hi, my preference in edited texts is for iota adscript. wasn’t iota subscript brought in because the iota wasn’t pronounced after classical times? i don’t read post-classical texts so i read the iota. maybe subscript was used for another reason, i’ve never read the explanation although it’s probably in the front of every textbook. i guess i prefer the lunate sigma as well because greeks didn’t write sigma at the end different to medial sigma.
basically where a modern textbook says “do this x way. it must be noted that although you are studying ancient greek, the greeks themselves did it y way. but do it x way or we’ll mark you down.” i instinctively prefer doing it y way if i can be bothered, because i’m learning ancient greek.
i think i’ve mentioned here before that in my own notes (apart from texts where i’m working on the pronunciation) i write all caps no punctuation or spacing. i prefer reading greek this way, how the greeks read. also it makes reading inscriptions much easier which i like: i find finishing a short inscription without any help more satisfying than finishing a dialogue of plato. maybe that’s the direction my interest in greek is heading, i don’t know. here’s an example of the 1st page of my notes on Parmenides:
Funny you mention this, as I bought two books when I learned Greek, one NT Greek and one classical Greek. The NT Greek was older so it preserved the two sigmas, but to my dismay the Ancient Greek had them all c’s. >:-|
(although Goold’s Manilius and Shack’s Martial and Statius are superb).
Since the Loeb series varies so much (especially between old and new), for a long time I’ve wanted some sort of list of the stand-out editions, where the text represents a serious advance, or where the quality of the notes is unmatched. I’ve held myself back from saying “and where the translation is really good”, though this is maybe unfair to Henderson’s Aristophanes.
So any more suggestions?
Shackleton-Bailey’s Martial and Statius.
Warmington’s “Remains of Old Latin” in 4 vols seems to be a standard reference work.
G. P. Goold’s Manilius and Propertius
D. A. Russell’s Quintilian
Henderson’s Aristophanes
Braund’s Persius and Juvenal came in for high praise at the Bryn Mawr review, though I don’t have firsthand knowledge.
Also I’d be interested in feedback on the Cambridge Greek & Latin series, whether any have been particularly amazing or particularly awful.
I thought that Penelope Murray’s “Plato on Poetry” was an especially shoddy production.
