One of the two major ancient Greek epics, Homer's "Odyssey," has been a classic of Western Literature for centuries. This new translation into spare, elegant blank verse is certain to attract the same praise and admiration as Herbert Jordan's translation of Homer's "Iliad."

In keeping with the style of his" Iliad, " Jordan renders the" Odyssey" line-for-line in iambic pentameter, a pleasing five-beat meter as used by Shakespeare and by his contemporary George Chapman, the first great translator of Homer into English verse. Jordan deftly pilots Homer's dactyls and extended metaphors, capturing the essence of the poet's meanings while avoiding an overly literal or colloquial style.

This edition features maps of the Aegean region and Odysseus' travels, explanatory notes, a pronunciation glossary of nouns, and an index of similes. E. Christian Kopff's introduction parses the "Odyssey"'s meaning and intent, and contextualizes the poem within the larger epic tradition.

Readers never tire of the story of Odysseus' return home from the Trojan War. This lively and energetic rendition invites twenty-first-century readers and students of Homer's epic to experience these adventures as if for the first time.

"An accessible Iliad for twenty-first-century readers"

A classic of Western literature for three millennia, Homer's "Iliad" captivates modern readers--as it did ancient listeners--with its tale of gods and warriors at the siege of Troy. Now Herbert Jordan's line-for-line translation brilliantly renders the original Greek into English blank verse--the poetic form most closely resembling our spoken language.

Raising the bar set by Richmond Lattimore in 1951, Jordan employs a pleasing five-beat meter and avoids unnecessary filler. Whereas other verse renditions are longer than the original, owing to the translators' indulgence in personal poetics, Jordan avoids "line inflation." The result, an economical translation, captures the force and vigor of the original poem.

E. Christian Kopff's introduction to this volume sets the stage and credits Jordan with conveying the action and movement of the "Iliad" in "contemporary language and a supple verse." This new "Iliad" offers twenty-first-century readers the thrill of a timeless epic and affords instructors a much-needed alternative for literature surveys.