A comprehensive reference, The Student's Catullus includes the following features:
- A brief overview of Catullus's life and artistic persona
- A fresh recension of all 113 poems
- A commentary in English on each poem, explaining difficult points of Latin and salient aspects of Catullus' artistry
- A Who's Who of the people in Catullus' poems
- An explanation of Catullan meters
- A glossary of literary terms used in the commentary
- A complete Latin-English Catullan vocabulary
- Six reference maps
New to this fourth edition are dozens of additional notes to aid comprehension, more nuanced definitions in the vocabulary list, and amplified information in the appendices. In addition, Garrison has expanded his introduction to include tips for students and teachers. Drawing on years of classroom experience, Garrison urges readers to avoid rote translation and instead engage thoroughly with the poet's delightful language, syntax, structure, and rhythm.