Average customer rating:
- Odyssey/The Illiad Penguin box set
- The Set You Should Own
- Reads Like a Dream
- Two greats for the price of one
- Excellent translations -- not to mention great stories
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Iliad and Odyssey boxed set
Homer
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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The Complete World of Greek Mythology
ASIN: 0147712556 |
Amazon.com
This is a boxed gift edition of Fagles's two widely acclaimed translations of Homer.
The Iliad is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time, but to call it a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters: Achilles, Helen, Hector, and other heroes of Greek myth and history in the 10th and final year of the Greek siege of Troy. The Odyssey is, quite simply, the story of Odysseus, who wants to go home. But Poseidon, god of oceans, doesn't want him to make it back across the wine-dark sea to his wife, Penelope, son, Telemachus, and their high-roofed home at Ithaca. The story is told in easy-going, beautiful poetry; the characters speak naturally, the action happens briskly. Even the gods come across as real people, despite the divine powers they exercise constantly. Both works have been hailed by scholars and the public for the powerful language that brings clashing, pulsing life to these ancient masterpieces.
Book Description
A beautiful gift set of Robert Fagles' award-winning translations of Homer
Gripping listeners and readers for more than 2,700 years, The Iliad is the story of the Trojan War and the rage of Achilles. Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, Robert Fagles brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic.
If The Iliad is the world's greatest war story, then The Odyssey is literature's greatest evocation of every man's journey through life. Here again, Fagles has performed the translator's task magnificently, giving us an Odyssey to read aloud, to savor, and to treasure for its sheer lyrical mastery.
Each volume contains a superb introduction with textual and critical commentary by renowned classicist Bernard Knox.
* Deluxe paperback editions with French flaps and acid-free paper in a handsome slipcase
* Robert Fagles is the recipient of the 1997 PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
* The Iliad was a New York Times Notable Book and won the 1991 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award by The Academy of American Poets, an award from the Translation Center of Columbia University, and the New Jersey Humanities Book Award
* The Odyssey was chosen by Time as one of the ten Best Books of 1996
Customer Reviews:
Odyssey/The Illiad Penguin box set.......2007-09-24
A very nice set. It looks good and the binding is sturdy. It should last many years of use and still look presentable on the shelf. The poetic translation is the best I know of. A poetic translation is always suspect because either meaning, tone or the poetic phrases will have to be sacrificed at certain (usually frequent) points. This one goes quite a ways in the direction of maintaining the feel of the original, and staying poetic - a least better than any other translation I know of. The original has a sound and movement in its meter that is unmatched and this translation does not match it, but it does occasionally remind me of the original, and there are a very few, if any, really awkward phrases. The text is also approachable by someone who is not a classical expert, another problem with many translations. Not a masterpiece, but it does allow you to get glimpses of the masterpiece that is the original. It is a very approachable and enjoyable translation, and the best thing out there for these very important, enjoyable, imaginative, and pivotal works in Western literature.
The Set You Should Own.......2007-06-06
Quality. Quality. Quality.
And at a VERY nice price.
A common problem with sets like these is that the type is often
crammed so close together, and so light, it can be extremely hard to read.
That's NOT the case here.
Very easy on the eyes, well spaced and printed on surprisingly thick, rag edge stock.
The binding (so important in a paperback) is absolutely first-rate.
The covers are way beyond what you'd expect at the price.
And boxed is always nice.
Quality. Quality. Quality.
And highly recommended.
Reads Like a Dream.......2007-04-15
This two volume set is excellent. Both books are essential pieces of literature which belong together on everyone's bookshelf. Western Literature began with Homer. If our entire civilization were to be lost and only Homer's great classics were to survive, human culture would be well represented.
Different translations have somewhat of a different flavor. This particular translation is well constructed, easy to follow and represents the works very well. Other translations, such as Samuel Butler's, Homer - The Iliad and The Odyssey, which is more formal tend to present Homer with a bit more grandeur, but then, that is really a matter of individual taste. This edition cannot be faulted.
If you are looking for a gift for someone you really care about. You might want to consider this edition of Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. This boxed set not only looks good - it reads like a dream.
