Delphin is a smart-commentary reader for highly commented texts on iPhone and iPad. To facilitate the reader's navigation between the primary text and associated notes and comments, Delphin provides a simple tap feature that color coordinates connected areas of text on the page.
The name Delphin is inspired by a collection of Renaissance editions of classical authors entitled Ad Usum Delphini, "for the use of the Dauphin." These Latin editions of the great classical authors were produced in the late 17th century for the education Louis XIV's son, the Grand Dauphin. They include the original Latin and Greek texts, a simple Latin paraphrase if the text is poetry, and clear, relevant Latin notes. As such the Ad Usum Delphini editions provide readers a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the challenge of reading the original ancient authors, while also reading more accessible, comprehensible Latin.
Delphin is available for free download on the Apple app store, and includes the sections of Caesar's De Bello Gallico and Vergil's Aeneid included on the US AP exam. The app will eventually include full editions that will be made available as in-app purchases.
Acknowledgements
The development of the IOS version of Delphin began in Rome in the Summer of 2015, as a project of Paideia Institute's Digital Humanities Interns, Lachlan Kermode and Joseph White. Delphin for IOS 2.0 was designed by Danielle Pintz and Thomas Clark, during the Paideia Institute's 2016 Summer Internship in Digital Humanities. Delphin for Android was designed by Alexandra Krongel, Maia Ezratty, and Zachary Lindenbaum.
We would like to thank Paul Hudson for his expert supervision, guidance, and generosity. The Latin text was edited and coded by Yung In Chae, Hannah Baumann, Kevin Duraiswamy, Paul Eberwine, Enzo Nardi, and Jules Culot. Brendan Weston and Mali Skotheim contributed the artwork.
We would also like to thank the Classics Department at California State University, Fresno, and the IIP Internship Program and Council of the Humanities at Princeton University, for their support.
Get Involved
PDFs of Ad Usum Delphini editions are available for free download on sites like Google Books and Archive.org. However, the process of digitizing these texts, and editing them for the Delphin app is laborious and requires knowledge of Latin and in some cases, Greek. The Paideia Institute is seeking volunteers to help expand the collection of texts available on Delphin. If you would like to volunteer as an editor for Delphin, please contact us at [email protected].