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The Iliad / The Odyssey Paperback – Deckle Edge, November 1, 1999

by Homer (Author), Bernard Knox (Editor, Introduction), Robert Fagles (Translator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 332 ratings
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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.


about The Odyssey

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    1264 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 1999
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    8.7 x 5.9 x 3.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0147712556
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0147712554
  9. Lexile measure
    1290L
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Homer was a Greek poet, recognized as the author of the great epics, the Iliad, the story of the siege of Troy, and the Odyssey, the tale of Ulysses’s wanderings.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Edition Unstated (November 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 1264 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0147712556
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0147712554
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1290L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.46 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.7 x 5.9 x 3.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 332 ratings

About the author

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Homer

Homer

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Homer was probably born around 725BC on the Coast of Asia Minor, now the coast of Turkey, but then really a part of Greece. Homer was the first Greek writer whose work survives.

He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the oral tradition. Homer and other bards of the time could recite, or chant, long epic poems. Both works attributed to Homer - The Iliad and The Odyssey - are over ten thousand lines long in the original. Homer must have had an amazing memory but was helped by the formulaic poetry style of the time.

In The Iliad Homer sang of death and glory, of a few days in the struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. Mortal men played out their fate under the gaze of the gods. The Odyssey is the original collection of tall traveller's tales. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope.

We can never be certain that both these stories belonged to Homer. In fact 'Homer' may not be a real name but a kind of nickname meaning perhaps 'the hostage' or 'the blind one'. Whatever the truth of their origin, the two stories, developed around three thousand years ago, may well still be read in three thousand years' time.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
332 global ratings
Minor errors in Kindle version slightly distracting...Amazon can do better
3 Stars
Minor errors in Kindle version slightly distracting...Amazon can do better
Errors in formatting for the Kindle version are every couple of pages. Looks like the vendor used an OCR scan to make the ebook, but no one actually edited it. Iliad and Odyssey are both enjoyable, but a more user-friendly Table of Contents and less errors would have been ideal. The prose/novel format was amazing, and translation was great except for old archaic words and interchanged use of Roman instead of Greek names.
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Top reviews from the United States

JHG3
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, great translation
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is in reference to the Penguin Classics Robert Fagles translation. These books are gorgeous (I also purchased The Aeneid separately) - I spent a lot of time researching translations for these books because I wanted to a strong sense of the epic form in an English translation that could also be read aloud and these books do not disappoint. The paper is thick and these are very substantial, heavy books. Disregard the negative reviews that claim the translation goes back and forth between Greek and Roman gods - that is incorrect for the Fagles translation and they are clearly reviewing some other edition (which is a common frustration with Amazon's inability to properly separate editions for the classics).
7 people found this helpful
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CLG
5.0 out of 5 stars Classics in an excellent format/binding - making it a great read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2009
Verified Purchase
With many recent movies (e.g. Troy with Brad Pitt) and the older B/W versions, on cable lately, my husband expressed an interest in re-reading these classics. After examining the books available and their reviews, I settled on purchasing this version combining the two - Iliad and Odyssey. The boxed set and format/quality of these books really filled my idea as to how to have these classic stories on paper. My husband is already entralled in reading the first and has stated that he really enjoys the translation and feels that it does bring to life these stories in the original form, not the revamped current movie versions. The Greek mythos is a delight to his reading thus our conversations on the book so far has stimulated my interest in reading the books, too...it has been far too long since I even thought of revisiting these books once read in high school.