Two greats for the price of one.......2007-03-12
The Iliad and The Odyssey are epics that everyone should read whether their required to at school or not. There are places with dullness, but also ones of great excitement. Homer transcends even modern writers with his graphic telling of Troy's fall. Incredible writing, and even more incredible to see that perhaps we haven't evolved so much into loving violence as we may think, it's been here for over two-thousand years.
Excellent translations -- not to mention great stories.......2007-01-16
I have a number of translations of these works in my personal library. Since I was beginning a new course about these books, I went searching for a more up-to-date (modern) approach.
Some professors of classical studies have criticized these translations for being marred by excessive use of colloquial language and that Fagles' meter does not capture the feeling of the Homeric hexameter. That may be true but, as far as I am concerned, it doesn't matter.
Fagles' translation is very easy for the ordinary American to read and that is most important as far as I am concerned.
Book Description
"Written with wit and clarity, this book will be of value to those reading the Odyssey and the Iliad for the first time and to those teaching it to beginners."-Library Journal
In 48 brief chapters, Eva Brann delves beneath the captivating surface of Homer's epics to explore the inner connections and layers of meaning that have made these intricately constructed works "the marvels of the ages."
Customer Reviews:
Excellent companion to Homer.......2007-05-17
A great volume to provide context and perspective on The Iliad and The Odyssey. It is useful to read from begining to end, or, to browse and read on themes of particular interest as you find them in your reading of Homer.
Pretty good study.......2007-05-15
This book gives some interesting insights into the important Homeric characters and situations. It is a worthwhile read for anyone into Homeric studies. However, I found it rather wordy and at times with a tendency to vagueness. I enjoyed more Kirk's "Homer and the Epic", and Schein's "The Mortal Hero".
A love affair with Homer.......2007-01-03
Dr. Brann speaks to us, in this handy little reference, about the reasons we keep coming back to Homer's works. We read them and sometimes wonder what it is that is so appealing but cannot quite put our finger on it. Dr. Brann gives us love with understanding. She organizes her work into handy little chunks of thoughts about Homer such as some thoughts about the gods, personalities of characters, fame, etc. Each could be read out of order as your interest leads. All will illuminate some new aspect to the stories. Sometimes the illumination will brighten something you already suspected but could not pinpoint; other times the illumination will give you insight into something completely new you had not noticed before. Whatever it is, you will come away with a new appreciation for the old stories and realize your love affair with Homer.
Great companion to Homer.......2006-03-10
This has been a great teaching aid in my high school world literature classes, and I think it's an excellent place to start for anyone interested in Homeric literature. Brann's writing is very accessible, insightful and witty, and pulls you along through some difficult material. All in all, this is one of the best books I've come across about Greek mythology.
A fun book.......2005-08-09
My own response to this book is that it's just plain fun. I don't take it as a definitive explanation of what Homer is supposed to mean or anything. It's more like stuff to consider, to add to. Thoughts. The chapters are short and interesting and can be read out of order. If you enjoy Homer, you should like this book. (If you don't enjoy Homer, you might after this book - ? - I'd especially recommend a good audio version.)
Product Description
Friendship, suffering, betrayal, adventure?themes that motivate middle schoolers to read?take center stage in three plays that capture the most widely read epics by Homer and Virgil. This resource has everything teachers need to introduce each classic story: a short play written for middle-school readers, background information, vocabulary, activities, and quizzes. Each play contains more than twenty speaking parts, giving all students an opportunity to participate.
Average customer rating:
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The Iliad and the Odyssey
Manufacturer: State Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: 1587260336 |
Book Description
Compelling evidence that the events of Homer's
Iliad and
Odyssey took place in the Baltic and not the Mediterranean
• Reveals how a climate change forced the migration of a people and their myth to ancient Greece
• Identifies the true geographic sites of Troy and Ithaca in the Baltic Sea and Calypso's Isle in the North Atlantic Ocean
For years scholars have debated the incongruities in Homer's
Iliad and
Odyssey, given that his descriptions are at odds with the geography of the areas he purportedly describes. Inspired by Plutarch's remark that Calypso's Isle was only five days sailing from Britain, Felice Vinci convincingly argues that Homer's epic tales originated not in the Mediterranean, but in the northern Baltic Sea.
