Iliad, Volume I: Books 1–12

I love the Loeb editions of Homer. I've already ready the Odyssey, now moving on to the Iliad. What I've especially started to enjoy with this volume of the Iliad is the editors decision to "call out" which lines were rejected by which ancient commentators (Aristarchus, etc.). This adds some fun to the reading because you get to review the line in Greek and try to surmise why they rejected it, or how the passage would work without the line. The translation is reasonably modern but still "lordly" and has the tone of a war epic. It was enjoyable to read aloud in both English and Greek.

I just finished reading volume 1 of Homer's Iliad published by The LOEB Classical Library in conjunction with Harvard University Press. The translation is by A.T. Murray with revisions made by William F. Wyatt. The LOEB Classical Library is a academically trusted collection of Greek and Latin publications. The translations are normally more literal than those you might find at your local Barnes and Noble, therefore they read more like an archaic form of English. Homer's Iliad can be found on nearly every great works of literature list. Harold Bloom considered Homer to be in the same family with Cervantes, Dante, and Shakespeare. The Iliad has been read for thousands of years, and every reputable honors program includes his works in their required readings lists. His writings influenced Tolkien and George R.R. Martin. His descriptions of war are grotesque and inspiring. The pantheon of deities he created in his stories set the stage for the Greek mythology that followed him. This is the understanding I had when approaching the book. The bar was set rather high and unlike most expectations these ones were surpassed. As I finished reading volume 1, I asked myself, "how could a writer from the 8th century B.C. have achieved so much, when so many from our era have achieved so little?" Homer had no paper trail of literary criticism to follow. He had no classes in writing style and technique, and yet the Iliad is of such a high caliber that we still read him today. Wayne C. Booth brought to our attention Homer's "leave nothing up to the reader" style of reading. If Homer wants you to favor one group over another, he is going to come out and say it. He can tell you every thought and intent of each character. Homer doesn't care that it would be impossible for anyone to know the thoughts of Agamemnon or Hector. He knows what they thought and that's enough. Many writers today shy away from such literary techniques in favor of modes that demand "reader response." This is not necessarily bad, it's just a different approach but many of their works, if not all, will not demand the attention of 2,800 years worth of readers.

The book is bilingual Homeric Greek-English. It is a Word to word translation of the wonderful ancient text... Reading Iliad is a must for all modern man. With this book, with the help of the opposite page English translation, you can read it in its original too. Homeric Greek is not biblical Greek. It's even older and more beautiful.. So, It may not be the best book for biblical greek readers or learners. But if you are serious about learning ancient Greek and want to do it by reading it word by word with the help of English translation, this book is the right one to start with. Homeric Greek is a dead language, therefore people don't know how to pronounce it. There are many theories about it but there is an interesting guy on YouTube with the nickname "kleber kosta", and he is the best reader of Iliad when it comes to pronouncing it.

This is a wonderful adjunct to any text for anyone interested in Homeric Greek. It reads well in and of itself and seems to be highly accurate. Of course I recommend it.

I recommend this book for scholars who want to read the original Greek but don't want the burden of translating. I like the small size of the book that can be toted around to the doctor's and on an airplane. There are enough notes on difficult passages to make the casual reader aware of the specialist's debate.

The language and translation are fine. I was hoping for an unabridged version with nothing left out. Not so, I am pretty sure there is more that has been expurgated. I might be wrong

If you're interested in reading Homer and want to see what it looks like in the original Greek, start here!

Really liked it

Beautifully bound.

Sie bekommen hier den griechischen Urtext mit einer englischen Prosa-Übertragung der Professores A.T. Murray und dessen Großneffen William F. Wyatt. Diese Ausgabe hier von 2003 bietet Ihnen herrliches Druckbild, durchgehende Zeilennummerierungen und eine textnahe und intelligente englische Übersetzung. Sie haben eine sinnvolle Alternative zur problematischen, aber eleganten Voß-Übertragung und zur recht schulmeisterlichen bis zweifelhaften Schadewaldt-Übersetzung. Der englische Text erschien mir oft mutiger, aber sinnvoller als die vorgenannten berühmten deutschen Kollegen. Einziger Makel: die englische Übertragung bietet am Rand keine Versnummern, sondern Fliestext, so dass man bisweilen umständlich sucht, wo jetzt genau welcher Vers steht. Trotzdem klare Empfehlung, auch wegen der zahlreichen Anmerkungen des Herausgebers.

Eine super schnelle Lieferung, wie auch immer. Ich bin sehr zufrieden und hoffe, das die bisherigen Kontakte fortgesetzt werden. Es war mir ein Vergnügen Vielen Dank!

The dust jacket came with a large tear on the front :(

These are Christmas presents for my daughter. Cover sleeves are both damaged. I paid £17 for each book and really did not expect them to be ripped!