So the quality of these classics is very apparent in the appearance, binding and paper - hence the cost for this boxed set is 100% worth it! You won't be disappointed by the visual fact of the set, nor reading the translation of these classic books.
13 people found this helpful
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Anonymous
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating - 4.5 stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2002
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The Iliad was not quite what I expected. It doesn't have the lyricism and imagery of other epic poems such as Paraside Lost or the Inferno. Its metaphors are sometimes crude and very wordy. It is also an extremely violent book -- large sections of the text are devoted to describing the deaths of warriors in graphic detail. It is also sometimes repititious, which is partly a result of having evolved from an oral tradition in which repitition allowed the poet more time to improvise the next segment of poetry.
However, it is still a powerful poem. The story is not what you might expect. There is no Trojan horse, no golden apples. It starts in the ninth year of the siege of Troy as Achilles, enraged by the actions of Agammemnon, breaks from the Argives and sulks in his tent. This sets in motion a chain of events that will result in a clash between himself and the great Trojan hero Hector. All of this unfolds next to a second tale - the fighting amongst the Olympian gods as they determine the destiny of Troy and the heroes from both armies fighting for it.
The Iliad unfolds novelistically. We start with the rage of Achilles in the plains of Troy. Gradually, slowly, the background is revealed - the reason for the Argive invasion of Troy, the reason for the rage of Achilles. It is only very late in the book that the reasons for Hera's hatred of Troy and the tight bond between Patroclus and Achilles is explained.
Although there are many characters in the book, Achilles is the most powerful. Passionate, temperamental, arrogant, brutal and courageous. In many ways, he comes across as the villian. He is opposed by Hector -- also arrogant and brutal, but a family man. Hector is both admired and loved by the Trojans. Achilles is admired by the Greeks, but not loved. The characters of Patroclus, Odysseus and Agamemnon are also well-defined.
The Odyssey is a completely different sort of work. Whereas the Iliad is grand in scope and tells many overlapping stories, the Odyssey is tightly focused on the story of Odysseus's return to his beloved Ithaca. The Iliad is about war and glory, the Odyssey about home and family. One is clearly the work on an older Homer, assuming they come from the same author at all. The Odyssey is more descriptive, less crude in its imagery and the narrative line is cleaner, mostly because of the narrowed subject matter. One wonder if Homer intended it as part of a series of poems about the Greeks returning from troy.
The Odyssey was again not what I expected. It start with Odysseus's son, Telemachus, watching Penelope's suitors devour the fruits of his father's kingdom. Telemechus leaves on a voyage to find word of his father. This segues into Odysseus's return from a seven-year stay with Calypso. He is shipwrecked on Phaeacia, where, after being received by the King of Phaeacia, he unfolds the tale of the journey that landed him on Calypso's isle. The last half of the book deals with eventual return to Ithaca and his dealing with Penelope's suitors.
Homer's style is still songlike and lyrical. His description of the journey to the underworld is especially vivid. And Odysseus is expanded into a complex character - cunning, brave, suspicious - and of course the tragic flaw that creates the Odyssey - proud.
Fagles translation is probably the most unique you will run across. It translates the poems into vivid, song-like language that probably best reflects what the poems sounded like when Homer sang them. I find some fault with his occasionaly use of modern idiom (the overuse of phrases like "cut -and-run", etc.). But it is an easier and more enjoyable read than the more classic translations that favor more stilted prose.
Also, read the introductions. Although they are long, they are fascinating, especially in the discussion over the debate on the origins of the Iliad and the Odyssey. It will also help you appreciate some of the phrases used repeatedly in the poems ("swift-footed Achilles", "long-haired Argives", etc.").
16 people found this helpful
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Ally
5.0 out of 5 stars Aesthetically pleasing pages and graphics.
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I bought this packaged copy of The Iliad and The Odyssey for a college class. I don't necessarily love Greek mythology so I won't comment on the work itself but the covers are beautiful and the pages edges are cut to make it seem almost like parchment, like its old. It looks super cool. They come with a thick cardboard decorated "case" to keep the books together that is really nice!
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Diaper Rash
5.0 out of 5 stars Fagles is the one.
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
I did a lot of searching and sampling to figure out which translation to read. This one sucked me in. The language is so vivid and rich, I totally felt transported back 3000+ years ago, whenever this supposedly happened. I know it's a myth, but it felt real. Gooey violence with words is so much more shocking when your brain reassembles it from fragments of symbols translated and detranslated across thousands of years/cultures. Fagles did the job right.
19 people found this helpful
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Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars Great books
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
The books were extra-carefully packaged, arriving before the targeted date. Thank you
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JasonGreyman
3.0 out of 5 stars Minor errors in Kindle version slightly distracting...Amazon can do better
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Errors in formatting for the Kindle version are every couple of pages. Looks like the vendor used an OCR scan to make the ebook, but no one actually edited it. Iliad and Odyssey are both enjoyable, but a more user-friendly Table of Contents and less errors would have been ideal. The prose/novel format was amazing, and translation was great except for old archaic words and interchanged use of Roman instead of Greek names.
Customer image
JasonGreyman
3.0 out of 5 stars Minor errors in Kindle version slightly distracting...Amazon can do better
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017
Errors in formatting for the Kindle version are every couple of pages. Looks like the vendor used an OCR scan to make the ebook, but no one actually edited it. Iliad and Odyssey are both enjoyable, but a more user-friendly Table of Contents and less errors would have been ideal. The prose/novel format was amazing, and translation was great except for old archaic words and interchanged use of Roman instead of Greek names.
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7 people found this helpful
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Perry Frensley
5.0 out of 5 stars The Set You Should Own
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2007
Verified Purchase
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.
15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

