The Iliad & The Odyssey
- Downloads：3339
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-10 09:53:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Homer
- ISBN：1435167945
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Homer's two epics of the ancient world， The Iliad & The Odyssey， tell stories as riveting today as when they were written between the eighth and ninth century B。C。 The Iliad， which tells of the siege of Troy by the Greeks， is an unforgettable tale of nations at war and of the courage and compassion heroic soldiers show upon the field of battle。 The Odyssey is the story of the Greek hero Odysseus and the many marvels and challenges he encounters during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War。 This edition employs Samuel Butler's classic translations of both texts。 The Iliad & The Odyssey is one of Barnes & Noble's Collectible Editions classics。 Each volume features authoritative texts by the world's greatest authors in exquisitely designed bonded-leather bindings， with distinctive gilt edging and a ribbon bookmark。 Decorative， durable， and collectible， these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensable cornerstone for any home library。
Reviews
Jeff Jonas
，
Best inspiration ever。
James
，
Both are excellent， but meandering at times。
max theodore
，
okay i miiiiight actually dnf this by which i mean。。。 mark it as finished without reading the odyssey part。 because as cool as this edition is， visually （gold pages！！！）， it's in prose， and reading the iliad in poetry has made me realize that - holy shit， guys - an epic poem should probably be read in poetry！ or at least it's more fun that way for me。 gary i need a non-prose odyssey etc etc anyway shoutout to my brother for letting me borrow this in the first place okay i miiiiight actually dnf this by which i mean。。。 mark it as finished without reading the odyssey part。 because as cool as this edition is， visually （gold pages！！！）， it's in prose， and reading the iliad in poetry has made me realize that - holy shit， guys - an epic poem should probably be read in poetry！ or at least it's more fun that way for me。 gary i need a non-prose odyssey etc etc anyway shoutout to my brother for letting me borrow this in the first place 。。。more
Gabrielle
，
IliadThis was so graphically violent。 If it weren't for the language I would've thought I was reading the screenplay for a 21st-century movie。 I had no idea！ Gore aside， this was difficult for me to get through because nothing much happens other than fighting。 Even most of the tangential stories are about older fights！ The plot seemed to drag on longer than necessary， but I did feel for doomed Hector and marvel at Achilles' ability to hold deep， vengeful grudges。 And oh， the fickle gods！ Rather IliadThis was so graphically violent。 If it weren't for the language I would've thought I was reading the screenplay for a 21st-century movie。 I had no idea！ Gore aside， this was difficult for me to get through because nothing much happens other than fighting。 Even most of the tangential stories are about older fights！ The plot seemed to drag on longer than necessary， but I did feel for doomed Hector and marvel at Achilles' ability to hold deep， vengeful grudges。 And oh， the fickle gods！ Rather than trying to keep track of all the mortals and all the gods I just held onto which side was winning/losing， which served me well enough。 At the end。。。 no mention of the famed horse！ I was quite confused。 The story also assumes you know how and why Helen was taken （which I didn't）， which didn't get in the way so much but did puzzle me because I wondered - How did we get that story？ Anyway， since the main drama was around the sides gaining and losing the upper hand， not having that context wasn't fatal。OdysseyI read a review by someone who said they enjoyed the Odyssey much more than the Iliad。 That helped me get through the interminable fight scenes in the Iliad， and I was rewarded！ Although I also felt like the storyline here was drawn out - perhaps my modern brain is far too accustomed to faster payoffs - I loved hearing about each leg of Odysseus' journey and his dramatic homecoming。 There were so many exciting - and also shockingly gory！ - tales， and I rooted for Odysseus to get home all the way。 I was horrified by the treatment Penelope endured from her suitors， but the alternating of stories/perspectives between hers and Telemachus' household and Odysseus' progress homeward kept things interesting。 ***Overall I'm glad to have read these epics。 It was fun to imagine the world of the ancient Greeks and learn about their culture （eg。 grasping knees for mercy; showing generous hospitality before even learning a guest's name; mistrust and disregard for women）。 It was also fun to recognise so many aphorisms and realise how long they've been in use。 Another plus is that now I've got a general understanding of Greek mythology。 I'm amazed that the Greeks worshipped such deceiving， changeable， selfish and unreliable beings （although it makes sense if they're fashioned after humanity）。 I'm sure I moved faster and enjoyed my reading even more thanks to the masterful narration of Anthony Heald。 He had great voices for all the characters and added a lot of colour to each scene。 If you're considering reading these definitely go for it！ Even without studying them in a class I can see how they've influenced storytelling， media， and our ideas of heroism， success， and setting and achieving goals。 。。。more
Maria Eugenia Estudilla
，
You must read this ，debes leer esto
Riley
，
（Spoiler Alert）Pitched as 'The Story of Achilles'， in which Achilles gets in an argument， sits out for 2/3 of the book， comes back， goes berserk and kills some Trojans， then cries and throws a party。 That said， it wasn't too bad。 You really get a feel for the way the Greeks lionized their heroes by the way Homer name-checks what has to be almost every person on the battlefield， important or not。 I enjoyed Anthony Heald's narration。 （Spoiler Alert）Pitched as 'The Story of Achilles'， in which Achilles gets in an argument， sits out for 2/3 of the book， comes back， goes berserk and kills some Trojans， then cries and throws a party。 That said， it wasn't too bad。 You really get a feel for the way the Greeks lionized their heroes by the way Homer name-checks what has to be almost every person on the battlefield， important or not。 I enjoyed Anthony Heald's narration。 。。。more
Talie
，
MUCH preferred the Odyssey to the Iliad， but overall surprisingly enjoyable！ Those Olympian Gods were screwed up， but so was everyone else I guess。 My favourite character of all: Elpenor， who survives the entire Trojan war and a vicious Cyclops only to die by falling off a roof because he was drunk。
Matt V
，
Fagles puts his soul into these translations; top notch。
Trisha
，
These books take patience because the world was so different from ours。 We are seeing it through the eyes of the ancients and the language and meaning behind their words can be difficult to understand。 Yet the thought and effort I put into it was so worth it。 Just make sure to get an annotated copy。 Of the two， I preferred the Illiad。 It takes place at the end of the Trojan War as the Greeks led by the great Achilles lay seige to the city of Troy held by the Trojans。 The war has gone on for ten These books take patience because the world was so different from ours。 We are seeing it through the eyes of the ancients and the language and meaning behind their words can be difficult to understand。 Yet the thought and effort I put into it was so worth it。 Just make sure to get an annotated copy。 Of the two， I preferred the Illiad。 It takes place at the end of the Trojan War as the Greeks led by the great Achilles lay seige to the city of Troy held by the Trojans。 The war has gone on for ten years at this time in the story， overseen by the Gods including Athena， Hera， and Athena who argue with each other and try to influence the participants and outcome， for example Apollo's interference which prevented the Greeks from taking the city。 His twiddling allows Hector to kill whom he believes to be Achilles but is in fact Patroclus。 The plot is quite complicated， but is in the end about glory and fate and coming to terms with the aftermath of emotion， anger， and blood rage and living with the result of actions taken in without thought during war。 "The proud heart feels not terror nor turns to run and it is his own heart that kills him。" 。。。more
literaryhades
，
Translator: T。E。 LAWRENCE。 4。5 stars！ 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨Loved the way he translated/wrote this version of the Oddysey。 Very much like a story book， yet still captures Homer’s phrases and epithets naturally。
Linnea
，
