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The Iliad has had a far-reaching impact on Western literature and culture, inspiring writers, artists and classical composers across the ages. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of st

This is a beautiful hardback gift edition. Two of the greatest adventure stories of all time, these timeless epics of war, duty, honour and revenge are filled with magic, mystery and an assortment of

Homer's epic tale of Achilles and the Trojan War, now in a beautiful gift edition for the Union Square & Co. Signature Gilded Editions line. Set during the siege of Troy, The Iliad, along with The Odyssey, is a foundational work in Western literature and is considered one of the greatest epic poems of all time. It is also one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences today. Complete with epic battles, larger-than-life characters like Achilles, and the mercurial Greek gods, The Iliad remains one of the most significant war stories ever told.

Before there was fantasy, there was The Odyssey. After the fall of Troy, the cunning hero Odysseus is cast into a brutal, decade-long struggle against gods, monsters, and fate itself. He outwits the Cyclops, resists the enchantress Circe, sails past the Sirens, and survives the wrath of Poseidon--all while longing for home. Back in Ithaca, his wife Penelope fends off ruthless suitors devouring his kingdom. Disguised and broken, Odysseus returns not as a king, but as a ghost of war--rising again to reclaim his throne through sheer will. The epic is attributed to Homer, a legendary ancient Greek poet believed to have lived around the 8th century BCE. Though little is known about him, his works, The Odyssey and The Iliad, became the foundation of Western storytelling--timeless tales of heroism, fate, and the cost of war.

'Grey-eyed Athena sent them a following breeze, the fresh- blowing westerly, whistling over the wine-dark sea'Twenty years after setting out to fight in the Trojan War, Odysseus is yet to return home to Ithaca. His household is in disarray: a horde of over 100 disorderly and arrogant suitors are vying to claim Odysseus' wife Penelope, and his young son Telemachus is powerless to stop them. Meanwhile, Odysseus is driven beyond the limits of the known world, encountering countless divine and earthly challenges.But Odysseus is 'of many wiles' and his cunning and bravery eventually lead him home, to reclaim both his family and his kingdom. The Odyssey rivals the Iliad as the greatest poem of Western culture and is perhaps the most influential text of classical literature. This elegant and compelling new translation is accompanied by a full introduction and notes that guide the reader in understanding the poem and the many different contexts in which it was performed and read.

A lushly illustrated edition of Homer's epic tale recounting Odysseus' fraught voyage home after the Trojan War, now distinctively packaged as a deluxe edition from Union Square & Co. Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy... So starts Homer's The Odyssey, the classic account of the Greek hero Odysseus and his ten-year journey home following the glories and horrors of the Trojan War as recounted in The Illiad. In this prose retelling of Homer's epic poem, we follow Odysseus and his shipmates as they weather one danger after another, from the sorceress Circe to the one-eyed Cyclops to the six-headed monster Scylla. Replete with classic drawings and colorful illustrations, a foil-stamped cover, gilded edges, and a silk ribbon, this beautiful new edition of The Odyssey is just as gripping to read now as when it was first told to rapt Greek audiences 2,500 years ago.

Forthcoming in Spring 2025, a landmark new translation of Homer's most popular epic. In 1961, the University of Chicago Press published Richmond Lattimore's translation of Homer's The Iliad. For more than sixty years, it has served to introduce readers to the ancient Greek world of gods and heroes and has been one of the most popular and respected versions of the work. Yet through all those decades, Chicago never published a companion translation of the best-known epic in the Western canon, The Odyssey--until now. With his new Odyssey, celebrated author, critic, classicist, and translator Daniel Mendelsohn has created a rendering worthy of Chicago's unparalleled reputation in classical literature. Widely known for his essays bringing classical literature and culture to mainstream audiences in the New Yorker and many other publications, Mendelsohn eschews the streamlining and modernizing approach of many recent translations, focusing instead on the epic's formal qualities--meter, enja

One of the most diverse books in the Iliad, Book III moves between intimate scenes in the heart of Troy and scenes serious and comic on the battlefield. It describes a major ritual in an elaborate oath-swearing, assigns a major role to divine intervention, introduces and characterises the main Trojan actors and reveals more about their Greek counterparts. The commentary discusses the styles of Homeric narrative, illustrating especially its economy and sophisticated handling of different time-scales. It situates the Iliad in its broad cultural and historical contexts, through consideration of the relationships between Greece and the Anatolian, Mesopotamian and ancient Indian cultures, particularly regarding shared story-patterns and ritual activity. An account is given of Troy's relationships with the Hittite empire and the vexed question of the historicity of the Trojan War. Also provided is a full historical account of Homeric language. The edition will be indispensable for students a

Book 18 of the Iliad is an outstanding example of the range and power of Homeric epic. It describes the reaction of the hero Achilles to the death of his closest friend, and his decision to re-enter the conflict even though it means he will lose his own life. The book also includes the forging of the marvellous shield for the hero by the smith-god Hephaestus: the images on the shield are described by the poet in detail, and this description forms the archetypal ecphrasis, influential on many later writers. In an extensive introduction, R. B. Rutherford discusses the themes, style and legacy of the book. The commentary provides line-by-line guidance for readers at all levels, addressing linguistic detail and larger questions of interpretation. A substantial appendix considers the relation between Iliad 18 and the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, which has been prominent in much recent discussion.

Homer's great epic, The Odyssey, is perhaps Western literature's first adventure story, and certainly remains one of its finest. It describes King Odysseus of Ithaca's epic, ten-year quest to return h

Part of Penguin’s beautiful hardcover Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality, tactile clo

The timeless themes of the Odyssey—survival, courage, loyalty, and hospitality—have resonated with readers through the ages, making it the most enduring classic in Western civilization. This beautiful

Book XXII recounts the climax of the Iliad: the fatal encounter between the main defender of Troy and the greatest warrior of the Greeks, which results in the death of Hector and Achilles' revenge for the death of his friend Patroclus. At the same time it adumbrates Achilles' own death and the fall of Troy. This edition will help students and scholars better appreciate this key part of the epic poem. The introduction summarises central debates in Homeric scholarship, such as the circumstances of composition and the literary interpretation of an oral poem, and offers synoptic discussions of the structure of the Iliad, the role of the narrator, similes and epithets. There is a separate section on language, which provides a compact list of the most frequent Homeric characteristics. The commentary offers up-to-date linguistic guidance, and elucidates narrative techniques, typical elements and central themes.