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Select Familiar Colloquies of Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus · 1818

A selection of Erasmus's Latin dialogues with vowel-length markings and parallel English translation, made for students learning Latin.

Erasmus wrote the original Latin dialogues, which were still being used two centuries later to teach his language and ideas.

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Select Familiar Colloquies of Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus, Colloquia familiaria nonnulla selecta, 1818 edition with parallel English translation.

About this source

What it is

This is an 1818 edition presenting a selection of Erasmus's Colloquia familiaria (Familiar Colloquies) in Latin, with vowel length markings added and a literal English translation printed alongside, intended for students of Latin.

Why it matters

Erasmus originally wrote these dialogues in Latin to be both entertaining and instructive. This edition shows how his work continued to be used centuries later as a teaching tool for Latin language students, demonstrating the lasting educational value people placed on his writing style and content.

Look closer

  • Why might Erasmus's dialogues have been considered especially useful for teaching Latin, compared to other Latin texts?
  • What does the addition of vowel-length marks tell you about how this book was meant to be used?
  • How might reading the Latin and English side by side change a student's understanding compared to reading only a translation?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Desiderius Erasmus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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