Iliaden var lite svårt att förstå， långtråkig och långsam。 Hände samma sak hela tiden ungefär （folk dog och de krigade med varandra）， man fattade inte vem som var vem eller vilken sida folk stod på och det var allmänt dålig。 Dock kul att ha läst den så det var värt det。 Odysséen däremot var riktigt bra och spännande。 Kanske för att man hade kommit in lite mer i vem som var vem och det gamla språket men jag tror inte att det bara var därför。 Den skulle jag faktiskt rekommendera andra till att läs Iliaden var lite svårt att förstå， långtråkig och långsam。 Hände samma sak hela tiden ungefär （folk dog och de krigade med varandra）， man fattade inte vem som var vem eller vilken sida folk stod på och det var allmänt dålig。 Dock kul att ha läst den så det var värt det。 Odysséen däremot var riktigt bra och spännande。 Kanske för att man hade kommit in lite mer i vem som var vem och det gamla språket men jag tror inte att det bara var därför。 Den skulle jag faktiskt rekommendera andra till att läsa！ Den var spännande som sagt:） （och inte lika lång） 。。。more
Jaifar Alaufi
，
Liked it a lot but i feel like the odyssey was much better
Layla ライラ
，
This review is presented in both English and Arabic:الإلياذة:استمتعت بقراءة هذا الجزء كثيراً。 وكان من السهل تتبع الأحداث والشخصيات من خلال البحث واستنادي على كتاب Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes لـ Edith Hamilton، حتى تكون الحبكة واضحة لي。الأوديسة:مع أنّي كنت أتوق لقراءة هذا الجزء بشدّة بعد قراءتي للكتاب الرائع Circe لـ Madeline Miller لاكتشف القصة الأصلية من مصدرها الأساسي، ولكن مع الأسف لم يلّم بهذه القصّة واضطررت بأن أتخطى معظم الصفحات بسبب عدم وضوحها وجاذبيتها。 باختصار، كنت تائه This review is presented in both English and Arabic:الإلياذة:استمتعت بقراءة هذا الجزء كثيراً。 وكان من السهل تتبع الأحداث والشخصيات من خلال البحث واستنادي على كتاب Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes لـ Edith Hamilton، حتى تكون الحبكة واضحة لي。الأوديسة:مع أنّي كنت أتوق لقراءة هذا الجزء بشدّة بعد قراءتي للكتاب الرائع Circe لـ Madeline Miller لاكتشف القصة الأصلية من مصدرها الأساسي، ولكن مع الأسف لم يلّم بهذه القصّة واضطررت بأن أتخطى معظم الصفحات بسبب عدم وضوحها وجاذبيتها。 باختصار، كنت تائهة。Iliad:I truly enjoyed reading this part， and it was easier to follow the events and characters by searching and relying on Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton， so the plot would be legible to me。Odyssey:Despite being agog to read this part so badly after reading the amazing Circe by Madeline Miller so that I can discover the true story from its fundamental source， but unfortunately it wasn’t related and I had to skip most of the pages due to its disruption and the lack of attraction。 Substantially， I was lost。 。。。more
Matt
，
The Iliad: Reads like a casualty list， rife with things like "A son of B killed C bastard son of D and E son of D out of wedlock。" There's also a lot of trash talking， nursing of grudges， and spears through nipples。 There are so many sons， bastard sons， and pierced nipples that one wonders if Homer only wrapped up because he couldn't make up any more names。 The bits about offering women （specifically including beautiful Lesbians） as bribes are one part of the story which would make it impossible The Iliad: Reads like a casualty list， rife with things like "A son of B killed C bastard son of D and E son of D out of wedlock。" There's also a lot of trash talking， nursing of grudges， and spears through nipples。 There are so many sons， bastard sons， and pierced nipples that one wonders if Homer only wrapped up because he couldn't make up any more names。 The bits about offering women （specifically including beautiful Lesbians） as bribes are one part of the story which would make it impossible to write today if the author has intentions other than being run out of town on a rail; Homer's protected by virtue of being almost 3000 years dead。The Odyssey: Much better， reads like an interesting if wordy action/adventure/revenge story。 This translation of ancient poetry to prose usually works pretty well， given that its wording is from the end of the 1800s。All in all， folks might want to read the Iliad and the Odyssey if for no other reason than to understand all of the cultural references encountered nowadays。 。。。more
N
，
