The Iliad

"Odysseus and his men put out to sea in twelve ships of fifty oars, their white sails unfurled and their blue-painted prows thrusting through the waves as the wind filled the sails: nigh on sixty men on board each ship. And the heart of every man was happy as he thought how at last, after ten weary years of battle, he would once again see Ithaca, which was his home."


The Iliad describes the last years of the war between the Trojans and the Greeks with tales of heroes, battles, quarrels, and especially of Achilles--the greatest warrior among all the Greeks. The Odyssey continues the story after the fall of Troy, as Odysseus begins his exciting journey home. His voyage to Circe's enchanted island, down to the underworld, to the land of the Sirens, and finally home to patient Penelope remains one of the best adventure stories ever told.


All of the pride, daring, love, and revenge of these two enduring tales is captured in a way that spans ages and levels of familiarity with the works. Adults will find them the perfect complement to the originals for clarification or for pure reading pleasure. Younger children will love hearing the daring adventures read aloud, and young adults will appreciate a text that does not talk down to them, but is clear, understandable, and enjoyable. 


The tragedy of Achilles, who prefers a short and glorious life to a long and obscure one, forms the dramatic core of this complex story of the war between the Trojans and the Greeks. Son of a mortal and a god, Achilles is boldly portrayed against a fabric of those noble deeds which later were to provide the Greeks with their dramatic mythology. 


Illustrated in the classical tradition by Joan Kiddell-Monroe, this prose companion to Barbara Picard's The Odyssey of Homer is recounted with economy and vigor. The classical essence of the story is maintained as the fate of men, gods and countries emerge with a swift and noble dramatic force entirely in keeping with the lofty nature of The Iliad's intent. Free of ponderous forms and language, this edition of The Iliad conveys the pure quality of that epic and goes far to encourage the reader in the further investigation of the Greek world. KIRKUS REVIEW