Using meticulous geographical analysis, Vinci shows that many Homeric places, such as Troy and Ithaca, can still be identified in the geographic landscape of the Baltic. He explains how the dense, foggy weather described by Ulysses befits northern not Mediterranean climes, and how battles lasting through the night would easily have been possible in the long days of the Baltic summer. Vinci's meteorological analysis reveals how a decline of the "climatic optimum" caused the blond seafarers to migrate south to warmer climates, where they rebuilt their original world in the Mediterranean. Through many generations the memory of the heroic age and the feats performed by their ancestors in their lost homeland was preserved and handed down to the following ages, only later to be codified by Homer in the
Iliad and the
Odyssey.
Felice Vinci offers a key to open many doors that allow us to consider the age-old question of the Indo-European diaspora and the origin of the Greek civilization from a new perspective.
Customer Reviews:
He has my full vote of confidence........2006-10-15
It is a curious fact that the geographical descriptions furnished in Homer's Iliad (the story of the siege of Troy) and Odyssey (the story of Odysseus's journey home after Troy's fall) do not easily match the assumed Mediterranean topography. Various prehistorians, historians, archeologists, and linguists have expressed their consternation about Homer's geographical details. It was Plutarch (46-120 A.D.), who in his essay "The face that appears in the lunar orb," unequivocally states that Goddess Calypso's island of Ogygia mentioned in the Odyssey was situated "five days' sail from Britain, toward the west."
Vinci, a nuclear engineer by profession and a passionate classicist by vocation, took Plutarch's statement as a serious clue to search for the geography of the Homeric epics in the North Atlantic rather than the Mediterranean. He has amassed a mountain of evidence in favor of the Baltic origins of both Greek epics. Similarities between the mythologies of the North and the Mediterranean have often been pointed out. Vinci argues that a deterioration in climate around 2000 B.C. caused some of the Scandinavian peoples to migrate south. As time went by, the epics were claimed by the Greeks for their own Mediterranean culture and environment.
What about Schliemann's Troy? Although this intrepid explorer undoubtedly discovered the Mycenean civilization, his claim to have unearthed the city of Troy has never been universally accepted. Already Strabo ( ) denied that the "ancient Ilium ( Troy)" was to be found in Anatolia. A better candidate for the Homeric Troy than the Anatolian town of Hisarlik, excavated by Schliemann, is possibly the Finnish town of Toija, as suggested by Vinci.
Vinci's audacious rewriting of Homeric culture and mythology is a creative proposition, which deserves to be further investigated. He has my full vote of confidence.
[...]
Fascinating solution to the Homeric enigmas........2006-06-28
For those who have actually read and pondered the Homeric sagas, many difficulties present themselves in trying to visualize the battles, the geography and the scenery when compared to the eastern areas of the Mediterranean Sea. In this book, Felice Vinci proposes and very well defends the seemingly outrageous idea that the events described in the epics actually transpired in the Baltic Sea. He contends that these events took place at the end of a particularly warm period, and with the dropping temperatures, the actors of the Homeric dramas fled south and occupied the warmer Mediterranean. Transposing the names of their former cities to their new homes, once things settled down, the epics were put to writing.
This is a bold and exciting assertion. This book explains and defends the premise very well. I strongly encourage people to read and ponder. It is a rare thing when something this bold and of this scope can be conceived and propounded with such dignity and vigor.
Put down whatever you are reading today and get this book!
intriguing study of connections between Homer's poems and Baltic area.......2006-05-02
Making comparisons of climate and geography, including place names, between Homer's ancient Greek classics and the Baltic Sea coastal areas, Vinci engages in intriguing, fascinating, but also well-substantiated speculation on the bases of Homer's works. Eons ago when the epics originated, climate was warmer in the Baltic region. Though it was not as warm as it commonly is in the eastern Mediterranean lands including Greece, Vinci finds references to this one-time warmer Northern European climate in the Odyssey, for example, with its frequent mention of cooler, damper weather often forming mist. Ulysses, the main character of the Odyssey, is more like a Viking seafarer than a typical Greek sailor. Vinci even finds many references in the Baltic region to the Trojan War poetically recorded in Homer's "Iliad." The link between the Baltic region and ancient Greece is strengthened, though not confirmed, by the migrations of Northern peoples to areas of Asia Minor. As Vinci recognizes, "further archaeological corroboration" by experts in different fields would be necessary to confirm his theory. But in pursuing it, this work covers many little-known but interesting and colorful aspects of the ancient European world and also enhances appreciation of the literary style and the cultural material and sources of the works.
