I’ve recently come across a set up that a friend of mine showed me to research. The idea is to have an iPad with Zotero on it, using Kindle and other pirating sources to get PDFs and eBooks. The setup works quite well so I wanted to try it for Ancient Greek learning. I found that Zotero works well with organizing books and articles, but I wanted to pair it up with Diogenes and the TLG database that I already use on the computer. Diogenes has a free online version using perseus’ database. I think that in the long run this iPad setup is cheaper than buying LOEBs and printing articles and book sections for research, but I’m unsure if it is all that jolly having to charge it, take a slab of electronics, etc when I could just read a pocket-sized LOEB and wait to have a computer in hand.
Anyway, I was wondering what set up others use for learning and reading Ancient Greek on the go and if anyone has any ideas on what a good setup could look like.
There is a lot to be said for getting down and dirty with pen and paper. Get a nice fountain pen, to encourage you to write your Greek slowly and clearly, putting all the diacritics in the correct places. Writing out the Greek forms and vocabulary and texts is an excellent way of learning.
E-resources are invaluable for research and inquiry, but (for me) much less useful for the actual learning process.
I think that in the long run this iPad setup is cheaper than buying LOEBs
You can take out an annual on line subscription to the Loeb library and then you will always have the latest versions. I did that, but now the Institute of classical studies offers access and also to Jstor. The membership fee is less than I was paying for my own Loeb subscription. The library is great.
Yes, I agree. I’ve had a bias against online and digital stuff because I can’t stand looking at a screen. However, I found that you can get an iPad screen protector that makes it easier on the eyes. My biggest complaint against pen and paper is that it is not very portable. I can totally relate to the fountain pen idea. It is a joy to write with good pen and good paper. Thank you
Do you print texts you want to read on lulu? As in, 1) want to read Agamemnon, 2) Get PDF, send to Lulu, get it in the mail 3) read ? I have not thought about that, but it seems like a nice idea particularly for editions that have gone out of print.
Thank you.
I didn’t know about Attikos. Thank you, I’ll consider it, too.
That is an option as well. I was thinking of using the iPad setup for a more comprehensive study. Not only reading LOEBs, but also reading articles and books about AG and AG society (mostly super-expensive Homer books coughcoughMartin Westcough). Thank you.
Yes, you could do that.
Save the Agamemnon pdf here: https://ryanfb.xyz/loebolus-data/L146.pdf
You just pick the pages you need and have Lulu print them out. Best if they have some big discount. For example, recently on Black Friday they had 30% off.
Unfortunately, I have a much harder time because my native language is not English, so I make books with translations into my language. I find a translation somewhere and add it to the Greek text. And then I have Lulu print it out.
Our setups sound similar – I also do most of my reading in Diogenes. One word of advice is to buy the largest screen you can and allot three-quarters of it to Diogenes to accommodate text and dictionaries. Any digital commentaries you’re using in tandem with your reading can then sit nicely in the remaining quarter.
I would also recommend getting some form of book holder/stand (I’ve attached a portable clip LED light to mine – super useful) for any print resources you need open at the same time.
You mentioned you’re using an iPad. I can recommend Notability for note-taking. One caveat, however, is that although it recognises and searches handwriting well, it doesn’t do a great job of searching my Greek handwriting. If you’re taking notes as text entered using the keyboard and typing Greek, it will search both alphabets fine. If you’re on a Mac, you can easily access your notes in Notability on the Mac for further use at any stage.
On the go: I keep a store of easy Greek reading resources on my iPad for reading away from home (I use the GoodReader app, where I also store other books, commentaries, articles, etc.). As Hugh mentioned, Attikos is a terrific resource for more serious reading, but I usually prefer to do that on my home setup.
Since you’re using Diogenes, you probably already know that it can be run as a local server. I have accessed Diogenes on my iPad using ngrok, too, and both methods work great.