FRANCISCO J
1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT buy it, it has serious quality problems
Reviewed in Spain on May 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
1. The book is pretty bad impressed as the images show. Both Illiad and Odyssey.
2. The box that contains both books is too small. As a result of this, taking a book out of it is pretty hard and you need to be very careful because you might easily break the box.
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FRANCISCO J
1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT buy it, it has serious quality problems
Reviewed in Spain on May 8, 2020
1. The book is pretty bad impressed as the images show. Both Illiad and Odyssey.
2. The box that contains both books is too small. As a result of this, taking a book out of it is pretty hard and you need to be very careful because you might easily break the box.
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DrFThickett
5.0 out of 5 stars The World's Greatest War Story / Adventure Epic
Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 2012
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The Iliad is the story of the rage and wrath of Achilles during the Trojan War while the Odyssey is the story of Odysseus' ten year journey to return home after the sack of Troy. Both are wonderful stories I'm sure we're all familiar with so I won't spend time on a summary suffice to say that both are very well written, composed, and stunning in their imagery and subject matter.
What I will say about these editions is that they look fantastic. Whether sitting on a shelf or a desk, they are just lovely to look at. I'm aware that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but they they look this good it's hard not to notice.
Robert Fagles does a great job translating both books in a manner which captures the spirit and inherent Greek-ness of the stories but makes them easy enough to understand for the modern reader. There is no middle English or half Greek or what some might consider nonsense language, the translation is very straightforward, easy to follow, and easy to understand. It takes a lot of work, dedication, and time to create what Fagles has accomplished here and I salute him for it.
If you're read these stories already in another translation I'd urge you to read Fagles as well, he breathes a different sort of life into the stories. If you've got old battered copies and are looking for new ones these shouldn't fail you ad they look lovely on a shelf together (With the Aeneid too, also by Fagles). If you've never read the Iliad or the Odyssey this set contains both at a modest price point and in the easiest to understand English without robbing the stories of their substance. Excellent work on Fagles behalf, I'll be reading these for many more years to come and hopefully you will be too!
4 people found this helpful
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Camille Savoie
5.0 out of 5 stars ... was my very first classic literature book and I enjoyed it.
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2015
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This was my very first classic literature book and I enjoyed it.
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Neil McPhee
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Prose Translation - Uses Latin Nomenclature
Reviewed in Canada on May 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
I purchased this after reading a physical copy of Samuel Butler's "Iliad," and searching for his translation of the "Odyssey."

I enjoyed this prose version immensely. It was, to me, more accessible as an introduction to Greek mythology as compared to Robert Fagle's verse translation.

It is worth noting is that this Kindle version uses Latin, rather than Greek, names. This is true for both books. It took me by surprise, especially as my physical copy of Butler's "Iliad" used the Greek naming convention (and that does appear to have been the only difference between them.) This could be considered a negative; although, I suppose it is a subjective point. My own preference is that Greek epics stick to Greek nomenclature, and so I have docked it a star.

That said, I am continuing to read this with great satisfaction and joy, and would encourage anybody that is on the fence to consider this book.
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