I'm starting something new today: Google Books! I've been an avid user of Google Books for several years, and the new Google eBookstore, which was just launched this week, has brought the treasure-trove of Google Books to the attention of many more people now. Well, I love Google Books and I wanted to share with people the amazing public domain books, all free, that I have been enjoying at Google Books. So, as you'll see in the post below, I'll be highlighting a couple of Google Books in each round-up post. I've also got some tips here on configuring your custom Google Bookshelves and searching your Bookshelves.
HODIE: ante diem quintum Idus Decembres (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).
HOLIDAY SONGS: The Latin holiday songs for today are: Regis Olim Urbe David, a special carol for children, along with In natali Domini and Cari pastores, a Latin version of the Polish carol, "Pasterze mili."
VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is QUANTUS - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Quanti est sapere! "How valuable it is to be wise!"
FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Struthiocamelus et Gallina, the sad story of the ostrich who wanted to fly and a helpful chicken.
BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for RANA, the frog, and BELUA , the beast.
MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Lupus et Puer Mendax, the famous story of the boy who cried wolf. (You can also a free PDF copy of the Mille Fabulae et Una book - and there's an English fable of the day, too.)
AESOP SLIDESHOW: Today's Aesop slideshows are Simius Rex et Vulpes, the story of how the fox tricked the monkey king, and Ciconia et Vulpecula, then "turn about is fair play" fable of the fox and the stork. (For all the Aesop images, visit Flickr.)
GOOGLE BOOKS: Today's Google Books are Hierozoicon (by Samuel Bochart) and Florilegium Proverbiorum Universae Latinitatis (by Eduardus Margalits).
TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: Widgets available at SchoolhouseWidgets.com.
Tiny Mottoes: Today's tiny motto is: Amicus amico (English: A friend to a friend).
3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Optima sapientia probitas (English: Honesty is the best wisdom)
Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Numquam est fidelis cum potente societas (English: An alliance with someone powerful is never reliable). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.
Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Occasio receptus difficiles habet (English: Opportunity is hard to get back a second time).
Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Vel muscas metuit praetervolitantes (English: He's scared even of flies that flutter by; from Adagia 1.5.66).
For an image today, here is that poor flying ostrich, 405. Struthiocamelus et Gallina. Struthiocamelus alas quidem habet quibus in cursu ad pernicitatem adiuvatur, sed in sublime volando non extollitur. Haec sive bestia seu avis, cum forte in ardua rupe constitisset, incitabat sese ad volatum et imitari volebat reliquas volucres. Cui gallina, quae hoc conantem viderat, “Cave,” inquit, “ne volandi cupiditate etiam ingrediendi facultatem amittas.” Gallina derisa, struthiocamelus deiecit se passis alis de rupe atque ad terram pondere suo afflicta crura fregit. Fabula docet contra naturam niti oportere neminem. (source - easy version)