All Roads Lead to Scandinavia.......2006-04-26
Felice Vinci traces the Greek epic tales of Homer to an original Baltic setting. Scholars have long troubled over the misfit of geographical information that the Iliad and Odyssey relate. Vinci makes a strong case that the Mycenaeans came from a then much warmer Scandinavia and migrated south to the Aegean, taking their epic stories with them. Correlating place names between those in the epics with those in the Baltic and North Sea regions, he pinpoints the locations of every major city, including Troy. Further strengthening his case, he demonstrates the cultural parallels between these mythic tales and others from Scandinavian culture.
His thesis is not as far fetched as this reviewer intially assumed it would be. We can see many places along the east coast of the United States named in honor of cities and towns in England, as namesakes of the original homes of the newcomers to the New World. If Vinci is right, inhabitants from northern Europe migrated south to the Mediterranean area and renamed numerous places in honor of their former homeland as well. Readers of Homer's stories assumed that they described events in this new homeland rather than their possible real places of origin. Many scholars considered these stories to be myths because they fail to fit the Near East setting, when they in fact fit much better in the far north and may represent real events after all. It would be like someone assuming that stories about the English Wars of the Roses occurred along the Atlantic seaboard of North America, where the interrelationship all the places named would be a jumbled mess, when in reality they took place in England, where all the geography actually fits.
Toward the end, Vinci mars his fine research with extrapolated speculation in an effort to suggest that Sumer, the early Hebrew patriarchs and everyone one else from the Middle East started in Scandinavia. This diminishes the legitimacy of his main theory. Had he left out such claims, his case would be stronger.
Vinci himself allows that his ideas rest upon cultural and geographic evidence and need archaeological research to confirm them. His argument is so strong, though, that it alone should be justification to explore physically the places that he identifies as the actual locations of the events of Homer's tales.
A "Must Read" book!.......2006-04-05
This is one of the most exciting books I have ever owned. It has led me into a myriad of subjects requiring re-thinking. I have had hours of enjoyable discussion with friends because of this book, and I thank Signore Vinci for his decade of effort to this project. I give my highest recommendation!
Customer Reviews:
Good book!.......2002-09-22
When we were looking for a good book for a 6-year-old whose name is Agamemnon, to give him some context for his name outside of our family, we found this book at the library. He really enjoyed having us read it to him, then later for him to read himself. A great book!
My 5 year old loves this book!.......2002-07-14
In our house this is more a 5-8 year old book, my son asks for it as he climbs into bed many a night. It's a great way for him to have fun and get the basic storyline of a classic...
Hi.......2000-04-23
I would just like to say to the earlier review this book is not meant to be a school textbook. It is not supposed to be a wonderful introduction to the Iliad and the Odyssey. Marcia Williams books are just for fun, it is just a bonus that you children can get the basic story line of a classic. I would highly recommend any of Marcia Williams books.
Insults the intelligence of Parents and Children.......1999-06-30
Never has a book so insulted my intelligence more than this one, REALLY! Does the author actually expect me to believe that this will be entertaining to my children. This book only demonstrates how far the modern age has stooped in the dumbing-down of our children. A good introduction for children is "The Iliad of Homer (Oxford Myths and Legends)" by Barbara Leonie Picard and Joan Kiddell-Monroe (Illustrator), but stay away from this one for sure!
Average customer rating:
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The Iliad and the Odyssey in Greek Mythology
Karen Bornemann Spies , and
Homer
Manufacturer: Enslow Publishers
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ASIN: 0766015610 |
Book Description
Selections from both Iliad and Odyssey, made with an eye for those episodes that figure most prominently in the study of mythology.
Customer Reviews:
The Best of the Best of the Best.......2007-05-14
Lombardo's translations of Homer are brilliant, energetic, and fun to read. While other translations are as dry and dusty as ancient Greek itself, Lombardo remarkably manages to bring it all to life, and reading both the Iliad and the Odyssey are as interesting and exciting as reading the most fascinating and lurid novel you've ever had in your hands.
