‘With Salto you get to know the world of the Romans, their culture, and their language’ (5). The ‘mission statement’ that opens the introduction to this new textbook for German-speaking secondary students of Latin would seem to relegate language learning to third place, after cultural awareness and historical knowledge. And, in fact, the book’s heavy focus on social history is evident from the very first chapter, which quirkily features a conversation amongst friends in a latrina, a public toilet. Nevertheless, Salto offers a comprehensive introduction to all fundamental aspects of Latin grammar, from the first declension to the independent use of the subjunctive.

In the book’s first 12 chapters, each divided into 3 lessons, language content is taught in Lessons A and B using a comprehensible input approach, by which students are promised that they will learn how to ‘speak Latin and get to know and use the language intuitively, like [they] already know to from [their] English lessons’ (5). A short (non-original) Latin text in each of the first 2 lessons is followed by reading comprehension and self-reflexion questions, as well as a brief cultural or historical explanation in German on the topic of the chapter (such as public toilets and baths, slavery, gladiators, etc.), and a double-page spread with some 10 language-focused activities.

Right from the first chapter, the texts are way above the learners’ expected level. However, the side notes, the accompanying Latin–German Lernwortschatz, and the Binnendifferenzierte Lektionstexte section at the back of the book (which breaks down the syntax and gives the German translation of some words and phrases) provide the readers with enough scaffolding to understand the content and context of the passage and answer the comprehension questions, the expected outcome of which is usually a summary of the passage, or even just a headline for each paragraph, rather than a literal translation. The activities in the double-page spread vary from more traditional sentence-building or cloze exercises to those that one would expect to find in a modern language textbook, such as creating a dialogue or story (in either written or spoken form) starting from a set of words and phrases. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the double-page spread is the inclusion of language comparison activities, which require the learner to reflect on the use of elements of Latin grammar with respect to their German and English equivalents.

At the end of each chapter, Lesson C (which the authors indicate as optional) provides adapted passages from works by late Republican and early Imperial authors, followed by comprehension and interpretation questions, a paragraph of historical or literary contextualisation, and a double-page spread with thematic discussions and related activities. These require the students to conduct research on a topic based on the content of the original text and then use the data to create a written or spoken presentation or reflection (for example, in Chapter 6, a passage from Ovid’s Metamorphoses prompts the students to create a dating profile for Apollo). Some of the thematic discussions and activities work better than others, which might occasionally come across as forced and not immediately relevant. Nevertheless, the exposure to original Latin from the very beginning (albeit adapted) is a pedagogical choice that I wholeheartedly support.

Finally, 5 optional modules of Lektüreangebote provide an anthology of texts also from mostly late republican and early imperial works, with the interesting (and most welcome) exception of a selection of passages from Poggio Bracciolini’s Facetiae in the first module. The texts are presented thematically rather than chronologically, and each module consists of 2 lessons (A and B) in which the original text is followed by comprehension and interpretation questions, as well as activities that deal with more complex grammar topics such as participles and subjunctives. One minor criticism in both the reading modules and the chapters’ Lesson C regards the lack of bibliographical references for the original passages. I can only assume that the reason for this might be the authors’ attempt to prevent students from searching for open-access translations online.

Salto has the merit of setting the bar high right from the very beginning while at the same time providing enough scaffolding for students of all abilities to benefit fully from the exposure to both textbook and original Latin, in terms of vocabulary building and understanding of grammatical constructions. Although the instructions for some of the vocabulary activities might appear slightly convoluted (though that might just be my rusty German), the authors deserve praise for their effort to design exercises that both challenge and engage the readers while still attending to the explicit teaching of grammar rules and terminology within a comprehensible-input context.

There is no such thing as the perfect textbook, but at a time when the very existence of our discipline is constantly questioned, if not threatened, Salto goes to great lengths to ensure that the new generations of Latin students can finally, and unapologetically, approach Latin for what it really is: a language that was once spoken, written, and heard by the men and women of the past, rather than a mere learning methodology or a set of transferable skills.