore –
Poem XIII, J 1619

First edition, 2026. Edited by Garrett Dome, with Lesley Hay and Oggi Peeters. Paperback, 6 × 9 inches, 124 pages. ISBN 978-1-961822-31-3.