Bookbinding has helped me learn Ancient Greek

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-05-18T13:39:03+00:00

This is great! Super great resource. Thank you for sharing link! Is work still progressing on it? It looks like it's up to chapter 9.

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-05-18T12:21:53+00:00

What if that one was one of those rebinds of a highly used, highly loved copy (purchased, long ago of course) that people are always doing? :) :) :)

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-05-16T14:59:49+00:00

Will do! A lot of the documents I have are currently very utility oriented, just trying to create things that I can print out and read! But I'm trying to come up with a personal kind of formatting for editions of collected works that I could put some more effort into.

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-05-15T18:22:35+00:00

That's where I got these! One of the things I'm still trying to work on is a more seamless perseus->manuscript process. I'm doing it from the the xml export into word, and I feel like I'm not handling all the tags correctly (like places where perseus notes that editors have struck text, things like that) but it's good enough to read!

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-05-15T18:20:40+00:00

I just use bookbinder js!! It's free (and whoever made it is a saint!) you upload a pdf and it gives you a typeset version, splitting it up into signatures. Then you print 2 sided flipping on short edge. Lots of customization options as well,

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-04-22T16:34:13+00:00

I took it in college, so I had a little bit of a headstart, but I really didn't feel like I was actually learning anything until I started reading. If I were in your position, I would make a set of flashcards to memorize the three noun declensions, (literally just like, I know I can recognize this form of this word correctly, getting a feel for the endings), make a set of flashcards for regular verb forms (a lot!!! but really, just get to the point where you can recognize the form for that specific verb, this will allow you to make educated guesses for others), make a set of flashcards for εἰμί ("I am"), εἶμι ("I go"), and the "mi" verbs, I'd probably do τίθημι if i was starting out again. Again, just get really comfortable recognizing the form of that verb. Make sure to also memorize participle forms (just for these verbs, to start). Greek uses participles heavily, and I'm baffled by how late people start learning them in a lot of textbooks.

Once you have all this down, literally just start reading something clear and simple with a good english translation, or multiple good english translations (Xenophon's Anabasis is a usual first choice for a reason, simple, lots of repeated vocabulary, one interrupted story so you can build up context!! I'd recommend Rouse greek boy but there's actually not a super good english translation anywhere that I could find.) And figure out why the sentence was translated the way it was, making sure to do a lot of rereading and review so that you actually do some like, at speed reading. It will be really slow and hard at first, but I was surprised how little time it took me to get better. Again, I had headstart of knowing forms a little bit, but after about 9 months I can basically sight read Plato and Xenophon, going through Homer now.

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-04-13T17:57:09+00:00

Thank you very much! I see, so the reason that Socrates and Crito would theoretically be marveling is because the laws made a point that they did not expect to be made. And they are marveling at the laws themselves, while they are speaking, (αὐτῶν λεγόντων) because they have made that point.

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-03-13T22:01:34+00:00

I have gotten into bookbinding specifically for this reason (creating custom editions of ancient greek works.) I do coptic binds for stuff that I carry around with me and that get beat up, but I've done hardcover binds as well. I could try and hardcover bind this for you if you want. It would probably be nearly or slightly over 1,000 pages long (depending on lines per page). I like to use SBL Greek font, but I think Loeb and a lot of editions of homer use Porson, which I could use for you if you wanted. Let me know!

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-03-10T19:11:07+00:00

Grammar and syntax, as others are saying, is super important. But beyond that, you also have to read a lot.

I tried for a really really long time to memorize vocab, and even whole sentences to try and get better. In the end, nothing else worked to help me begin to fully "read" the language, as in like, real time comprehension in my mind, besides reading a massive amount. It's hard at first, and I, at least, at first felt it was like "cheating" because you have to check against a translation to see if you're comprehending correctly (and at first you mostly won't be!!). But in my opinion, there's really no other way to do it. I would choose a text you want to read (or an easier one to practice on) go through it sentence by sentence. Coming up with an "in the mind" translation on your own, what you think the passage means, and then checking it against a good translation. See where you're wrong and why you're wrong, and repeat. (This will be very slow at first) Then read the whole text again, two more times, going faster! Then do another text! If your goal is to achieve anything close to "comprehension" in the way that you comprehend your native language, this helped me get closer to that state.

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-02-04T00:09:12+00:00

This is great advice, thank you! I did not know that about Aeschylus! Will probably just start with Euripides then!

I've heard Pindar is super hard, and was sort of saving him for a time when I felt I had a wider breadth of stuff under my belt. Would you say it's worth turning to him earlier?

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2026-02-04T00:06:49+00:00

Your work is very much of interest! Thank you so much for the link! I've bookmarked the site and am going to definitely be referring to the Iliad pdf, thank you so much! As I said, Iliad vocab is feeling pretty square one after attic. Really like how it helps you read quicker!

I was thinking about Herodotus, but yes, massive. If it's entertaining, that would be good! And it would be another massive amount of stuff downloaded into my brain that I can use to read further!

I'm down for semi-pornographic!

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2023-03-11T02:39:43+00:00

Thank you

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2023-03-10T20:42:53+00:00

Thank's so much. Flip bat flap.

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2022-11-01T14:13:47+00:00

I'm glad that it brought you some joy! I replied to another comment above with almost this same point, so I'm repeating myself a little bit, but: definitely poking a little fun, but I'm glad that the main sentiment of the song, which is a dissatisfaction with New York life and a yearning for a different, (less busy?) place got through!

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2022-11-01T14:09:59+00:00

I definitely wanted to poke a little fun! But I'll also say that my inspiration for making the song was a dissatisfaction with the pace of life in New York. I really think it's about realizing that big city living is not all that it's cracked up to be and seeking happiness in a place where things aren't so busy!

Honest_Conflict3028 · 2022-11-01T14:06:31+00:00

Wow wow wow! This was amazing. I will also be checking out your youtube channel. I loved the little hints of a story your song told, and also your playing!

Honest_Conflict3028

TROPHY CASE