Odysseus, one of the war heroes, has still not arrived in his home country of Ithaca ten years after the Trojan War and the Fall of Troy. Odysseus is presumed dead, leaving his wife Penelope and son Telemachus to deal with a gang of wild suitors vying for Penelope's hand in marriage who have overtaken his palace and pillaged his country. Odysseus, however, is still alive and being held captive on the island of Ogygia by Calypso, who is madly in love with him and longs to make him her everlasting husband. How is Odysseus going to get home? Will he find his beloved Penelope again? The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus' "nostos" trip back home, expanding Homer's vibrant image of everyman's journey through life. It is the second-oldest piece of still-existing Western literature.

Selections from both Iliad and Odyssey, made with an eye for those episodes that figure most prominently in the study of mythology.

Renowned Homer scholar Barry B. Powell has already given the world powerful new translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Now his Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: The Essential Books brings together his translations of the most important books and passages from these two great poems in one handy volume. Accessible, poetic, and accurate, Barry Powell's translations are an excellent fit for today's students. With swift, transparent language that rings both ancient and modern, Powell exposes students to all of the rage, pleasure, pathos, cunning, and humor that are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Both the translations and the introductions are informed by the best recent scholarship. FEATURES * Uses well-modulated verse and accurate English that is contemporary but never without dignity * Powell's introduction sets the poems in their philological, mythological, and historical contexts * Features unique on-page notes, facilitating students' engagement with the poems * Embedded illustrations accompanied by extensive captions provide Greek and Roman visual sources for key passages * Maps provide geographic context for the poems' many place names * Audio recordings (read by Powell) of important passages are available on the book's Companion Website and indicated in the text margin by an icon

The Iliad: Join Achilles at the Gates of Troy as he slays Hector to Avenge the death of Patroclus. Here is a story of love and war, hope and despair, and honor and glory. The recent major motion picture Helen of Troy staring Brad Pitt proves that this epic is as relevant today as it was twenty five hundred years ago when it was first written. So journey back to the Trojan War with Homer and relive the grandest adventure of all times. The Odyssey: Journey with Ulysses as he battles to bring his victorious, but decimated, troops home from the Trojan War, dogged by the wrath of the god Poseidon at every turn. Having been away for twenty years, little does he know what awaits him when he finally makes his way home. These two books are some of the most import books in the literary cannon, having influenced virtually every adventure tale ever told. And yet they are still accessible and immediate and now you can have both in one binding.

This generous abridgment of Stanley Lombardo's translation of the Odyssey offers more than half of the epic, including all of its best-known episodes and finest poetry, while providing concise summaries for omitted books and passages. Sheila Murnaghan's Introduction, a shortened version of her essay for the unabridged edition, is ideal for readers new to this remarkable tale of the homecoming of Odysseus.

Selections from both Iliad and Odyssey, made with an eye for those episodes that figure most prominently in the study of mythology.

Stanley Lombardo's deft abridgment of his 2005 translation of the Aeneid preserves the arc and weight of Virgil's epic by presenting major books in their entirety and abridged books in extended passages seamlessly fitted together with narrative bridges. W. R. Johnson's Introduction, a shortened version of his masterly Introduction to that translation, will be welcomed by both beginning and seasoned students of the Aeneid, and by students of Roman history, classical mythology, and Western civilization.

The Cambridge Companion to Homer is a guide to the essential aspects of Homeric criticism and scholarship, including the reception of the poems in ancient and modern times. Written by an international team of scholars, it is intended to be the first port of call for students at all levels, with introductions to important subjects and suggestions for further exploration. Alongside traditional topics like the Homeric Question, the divine apparatus of the poems, the formulae, the characters and the archaeological background, there are detailed discussions of similes, speeches, the poet as story-teller and the genre of epic both within Greece and worldwide. The reception chapters include assessments of ancient Greek and Roman readings as well as selected modern interpretations from the eighteenth century to the present day. Chapters on Homer in English translation and Homer in the history of ideas round out the collection.

New translation of Homer's epic poem.