The best thing about this edition is that it has MAPS in the front, and NAME GLOSSARIES in the back (for both the Iliad and the Odyssey). This edition is abridged, but I found that only long, tedious descriptions of preparations for battles seemed to be missing.
This is the ideal student text. (If you are looking for the best FULL edition ever, Lombardo's entire translations of the Iliad and Odyssey are also available.
If I could give it six stars, I would.
The Iliad.......2005-07-04
I had to use this book for a school project. This version by Stanley lombardo is great, and the refreshed modern day speaking makes the book easier to get through. Furthermore, the character guides and reference to other books in the back proved to be very helpful!
Average customer rating:
- The Iliad***** and the Odyssey***
- Great Book!
- A gift
- Indispensable Reading
- The Beginning of Western Literature
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Homer - The Iliad and The Odyssey
Homer
Manufacturer: El Paso Norte Press
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The Iliad of Homer
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Treasure Island (Signet Classics)
ASIN: 0977340007 |
Book Description
The history of Homer and his works is lost in doubtful obscurity, as is the history of many of the first minds who have done honor to humanity because they rose amidst darkness. The majestic stream of his song, blessing and fertilizing, flows like a river through many lands and nations.
The creations of genius always seem like miracles, because they are, for the most part, created far out of the reach of observation. If we were in possession of all the historical testimonies, we never could wholly explain the origin of the Iliad and the Odyssey. But it must be noted that Homer's great epic poems hold a singular place in literature. Within the knowledge of all of history that has been passed down to us, there is no known predecessor that could lay claim to be the progenitor or equal to these great works.
It was Homer who formed the character of the Greek nation. No poet has ever, as a poet, exercised a similar influence over his countrymen. Prophets, lawgivers, and sages have formed the character of other nations; it was reserved to a poet to form that of the Greeks. When lawgivers and sages appeared in Greece, the work of the poet had already been accomplished; and they paid homage to his superior genius. He held up before his nation the mirror, in which they were to behold the world of gods and heroes no less than of feeble mortals, and to behold them reflected with purity and truth.
His poems are founded on the first feeling of human nature; on the love of children, wife, and country; on that passion which outweighs all others, the love of glory. His songs were poured forth from a breast which sympathized with all the feelings of man; and therefore they enter, and will continue to enter, every breast which cherishes the same sympathies.
Customer Reviews:
The Iliad***** and the Odyssey***.......2007-04-30
The Iliad*****
The Iliad is a story of martial heroism and a fascinating historical document. Although the Iliad is a fictional account, it provides considerable insight into ancient Greek warfare, technology, society, and metaphysics. To someone who's not being forced to read it in high school, the Iliad offers considerable attractions.
As the story opens, the Greeks and their allies are camped near the walls of Troy, many years into the Trojan War. Achilles, a demigod and the fiercest warrior among the Greeks, is angered by the commander of the Greek forces and withdraws from the fighting. Despite the loss of their best warrior, Ulysses and Nestor persuade the Greeks to continue their war against the Trojans. Throughout the rest of the book, over a period of several days, the two forces slaughter one another with arrow, sword, and spear, greatly preferring the latter weapon. The reader learns about the armor and shields that the fighters used, and every possible way they can fail their owners. The narrative focuses on the most prominent men on each side, but the opposing armies numbered in the thousands. Homer relates the action in terms that his listeners would understand, either realistically ("Diomed struck him in the middle of his neck with his sword and cut both sinews ...") or through simile ("... as a couple of well-trained hounds press forward after a doe or hare that runs screaming in front of them, even so did the son of Tydeus and Ulysses pursue Dolon ...")
There is a great deal of appreciation of martial spirit and character in the text. At one point, Sarpedon turns to Glaucus and says:
"Glaucus, why in Lycia do we receive especial honour as regards our place at the table? Why are the choicest portions served us and our cups kept brimming, and why do men look up to us as though we were gods? Moreover we hold a large estate by the banks of the river Xanthus, fair with orchards, lawns, and wheat-growing lands; it becomes us to, therefore, to take our stand at the head of all the Lycians and bear the brunt of the fight, that one may say to another, `Our princes in Lycia eat the fat of the land and drink the best of wine, but they are fine fellows: they fight well and are ever at the front in battle.' My good friend, if, when we were once out of this fight, we could escape old age and death thenceforth and for ever, I should neither press forward myself nor bid you to do so, but death in ten thousand shapes hangs ever over our heads, and no man can elude him; therefore let us go forward and either win glory for ourselves, or yield it to another."
