Rare Books The Iliad of Homer and The Odyssey English Prose translator Samuel Butler 1977 Britannica Great Books Series Epic Poems Poetry

This is a near fine (almost like new) hardcover. Encyclopedia Britannica 1977 21st Printing. This volume is like new inside and out. The inside pages are crisp and clean with no markings seen. The bindings are tight and straight, like new. Brown hardcover boards with olive green trim and gold lettering along spine are also near fine with barely a hint of shelf wear. Medium octavo book size or 6.5" x 9.5" with 321 pages.

Great Books of the Western World by Encyclopedia Britannica was originally published in 1952 as a 54 volume set. The idea of the series was to present great books of the western world that were relevant to contemporary matters with important historical content. They were intended to be part of a conversation about great ideas and literature. They were re-issued in 1990 in a 60 volume set with some titles added and some titles left out. The idea for the series began at the University of Chicago where a course was developed with the idea of a round table approach for reading and discussing great books. The purpose was to fill the gaps in education and afford a well-rounded intellect familiar with the great works of the Western Canon along with great ideas.

Initial reception was poor but the first sets were gifted to Queen Elizabeth ll of England and President Harry Truman. Time magazine did a piece on the set featuring Mortimer J. Adler, Editor in Chief, who was integral to the university course and the subsequent set of books. Soon, the popularity of the series soared. The series features works from ancient classics to modern masterpieces.

The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer are the epic poems by the Ancient Greek poet. The Iliad is set during the Trojan War telling the story of Achilles. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus as he travels home from the war. Both have remained as the most significant poems of Europe and one of the oldest works of literature. Themes include pride, greed, wrath but also includes more lighthearted themes of comedy.

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