To think I found Song of Achilles unreadable before。 Had I already read the Iliad， it would've given me a fatal aneurysm。 Notes。 such as they began in all earnest。Amazing description of every single contingent of independent Greek cities with their leaders， and their forty black ships each。 Hector hectors Paris’ cowardice， the response is magnificent， why would you curse the gifts of Aphrodite。 They are not to be questioned just because right now you’d rather be patronized by Ares。The personal n To think I found Song of Achilles unreadable before。 Had I already read the Iliad， it would've given me a fatal aneurysm。 Notes。 such as they began in all earnest。Amazing description of every single contingent of independent Greek cities with their leaders， and their forty black ships each。 Hector hectors Paris’ cowardice， the response is magnificent， why would you curse the gifts of Aphrodite。 They are not to be questioned just because right now you’d rather be patronized by Ares。The personal nature of battle， not nameless faceless soldiers， but friends。 Each death enrages some close friend/family who goes on a rampage。 Similarly when Diomedes， son of Tydeus is hurt by Pandarus， it is a personal act of vengeance to hunt him down and kill him。 In battle， among the falling dead are described some like Scamandrius， skilled in the hunt， beloved of Artemis， or Phereclus， favored by Athena and skillful hands crafting complex things。 Men of talent， loved by the gods， winking out of existence as they watch。Wily Odysseus， has a choice to go for the strong hero， or rank and file， and chooses latter， implication being that warfare in this age is still one of matchups， where the heroes take on the heroes， and the rank and file one another。 It’s unfair otherwise。Diomedes hurts Aphrodite， a god。 This should be a mic-drop moment， a mortal has made a god bleed。 But as Dione comforts Aphrodite， you put it in perspective， it’s nowhere close to the first time this has happened。 No biggie。 Ares and Athena as very different gods of war。 Ares whips up the mass of soldiers， bloodlust。 Athena embodies a hero in glorious aspect， and it steels the hearts of those who see him。 Finally Athena wins， because the hero can simply take out Ares as an individual。 This isn’t war， it’s civil war。 Ares， Apollo and Aphrodite with the Trojans。 Hera， Athena， and potentially Zeus on the Argives。 That’s what makes this Ragnarok。 There is no victory when the gods start fighting each other。There is no victory at all， strangely。 The book just ends after Priam's visit to Achilles。 I suppose I shouldn't be surprised Iliad is a synecdoche for the Trojan War， but it felt distinctly like Homer started mumbling to himself having forgotten his lines and making for a stage exit。 Where's the horse Homer？ Where's the heel？ Where？ Everything I know is wrong。 And I knew 2 things。Hector is a real a-hole。 He's only spoken about warmly after he dies， and while the warmth of Hecuba， Andromache and Priam all sound a bit hokey， the barely 2 lines Helen gets completely changes the perception of Hector。 So much more complex than in the movie。 More Karsa Orlong than Eric Bana。 Where to start about the crappy movie decisions。 Agamemnon is no tyrant， his inferiors can openly abuse and criticize him。 He readily apologizes to Achilles with shocking supplication。 And he's an amazing warrior。 Hector on the other hand， is overly superstitious， pig-headed and bloodthirsty despite the better advice of Polydamas in an astounding reversal of Eric Bana maturely saying attacking the ships will unify the Greeks。 Oh， and Patroclus becomes Iwo Jima， both sides just piling on bodies to capture a tiny flag in the middle of an ocean。 'Enough for one day' my ass。 。。。more
Jim Dewey
，
A great classic readMy biggest issue with this version is the large number of typographical errors that at times detract from the storytelling。 Also， it uses the Roman names for the Gods of Olympus， not the Greek。
Ines
，
june book club read （just the iliad）tricky translation to get through and probably should have given this one two months， but it was still interesting nonetheless and i cannot wait to read from one of the female translators on my list
Tulga G
，
