The Iliad of Homer and The Odyssey 1952 Britannica Great Books of the Western World Classic Greek Plays Greek Poets Epic Poetry Books

This is a near very good hardcover. Great Books of the Western World Encyclopedia Britannica 1952 original Printing. This volume is very good inside and out. The inside pages only have light natural tanning from age with no markings or foxing seen. The bindings are tight and straight. Olive green hardcover boards with gold lettering along spine are also very good with only light 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of the series was to present great books of the western world that were relevant to contemporary matters with important historical content.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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