Which Greek Graded Reader is best for beginners? (graded readers compared)

Here are the other Graded readers that I mentioned in this video in order of appearance:


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[gazzapax]

Years ago, as children learning to read and write at school, we had simple readers available right from the outset. I seem to remember titles such as “Janet and John” that we could practise at home with parents. It seems to me that there is a gap in the market for simple readers of NT Greek for the real beginner, still undertaking Year 1. Many seem to start once the student is entering year 2 of their studies. With Paul Nation’s pedagogical advice around how to spread one’s learning and developing fluency, it would be really helpful to have some readers available at a much earlier stage…. Even if they are not from biblical texts but constructed using biblical language. Thanks for the video - a very helpful summary.

[MichaelSmith-yyfw]

Baugh's First John Reader was my salvation for elementary Greek! I still have mine all these years since. It's a classic! MikeInMinnesota

[teagustavsson]

I think Decker’s Koine Greek Reader would be my first and when I’ve gone through that I’d like to do Hellenistic and Biblical Greek next.

Thank you for another great video!

[Aaron_Wells]

"A Reader in Biblical Greek" by Richard A. Wright was released a few months ago by Eerdmans. It is divided into 3 sections based on difficulty, with the majority of readings being NT, but still a number of readings from the Septuagint and Apostolic Fathers. Each reading is followed by a vocabulary list of words occurring less than 50x, which makes sense since most 1st year grammars don't go much further than that. The footnote helps are extensive but have few parsings.

[Dougeb]

I've been wanting to pick up a graded reader, Darryl. This was very helpful, many thanks!

[jimmorris]

Decker's Koine Greek Reader appeals to me the most since I already have his excellent primer.

[jacques]

I had a question concerning the student edition of Master New Testament Greek: is it a resource that I can use on my own or is it only to be used while enrolled in the Master New Testament Greek program? I ask because, having studied Greek on my own for the past few years, I have finally shifted to reading through the NT, and, if the Student edition of MNTG can be used independently, I would find it a valuable resource to save time (chapter-specific vocabulary, quality glosses, etc.). Thanks.

[sethtbaguley]

Great video and content mate!

What is the best approach for learning the vocabulary required for hellenistic and biblical Greek reader? Is it included in the text?

Otherwise, shout out to your Student Edition. Anyone who hasn't used it yet, I really encourage you to do so. It turned Biblical Greek from a slog into a joy for me. - I'll always be grateful for this.

[ksnunema]

I have a copy of McLean's Hellenistic and Biblical Greek reader, and thoroughly enjoyed what I read of it. There is an interesting and engaging selection of texts, ranging all over the place. I think there was even a personal letter from a soldier to his mother in there somewhere. As Darryl mentions, its not an easy book to pick up for a student right out of 1st year Greek.

What struck me most about this book was the distinct impression that the author has an.... agenda... that he is cleverly and subtlety asserting in his comments and in his selection of texts. I could very well be wrong, and I really don't know anything about the author. But that's the impression that I got.

[theoglossa]

Wow. These are great books to keep up with Greek. But I am currently at Biblical Greek Mastery Academy which is better.