An attractive, nicely laid-out book that encourages idle flipping through pages even by those who believe themselves not interested in Latin. Surprise, surprise: they will likely discover they're more interested than they had thought.

The phrases are divided into five themes: Literature; Love, Friendship, and Family; Mythology; Military and Power; Culture and Philosophy. For each phrase, the author provides a literary translation, the attribution, the origin, and a full-page explanation/analysis of the phrase's meaning, source, and applicability today. Each phrase is also accompanied on the facing page by a large illustration done in pencil line and graphic color blocking. These illustrations are very well-done, and capture the powerful emotions that thread through so many of the phrases featured in this book.

I found many new phrases in this book. Here are a few I particularly enjoyed:
"Is venerem e rapido sentiet esse mari" - from Tibullus, "She is like Venus, born from blood and an angry sea."
"Aut viam inventam aut faciam" - from Hannibal Barca, "Either I'll find a way, or I'll make one."

Not all of the phrases are new to readers. Many will ring a bell, which no surprise, given that our language is in large part descended from Latin. The die has been cast, soul sister, one hand washes the other, swan song: It's fascinating how many of these phrases remain in common speech today, although as the author notes, many have been softened in meaning from their original, stronger, implications.

This book would be a great addition to the library of anyone who enjoys languages, history, or learning fascinating random facts. It could also be a great gift for that hard-to-please friend who's always picking up a new hobby, because reading it leaves you feeling like you could spit out fun Latin facts at the next cocktail party you attend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review. This review will be cross-posted to my social media accounts closer to the book release date.

This book is stunning, really beautiful and imaginative. It offers wonderful glimpses into both the language of Latin and the world of Ancient Rome. Touching in places and humorous in others I highly recommend this to any classicist or history lover.

Maia Lee-Chin's Et Cetera is the book to read if you are still waiting for your time machine. I've personally always viewed language as the perfect way to understand people and their culture on a foundational level, and Et Cetera has strengthened this belief in me.

If you are reading this book expecting to visit the Rome of Julius Caesar and Augustus, you'd be right, but not entirely. True, Et Cetera will show you the words that describe the Rome of the elites, but it will also introduce you to foreign monarchs, female poets, and slaves whose names were lost to time and oppression, and much more. Et Cetera will show you Rome from the bottom to the top and even beyond.

If you don't speak Latin and therefore are hesitant to give this book a chance, I assure you that despite not knowing a single Latin word (except for the ones still in use, of course), I was still able to understand everything. You also really don't want to miss out on Marta Bertello's fantastic illustrations. They're so beautiful, I want
them on my wall.

Et Cetera is a wonderful book for both history nerds and those who wish to learn something new about Latin and the culture and people who gave it to us. It is an incredible debut by Maia Lee-Chin and a book that I'm sure I'll revisit multiple times in the future, even if just to read one page each day.

A fun and very well-curated selection of Latin phrases and their origins, allowing curious readers to take a toe-dip into a notoriously difficult to parse yet fascinating language.

I suppose I should start with a warning that this book is not going to teach you Latin. This is primarily meant to explain the story behind those Latin phrases that have survived and become part of the modern lexicon, not to explain how to read or write the language.

The selected phrases range from those that almost everyone is at least cursorily familiar with, such as Carpe Diem, to those which are well known only amongst classicists. In short, as long as you’re curious about the language and about the culture that gave it to us, there something here for everyone, whether you’re just trying to learn the stuff that shows up in crosswords or seeking something a bit more obscure and complex.

The illustrations are lovely, if a bit one-note, though I think the idea behind the pairings is a good one.

As a child Latin scholar this book is SO fun and interesting. The bite sized Latin phrase analysis taught me a lot and resurrected my love of classic knowledge.

Et Cetera: An Illustrated Guide to Latin Phrases provides a wonderful look at a range of Latin phrases, from those in common parlance to sentences plucked from elsewhere in the classical canon. I was expecting a more linguistic approach rather than historical., however this is made up for by the effort that has been put into this history. This can also come with the side effect of some entries being a little more dense, however this is balanced by the others of greater brevity. The approach in ordering the phrases as a 'continual narrative' rather than alphabetically servies the book well, as each section creates a cohesive summary of a particular aspect of classical life.

The illustrations by Marta Bertello are beautiful, and enhance the experience of each entry. Of particular poignance is the use of colour, with the red accents to the pictures meshing well with the book's format.

It would have been nice to hear more about the phrases themselves rather than the original authors in some cases, however overall the book in an engaging read, well-matched by the illustration style, and I would highly recommend this for readers who are both already familliar with and readers who are new to the classics. Full rating: 4.25 stars.

I would also note that contrary to the Goodreads description, the entries do not include a pronunciation guide.

I really liked this book. It was entertaining and informative. I flew through it rather quickly and liked the way each was presented with a relevant story. I only wish it had been longer. Definitely a must for anyone interested in Latin or if you want to understand the origins of Latin phrases. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. 4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.