Help
How to read the books, and answers to the questions people ask most.
Using Claude or ChatGPT? Add the library as a connector with this address: https://greatlibraryproject.com/mcp (how).
Inside any book, the ? in the toolbar opens a short version of this guide, showing just what that book can do.
Reading the lines
An interlinear puts the meaning right under each word of the original, so you can read the real text and understand it at the same time. You don't need to know the language to start.
Under each word you'll find up to four lines:
The original, in its own alphabet: Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Coptic and more. The sound-out line, the same word in our letters, so you can say it. (Books already in our alphabet leave this out.) The bold meaning, the plain English for that word here. The dim line, which appears only when it differs: what the word says literally.Above or beside each passage is the flowing English, the whole passage as a sentence you can simply read.
Words in [brackets] are ones English needs that the original leaves unsaid.
In many books, small numbers ① ② ③ show the order to read the words in English. They help a lot with Greek and Latin, where the word order is free. Turn them on or off with ① in the toolbar.
Reading modes
The round button at the bottom of the page (on a phone, the settings button in the top bar) shows which mode you're in. Tap it to switch:
- Ⅰ Interlinear: every word with its meaning underneath. The place to start.
- Ⅱ the original: the original alone, as a page of text. Tap any word you're unsure of.
- Ⅲ English: the English alone, for when you just want the story. Tap a phrase to see the original under it.
- Ⅳ Study: everything, plus notes on context and meaning under each passage.
⇄ English flow, in the toolbar of many books, rearranges the words into English order so the meanings read as a sentence. Tap it again to go back.
Tapping a word
Tap any word to open its card. You'll see its dictionary meaning, the form it takes here, and where else it appears in the book. Depending on the book, the card also has:
- 🔊 to hear the word said aloud. Under each passage, 🔊 Listen reads the whole passage and 🐢 Slow reads it slowly.
- This word in the library, the word trail: every place the word appears across all our Greek books, oldest first. It's the oldest way to learn a word, by meeting it again and again.
- ❧ to keep the word for your flashcards.
Text size and night mode
A+ and A− in the toolbar make the text bigger or smaller, a small step at a time. Your size is remembered for next time.
☾ Night turns the page dark for reading in a dim room. On a phone, size is in the bar at the top of the screen and night mode is in settings.
With a keyboard: + and − for size, D for night, T for contents, 1 to 4 for the reading modes, and ? for help.
Bookmarks, the Treasury and flashcards
- The ribbon beside a passage number marks your place. You can write a note on it; only you can see your notes.
- ☆ saves a passage you love.
- ❧ on a word card keeps the word.
Everything you mark gathers in the Treasury, the ribbon button at the edge of every book and on the Treasury page. From there you can jump back to any place, and practise your words as flashcards. The library also remembers where you stopped in each book.
All of this works without an account and is kept in your browser. Sign in, free and with a link by email, to keep it on every device.
Finding a passage
Tap ☰ for a book's contents. Type a number in the box at the top to jump straight there, or type a word, in English or the original, to find every passage that has it.
Passages are numbered the way scholars number them, so a reference from a class or another book finds the same place here:
- Homer and Hesiod: book and line. Odyssey 9.181 is book 9, line 181.
- Plato: Stephanus pages, the numbers printed in the margin of every edition since 1578. Phaedrus 227a is page 227, section a.
- The Bible: chapter and verse. Mark 1:1 is chapter 1, verse 1.
- Other books use their own standard numbers: book and chapter for Herodotus, fragment numbers for Heraclitus, and so on.
Sharing and citing
↗ Share under any passage gives you a link that opens the book right at that spot. Every passage also has its own page at an address like this one:
greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/1.1/
To cite a passage, name the book, the passage number and the edition, and give that link:
Homer, Odyssey 1.1. Greek text after Murray (Loeb, 1919). Great Library Project interlinear, greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/1.1/
You're welcome to quote, share and teach from the books. Please don't copy them wholesale. The full terms are on license and citing.
Suggesting a correction
See a meaning that looks wrong, or know a better word? Tap ⚑ under the passage and tell us. You don't need an account. A person reads every suggestion, and good ones go into the book with thanks.
Following a book
Many books are still being made, a few passages at a time. At the end of what's ready, leave your email to follow the book, and we'll write when new passages arrive. That's all we send, and you can stop any time.
Giving
Every book is free to read and always will be. The library runs on gifts from readers: they pay for the time it takes to make each passage right. If a book means something to you, you can help us finish it.
Reading with your AI assistant
You can add the library to Claude or ChatGPT as a connector. Your assistant can then show you any passage word by word, explain a word and where else it appears, and find a passage for you, always with a link back to the reader. It takes a minute: see bring your AI to the library.
Common questions
Is it free?
Yes. Every book is free to read, and always will be. The library runs on gifts from readers.
Do I need to know Greek (or Latin, or Hebrew)?
No. Every word has its meaning printed right under it, and each passage has a flowing English version too. Many readers start knowing nothing of the language and pick it up as they go.
What is an interlinear?
A book that prints the meaning between the lines, under each word of the original. You read the real text and understand it at the same time, without flipping to a translation on another page. See reading the lines.
How do I cite a passage?
Name the book, the passage number and the edition, and link to the passage's own page. There's an example under sharing and citing, and the full terms are on license and citing.
Why are some English words in brackets?
Words in [brackets] are ones English needs that the original leaves unsaid, such as "the", "is", or a pronoun the verb already implies. The brackets show you exactly what is in the text and what we added so it reads as English.
Can I suggest a correction?
Yes, please. Tap ⚑ under any passage and tell us what looks wrong or what would be better. You don't need an account. A person reads every suggestion, and good ones go into the book.
Which edition is the original text from?
Each book names its edition on its title page and its book page. All of them are public-domain scholarly editions: for example Homer after Murray's Loeb text, Plato after Burnet's Oxford text, and Heraclitus after Diels and Kranz.
Can I use this in class?
Yes. Share links to passages with your students, project them, quote them in handouts, and cite them in papers. Please don't copy whole books. For a course pack or anything larger, write to logos@greatlibraryproject.com.
Who makes the translations?
The word-by-word glosses, the flowing English and the notes are made by Great Library Project. They are drafted with the help of AI and reviewed for accuracy, and the dictionary entries come from standard public-domain lexicons. Readers' corrections are always welcome.
Do I need an account?
No. You can read, bookmark and save words without one; they're kept in your browser. Signing in, free and with a link by email, keeps your bookmarks, notes and words on all your devices.
The text is too small. How do I make it bigger?
Tap A+ in the toolbar at the top of any book (on a phone, in the bar at the top of the screen). Each tap makes the text a little larger, and your choice is remembered.
Why does a book stop partway?
Many books are still being made, a few passages at a time. At the end of what's ready you can leave your email to follow the book, and we'll write when new passages arrive.
Didn't find your answer? Write to us. A person reads every message.
or email logos@greatlibraryproject.com