The men encourage one another during the fighting, and share their strength. Diomed "of the loud war-cry" agrees to spy among the Trojans at night but asks for a companion: "When two men are together, one of them may see some opportunity which the other has not caught sight of; if a man is alone he is less full of resource, and his wit is weaker."
Interludes between the fighting offer scenes of a kind of domesticity and a glimpse at societal structure. The Greek leaders eat, drink, and rest in their tents, attended by large retinues, and the common fighting men sleep on the ground, using their shields as pillows. Decisions are made in assemblies that include all.
The fortunes of the two opposing armies wax and wane, and their fortunes are attributed to the gods, who intervene to help their favorites and even fight among themselves.
I read the Iliad rather slowly, over a period of three weeks or so, mostly before going to sleep at night, and drew a considerable amount of pleasure from it. The Samuel Butler translation is superb.
The Odyssey***
This Homeric poem focuses on Ulysses, one of the Greek heroes portrayed in the Iliad. When the story opens, Ulysses has been away from home for ten years, and a great deal of the book recounts his fantastic adventures as he tries to return to Ithaca. Meanwhile, at home, a group of suitors courts his wife, Penelope, while they eat his livestock and drink his wine. When he arrives home, Ulysses prowls about in disguise to establish who has been loyal and who disloyal in his absence. This done, he unleashes an unbelievably violent revenge on the suitors and their allies among his household staff.
Ulysses' adventures are highly imaginative, and, as in the Iliad, it is interesting to see how the ancient Greeks supposed that the gods intervene in our affairs. It is interesting, too, to see how they tried to read the gods' intentions through portents and omens. The extreme violence is rather surprising to a modern reader, and the poem could possibly be criticized for its rather abrupt resolution of the conflict between Ulysses and the other townspeople.
Great Book!.......2007-03-25
Homer - The Iliad and The Odyssey is a great book. It is considered to be a classic for good reasons: it is a good read, it deals with really important matters, it is superb literature and it is a landmark in the history of civilization.
For about two thousand years, it has been on the reading list of most educated people in the Western Hemisphere. Undoubtedly, it will still be part of the curriculum at most of the world's colleges and universities two thousand years from now. You just can't consider yourself to have received a proper education without having read this great Greek classic.
While you are at it, you should also read:
Aristotle - Ethics and Politics
History of the Peloponnesian War
and
Anabasis: The March Up Country
Classics like these are not stuffy, pompous, overblown literature as some ignorant anti-intellectuals might think. They are genuine looks at life by excellent writers who had something important to say - and said it well.
A gift.......2007-01-12
This book was a gift for my son. He is enjoying reading this book
Indispensable Reading.......2006-09-02
It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Homer is to World Literature what Shakespeare is to English Literature. With the two books combined into this one volume - the scribe, scholar, genius or whatever Homer really was - made a mark on literature that stands alone. The epic siege of Troy and the adventures of Ulysses are so deeply ingrained into the consciousness of Western culture that these works are a part of us even today.
The world of literature, and culture itself, owes a debt to Homer that cannot even be estimated. To not have read (the movies are but pale imitations) the Iliad and The Odyssey is a loss beyond description.
The Beginning of Western Literature.......2006-07-29
Homer was one of the earliest and most important writers/poets to describe warfare in all of its irrational aspects. From the motivations for the war to the appeal to the Gods for support and intervention, there is a psychotic grandeur to the waste and destruction he so aptly chronicles.
There has been so much written about Homer's great works, there is little that can be added except to say that in Homer there is an element of truth - an understanding of men and their motivations - that is timeless. In a very real sense, Homer's Illiad and Odyssey are the books that mark the beginning of Western Literature. It is significant that the focus in on warfare and destruction rather than peace and creation.
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Iliad and Odyssey
Homer
Manufacturer: Longmeadow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0681452447 |
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