The Iliad / The Odyssey Paperback – Box set, January 1, 1999

I thoroughly enjoyed the Robert Fagles translations of both “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad”, much more than I did the first time I read them in school. To even attempt a critique of the work itself would be to take yet another journey down a well-traveled road, so I will more usefully suggest why this particular translation is likely to be a good choice for most people.If you are one of the 99% of us that will read these classics in translation and not in the original Greek, there are a dizzying number of English translations to choose from, some in prose and others in verse, spanning a century or more. If you are not reading this as assigned schoolwork (where that decision is generally made for you), you may be trying to decide if this edition, translated by Robert Fagles, is the one you should choose. My own belief is that for most modern readers, this translation is a great choice.The Fagles editions of “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad” are very readable translations in contemporary English, and I enjoyed them much more than I did the first time I read these classics (decades ago) in different translations. I would recommend these to those reading these classics for the first (and possibly only) time, particularly if doing so on one’s own and outside an academic environment.Those deep enough into Homer to have different translations of these classics as their favorites will have read them more than once, and their first exposure would NOT have been the Fagles translation. I think a reader is more likely to return to these again if the first time reading them was a pleasant experience with literature one could understand.My advice is not to worry too much about whether or not those older versions are “more faithful to the original.” This is academic hair-splitting for most readers. Every translation from the original can never be truly exact, and is only the translator’s interpretation. And when it comes to verse, poetry only really works in its original tongue; a translator can make the finished product read like poetry also, but it won’t be the SAME poetry, especially when the original and target languages are not compatible.Both “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad” include nice introductions by Bernard Knox with some nice commentary. These were long but not TOO long. There is also about a dozen pages of “Notes on the Translation” pointing to particular line numbers (although unfortunately not noted at the applicable points in the text itself, which would have been helpful). There is also a very helpful “Pronouncing Glossary” listing every name mentioned in the book, with a pronunciation and a short description of who it is; this helped a lot in keeping the names straight, especially in “The Iliad” where there are so many more of them.I bought “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad” as a boxed set, and the quality of the paperbacks and their bindings was very good. The covers are durable, and the sturdy spine and glued pages look secure enough to withstand many readings.

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.

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.

I cannot read Greek, so I got this hoping for a decent translation. This book has many errors, mostly in the formatting area. But my largest complaint, this is supposed to be a translation of work written by Homer. Yet the author uses the Roman names for all of the gods. I don't much care if the Roman names are easier or flow better or anything else. There's already enough mixing of info. Use the correct bloody names.

Very disappointed with this purchase. I love books and when the book is damaged it's hard to continue reading the book. The pages of both books are uneven and its hard moving from page to page. I can't continue reading this book. I demand a full refund or a new book that is not damaged. I paid full price for a new book and I received a damaged book. I would never buy from this seller again unless they make up for selling a damaged book. This was not a rating on the content of the book.

The Odyssey must be read by very educated person at least 3 times during his/her life. I just finished my second and enjoyed immensely!

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.

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!

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!

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.

This was my very first classic literature book and I enjoyed it.

The Fagles translation is correctly appreciated. Not only did this volume arrive before the time due, but I have since read it, once again, with great pleasure. I first read the E. V. Rieu translation, when I suppose I was about 12. The Introduction and Notes by Bernard Knox are, as always, a source of fascination, explaining not only what is known about the original creation, but also revealing, with understanding, what is not known. So, some sixty years after my first reading, I return, once again, to this work with great pleasure, remembering the old nurse who recognised Odysseus, when washing him, by the scars from a mauling he received from a boar in his youth; and the the death of the faithful dog, after greeting his master on his return!As for Wordery, I have spent too much on books sold by them. Their service is excellent, as well as their estimates of time of delivery, their packaging is exemplary. Long may they thrive and prosper!

Delivered within the timeline mentioned. Happy with the product