"Зовох， жаргах нас энэ хорвоод хязгаартайЗуурдаар ирсэн зовлон гунигийг хүү минь чиТуулаад гарахаас өөр яах билээ дээ？！" （40-р тал）"Олон санаат оргож чаддаггүй юм，Олон толгойтой орон улс өөдөлдөггүй юм。" （62-р тал）"Илд， бамбай， жад шийдэм харшилдсан догшин тулаан лавширч，Алагдсан， шархадсаны амь тавьсан орилоон чарлаан，Алж， дийлсний нь эрэмшиж зоригжсон хашхираан，Агаар тэнгэрийг цуучиж， аймшигт их дуу чимээ，Тал хөндийг доргиож байлаа。" （131-р тал）"Уурссан хоёр арслан уралцах гэж байгаа юм шиг，Уу "Зовох， жаргах нас энэ хорвоод хязгаартайЗуурдаар ирсэн зовлон гунигийг хүү минь чиТуулаад гарахаас өөр яах билээ дээ？！" （40-р тал）"Олон санаат оргож чаддаггүй юм，Олон толгойтой орон улс өөдөлдөггүй юм。" （62-р тал）"Илд， бамбай， жад шийдэм харшилдсан догшин тулаан лавширч，Алагдсан， шархадсаны амь тавьсан орилоон чарлаан，Алж， дийлсний нь эрэмшиж зоригжсон хашхираан，Агаар тэнгэрийг цуучиж， аймшигт их дуу чимээ，Тал хөндийг доргиож байлаа。" （131-р тал）"Уурссан хоёр арслан уралцах гэж байгаа юм шиг，Уухилсан хоёр зэрлэг бодон дайралцах гэж байгаа юм шиг ээ！" （207-р тал）"Их баян байсан гэдэг ч надад ямар хүртээлтэй вэ？Энгийн тайван амьдрал хамгийн үнэтэй。" （249-р тал）"Бурхны ивээлд багтаж байдаг минь боллоо！Хөндий цээжинд халуун амьсгал тасраагүй байхад，Хөрст дэлхий дээр хөл минь гишгэж яваа цагт，Хөх далайд хөлөг онгоцоороо хөвж яваа цагт，Их бурхан надад ивээл энэрлээ өгсөөр байх болно гэж，Итгэж явдаг юм аа би， өвөө минь！" （258-р тал） 。。。more
Iván
，
Lo que más me ha llamado la atención son los detalles con los Homero describe las costumbres de la edad de bronce griega; desde las comidas， hasta las armas y vestimentas。Por otro lado， la historia es simplemente épica。 Una obra maestra。
Alma Ornelas
，
I just couldn’t continue with it because I do not like the way it’s written。 May be a classic， but it’s not for everyone indeed
Kelsey Brown
，
The Odyssey was by far the more interesting of the two。
Kiersten
，
The Iliad and Odyssey are still so entertaining after all this time。 Full of action， revenge， betrayal， monsters， gods and godesses and more！
Gizem-in-Wonderland
，
This is the war that started it all。 The legend that became a culture， converted into fiction， comic books and movies。 The most meaningless yet brutal war that took two decades， thousands of good men and gods wasted their everything to become a part of。 This is the one and only: Iliad and Odyssey。Iliad ⭐⭐⭐“Any moment might be our last。 Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed。 You will never be lovelier than you are now。 We will never be here again。”Iliad was a confusing， brutal and unn This is the war that started it all。 The legend that became a culture， converted into fiction， comic books and movies。 The most meaningless yet brutal war that took two decades， thousands of good men and gods wasted their everything to become a part of。 This is the one and only: Iliad and Odyssey。Iliad ⭐⭐⭐“Any moment might be our last。 Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed。 You will never be lovelier than you are now。 We will never be here again。”Iliad was a confusing， brutal and unnecessary。 It all started over Helen， who is abducted against her will and brought to Troy。 Then hell broke， the armies of best men of the time are gathered while Gods gathered their strength and choose their sides。 The battle was too weird to even to mention; when you think it’s about to end， a God or Goddess interferes and yet another day ends with a ceasefire， another chapter wasted on nothing。The book opens with the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon over trophy women taken from Troy。 That is the point Greeks lose their champion warrior， who sit sulking until the end while the others try to survive。 Everybody -both mortal and immortal- is too tense， stubborn and play tricks to win。 They are often disguised as somebody else， burn thigh bones and create hecatombs to lure Gods in order to win this endless war that took 10 years。 By the time they were done， everybody had already forgotten why they were there。 The war is fought “one step forward， two step backs” thanks to all mighty immortals， who just cannot let mere humans deal with their own problems。 Though sometimes frustrating， it was entertaining to watch how even the simplest of issues may lead to war and destruction; Gods acting like humans and cannot control emotions， everyone in power manipulating and stipulating while war is fought by mere foot soldiers。 The most disappointing part of this book was the ending and that there’s no mention of the wooden horse （The famous Trojan horse！）。 The best part is that now I can relate to most works of mythological fiction and many attributions to this ancient classic literature。 Odyssey ⭐⭐⭐⭐“Man is the vainest of all creatures that have their being upon earth。”Odyssey is yet another frustrating never-ending journey made Odyssey （Ulysses） regret surviving the Trojan War。 Well， everybody either dead at war or on the road back home， Odyssey finds himself catapulting between islands with a bunch of men， who makes you question how the hell they did not manage to die in the battlefield。 Gods， sirens， titans all fixate on our hero on his return journey; either helping him or trying to kill him。 While at home the son and wife of Odyssey cry their eyes out waiting for him to return， which eventually takes about 10 years。 This tale reminded me of the adventures of Sinbad from Arabian Tales， the misfortunes and lack of luck never cease to stop until he find a safe passage home。 Yet another war waits for him at home， for tens of hundreds of suitors are camped outside to marry his wife Penelope and take the throne of Ithaca。 I have to admit I enjoyed the return journey much better the war， the aftermath of Troy and how the survivors ended up。 There’s only cursory， tiny little mention of the horse that sealed the fate of the war， which led to yet another disappointment on my side。 Overall， an overwhelming， exhausting and pain-in-the-arse kind of book yet an entertaining must-read， love-or-hate kind of classic literature。 。。。more
Derek
，
Glad I read it， but I would not want to do it again unless it was told by a traditional storyteller。
Thiago Stahlke
，
A iliada é um livro incrível e que prende muito a atenção。 Muito bem descrito lembrando bastante a escrita de Tolstoi em Guerra e Paz。 A odisseia parece promissor mas se perde no caminho em histórias que parecem ter sido escritas sob a influencia de drogas pesadas。 A iliada， um relato romântico da história， a odisseia uma aventura bizarra de Odisseu no país das maravilhas。 As histórias não parecem ser do mesmo autor。
Brandon
，
DNF。 It honestly wasn't for me。 Maybe if you're a huge literature junkie then go ahead， give this book a shot。 There were lots of characters which was a bit difficult to keep track of， and many of the characters spoke in long monologues which delayed most of the plot。 Maybe if I can find a version written in laymen's terms I'll give it another shot。 I'm rating it three stars because maybe I just don't have the mind to appreciate it yet。 DNF。 It honestly wasn't for me。 Maybe if you're a huge literature junkie then go ahead， give this book a shot。 There were lots of characters which was a bit difficult to keep track of， and many of the characters spoke in long monologues which delayed most of the plot。 Maybe if I can find a version written in laymen's terms I'll give it another shot。 I'm rating it three stars because maybe I just don't have the mind to appreciate it yet。 。。。more
Muaz Jalil
，
Found Illiad more interesting than Odyssey。 I know it's not true to original （prose as opposed to poetry） but found it much more readable but that's just me。 Found Illiad more interesting than Odyssey。 I know it's not true to original （prose as opposed to poetry） but found it much more readable but that's just me。 。。。more
Siwakorn
，
The Iliad and the odyssey in this book are told in such a manner that gives me a feeling of antiquity。 The phase addressing each other in this book can greatly present a remnant of poem before being translated to contemporary story。 The author who gave a window to the aspects of Ancient Greek culture， war and social life via translation also described some of his analysis on some points of the story。 However， due to their literary nature， some people who are not naturally English speaker can be The Iliad and the odyssey in this book are told in such a manner that gives me a feeling of antiquity。 The phase addressing each other in this book can greatly present a remnant of poem before being translated to contemporary story。 The author who gave a window to the aspects of Ancient Greek culture， war and social life via translation also described some of his analysis on some points of the story。 However， due to their literary nature， some people who are not naturally English speaker can be easily fall off track when hit with some complex sentences。 Recommended for people who wish to experience one of the world greatest literature of once a great civilization。 。。。more
Tanya
，
То ли я привыкла к гекзаметру， то ли Одиссея намного увлекательнее и читается легче）
Gianna
，
mhm11/10 on the magic meteri mean， if you're gonna read the bible this is next in line mhm11/10 on the magic meteri mean， if you're gonna read the bible this is next in line 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Iliad & The Odyssey
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Iliad & The Odyssey&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft