Product Description
The First Major Critical Survey on the Artist in a Decade; Includes All Major Paintings.

WINSLOW HOMER: AN AMERICAN VISION, by Randall C. Griffin, is the first major critical survey on the life and work of Homer, one of America's best-loved artists, in the last decade.The book features every one of his major paintings alongside a remarkable selection of his lesser-known etchings and woodcuts.Griffin's thoroughly researched, yet readable study, not only presents a full account of Homer's life and work, but also a fresh and provocative reassessment of his place in the history of American art.

Randall Griffin, Associate Professor of Art History at Southern Methodist University and an authority on Homer, begins his study of the life and works of the artist with the astute observation, "Like the poems of Walt Whitman, the pictures of Georgia O'Keeffe, the novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the music of Duke Ellington, the works of Winslow have helped shape America's view of itself."Griffin argues that Homer's work exemplifies the aspiration to create specifically American subjects and a specifically American character.

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was born in Boston, Massachusetts the same year that Davey Crockett died at the Alamo. He began his career a magazine illustrator and soon becoming a regular contributor to Harper's Weekly.In the early 1860's, Homer was sent by his editor to the front lines of The Civil War, where he began to work on woodcuts and lithographs of wartime encampments, some of his lesser-known pieces that are included in this monograph.In the post-war years Homer turned his attention to the American countryside and its people, and produced Snap the Whip, a painting thought by many to be his best work.This painting was embraced by critics as a nationalist masterpiece, reaffirming American ideals and values that had been lost during the war.In 1883, Homer moved to the New England fishing village of Prout's Neck, Maine and, utilizing his watercolor skills, began what was to become his best-known period of seascapes and nautical scenes.

Griffin presents an academic yet approachable study of this American classic, expanding on the criticisms and themes of Homer's work, such as post-war American values, the relationship between nature and man, the American pastoral, and the loss of manhood control.WINSLOW HOMER: AN AMERICAN VISION presents an exceptional array of Homer's gorgeous paintings, sketches and watercolors and is the most up to date monograph available on the artist.This beautiful selection of works, paired with Griffin's original research and fresh interpretation, makes this a timeless book that will compliment any library as well as satisfy the needs of scholars and general readers alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Winslow Homer: An American Vision
My book was bought as a gift for my boss who has always admired Winslow Homer and loved this book.

A powerful, recommended pick.
The works of Winslow Homer are already well familiar to any interested in American art: they captured the American Civil War and, later, scenes of early America as a whole, presenting a range of styles and themes - so it's surprising to note this book is the first in-depth critical survey written in the last decade. Here all his major paintings appear along with a number of etchings and woodcuts to compliment a blend of biography and critical art survey. Full-page color prints not only analyze the works; they offer insights into the public's reaction to scenes, settings, and perspectives. A powerful, recommended pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Product Description
The quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles--Achilles withdraws from the war, and sends his mother Thetis to ask Jove to help the Trojans--Scene between Jove and Juno on Olympus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Misleading cover image is of wrong version!
If you rely on the user-submitted image of the cover attached to this item, you might think that this is the highly-praised modern Richmond Lattimore translation (which would be one of the great bargains of classic literature!).However, the actual version you download will be an 1864 prose translation by "Edward, Earl of Derby."Not bad, if you like older language, don't mind prose instead of poetry, and can't afford any but the free version, but it certainly isn't Lattimore's translation.

19th Century verse translation, formatted as prose
This is a decent if somewhat archaic 19th century translation by the Earl of Derby, but the verse appears as prose, which is distracting. There seems to be a pattern of Kindle editions mangling verse.

compelling story
I had read Fagles new translation, but nothing prepared me for the influential version. This is how the Iliad should be and the fabulous translation makes this accessible and easy to understand. A few parts are boring (the enumeration of ships and soldiers is boring), but this is a compelling story. The book is clear and easy to understand, evenly paced without dragging. Definitely a recommendation!

The Iliad of Homer
First I would like to say thanks for making it free to public domain, what a blessing.Second this is the one used in the Great Books class for those who are taking it. I almost missed it because it did not have a cover picture on the search engine.

Translation is Everything
As with the Bible, the translation or more specifically the translator is key. Not everyone can move poetry in one language into another. This is true of the Iliad, certainly true the the myriad mistranslations of the Bible. Kindle must include this information on the books being offered. There is no way to assess whether the book is worth downloading if the translator is not advertised. The Iliad and the Bible have suffered greatly at the hands of hacks and those who intentionally want to 'improve' the text. Please include the translator when presenting classic works. If it's just a reprint of someone else's work, (as so many reissues of the Bible are) than please say so. Republishing crap does not improve the smell. ... Read more

Product Description
Homer the farm pigeon learns that city life is not as glamorous as he imagined. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lessons for Life
Like a good children's book should, "Fly Homer Fly" has great life lessons that are simplified into a beautiful short story for children. The illustrations evoke a sense of blue longing for something. Homer leaves his country home and find disillusionment with the dangerous city and its mean birds. Isn't there something to be said about all our so-called progress and our relentless search for something better when all that really matters is already at our fingertips and requires only our appreciation and attention?

A Nice Story That Your Children Will Enjoy
Follow Homer the country pigeon and his new found city friend Sparky the sparrow as they journey to Mammoth City to explore a new life for Homer.

Homer begins to realize how good life was back in the country andis faced with having to adjust to his new life or return home.

One of the BEST!
This is one of my all time favorite Bill Peet books.I remember the good ole days of my youth spent at library reading most of his books.Fly Homer Fly is a heartwarming story about Homer, a pigeon who leaves his dull country life for the big city.It's rather like a fish out of water story. Homer gets bullied by huge city pigeons and injures his wing afterescaping.Just as a cat is about to pounce; his sparrow friends rescuehim, take him back home sweet home to the countryside and nurse him back tohealth. ... Read more

Product Description
Presents a biography of Winslow Homer ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic Book for Young Artists
Fantastic Book for Young Artists

Absolutely wonderful child friendly books about artists. ... Read more

Product Description
The shuttle is hijacked. Now the countdown to adventure begins....

In his #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, October Sky, real-life NASA engineer Homer Hickam captured the excitement of America's first space ventures. Now, in this no-holds-barred joyride of a thriller, he straps us into the cockpit of the space shuttle Columbia as a renegade rocket man hijacks the shuttle--and blasts off on a Mach-speed chase into space....

Jack Medaris is a man haunted by his past and driven by a dream: He's risking everything to "borrow" the Columbia--and pilot it to the moon. He didn't plan on an unexpected passenger, beautiful celebrity daredevil and scientist Penny High Eagle. To Penny, this hijacking will test every bit of her mettle as an adventurer--and as a woman. To Jack, the mission is a personal quest--to return to the moon and bring back what America left behind, something so explosive, it could change the future of the world. Now, as the U.S. government scrambles to the chase, and as deadly forces are deployed from earth to stop them, a man and a woman find their fates inextricably entwined. And in the savage emptiness of deep space, their only hope is to join forces to reach the lunar surface. Then comes the hard part. Getting home alive.
Amazon.com Review
Space is the final frontier--and its mysteries have fascinatedHomer H. Hickam since childhood. In 1957, at age 14, he built hisfirst rocket--and so began his space-age career, which eventually ledto an engineering job at NASA. But in 1998, his calling blasted off ina new, unexpected way with the release of a bestselling memoir, Rocket Boys, (madeinto the mesmerizing movie, October Sky). Now, with Back tothe Moon, the man-of-science-turned-memoirist dabbles in the worldof fiction.

Despite its high-tech premise and lunar locale--Back to theMoon is no science fiction saga. It is, instead, a fast-pacedtechnological thriller--filled with exceptional scientificknow-how. (The author describes how spices are essential forastronauts because the normal aroma of food does not "drift into thesinuses or caress the palate in a microgravity environment.")

The space shuttle Columbia has been hijacked by an ex-astronautand former employee of NASA, Jack Medaris. But Jack is by no means thebad guy--he has simply grown disillusioned with NASA, with its "timid"bureaucracy that no longer works for the good of mankind. Earth'ssupply of fuel is in jeopardy, and Jack believes that the moon holdsthe secrets of an alternative source of power. But a shadyorganization called the Millennium group is determined to stop thespace shuttle from reaching the moon. As the shuttle hurtles throughthe galaxy, the renegade astronaut battles to steer the ship towardsits destination. He also fights to keep himself from falling in lovewith one of the ship's crew members--a feisty female astronaut namedPenny High Eagle.

Even if the plot complexities seems to defy gravity at times, Backto the Moon still dares to tread where few thrillers have gonebefore--into space. --Naomi Gesinger ... Read more

Customer Reviews (79)

I read it three times...
Wonderful story! It explained a LOT of the technical stuff--how NASA works, how shuttles work--in a way that the layman can understand it. I bought this for my daughter because she started reading these kinds of books at seven years old, and I wanted to share with her one of my favorite novels of all time. :)

A real page turner
Among the best reads I've enjoyed so far. While the copy I read was a loaner from a friend, who has yet to get it back from me, I'm glad I read it. I wouldn't have guessed it was Hickam's first, the writing is fantastic, so visual and kept me turning the pages.Even when I wasn't reading it my mind was on this story. Hickam's characters are so alive in this and kept me wanting to ride with them to the end. The techno jargon was well placed and well clarified for the techno-ignorant that I am (I never got lost). What an adventure!

Laura S.
Back to the Moon by Homer H. Hickam Jr. is an interesting story about a group of people who travel into space to the Shorty crater to solve the age old question of how the crater was originally formed. Gene Cernan and Harrison "Jack" Schmitt were the first men to go on the mission to the moon, aboard the Challenger, to solve the mystery. They collect "fire beads" and soil from the surface of the crater for evidence. Years later, Jack plans another mission, aboard a new shuttle, to the moon for more research. Destroying his plans, someone ruins the facility and the shuttle. Meanwhile, another crew, including Jack Medaris, Virgil, Katrina "Kate" Suttner, and Penney High Eagle, prepare to take off aboard the Columbia. Jack Medaris is in love with Kate, but towards the end, he falls for Penney as well. The crew on Columbia faces many obstacles while in space. They were attacked by defense satellites and bombs. Jack is on his own shuttle, and lands on the moon, recovering pieces from the Challenger, including a love note from Kate to her future husband. While there, he falls into the Short crater and pulls in the Lunar Rover in an attempt to get out, also burying the note from Katrina. The crew heads back to the shuttle and eventually return back to earth. Yet another obstacle comes their way. The shuttle began to fall apart and landed in the ocean. A few of the members escaped by parachutes and the others were safely rescued.

I did not particularly enjoy this novel as much I would have liked to. It was very confusing at times, and I had trouble understanding it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a detailed story about travels into space, with a bit of a love story addded.

Mr. Hickam for national pundit!
I found this a really good read, filled with interesting characters and a great plot.

It starts out with a highjacking of the space shuttle. Hickam has enough inside knowledge to make that perfectly plausible. There is a lot of work in space suits involved, something Hickam apparently was involved in a lot at NASA. Penny High Eagle, the payload specialist, is a great and sympathetic characture. Paco the cat who's aboard is a funny touch. There's a lot of fun to this novel. I think a lot of it is tongue in cheek that some reviewers can't figure out. It definitely is not boring and is a real page-turner.

It is very thought-provoking about the "Star Wars" killer satellites around the moon, plausible, too.

In a lot of ways, this novel is a love story. Jack wants most of all to go to find a message on the moon from his late wife. Yet, his wife never went to the moon so how could it be there? I teared up when I read what Jack actually finds there.

I noticed a note on a review about a pistol being fired in space. Gun powder does not require air to burn. It contains all the ingredients in it to work in a vacuum. A form of gun powder, after all, is what is used in solid fuel rockets! As for a space-suited astronaut getting his finger on the trigger, a .45 caliber pistol has plenty of room in its trigger guard. Recoil is a problem but Hickam has his astronaut well wedged in.

I enjoyed rummaging around the old Apollo 17 site with Medaris. Some really good writing here.

All in all, much recommended. Let there be no doubt that Homer Hickam knows how to write a novel. I love all his books. Remember, even his memoirs are written as novels

Keep it up, Mister Hickam! Can't wait for the Back to the Moon movie!

A novel written while Hickam was developing his skills
First off, this was written before Hickam's Rocket Boys according to his web site even though it came out afterwards.Clearly, when he wrote this novel, Hickam was just developing his skills as a writer.Still, even though it's dated (he uses the ill-fated shuttle Columbia for this trip to the moon) this is a very good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.Hickam's inside knowledge of NASA makes it a unique book. I think his tongue was very much in cheek most of the time while he was writing this but I still get the idea that the characters are based on real people he knew while working for the agency. After reading the novel, I felt as if I actually knew each and every one of the people in this book from old gruff Sam the head of mission control to Cecil the lawyer. I especially liked Cecil. He's a great character and is a good example of Hickam's development while writing this book into the great novelist he's become. Like his latest novel, The Keeper's Son, this is a novel filled with action and adventure but it is also a love story, too, and a good one. Not only is there love between the hero Jack Medaris and the beautiful Amerindian science reporter Penny High Eagle aboard the shuttle but there is also the memory of love still with Jack's dead wife who was also a rocket scientist. The scenes on the moon were especially well done.Hickam makes you feel as if you really are there.And the idea of having Jack walking around the old Apollo 17 site was pure genius.How lonely it must be there in reality.Hickam gave me that sense but also wrote it with wonder and hope.Then when Penny joins him and Jack reads the letter (I won't tell you who it's from), I got goose bumps!Even then, Hickam's talent was very impressive in his ability to make you feel for his characters.I read this novel in one long reading and was very impressed, especially since I've read Hickam's most recent work.He is a much better writer now and it's interesting to see his early work as he learned his trade.I look forward to reading all of his work from here on and I certainly don't hold this early effort against him.Read it for what it is and simply enjoy the ride. ... Read more

Product Description
A modern retelling of the Homerian classic. The Trojan War is over, and Odysseus must now face the hungry one-eyed giant Polyphemus, the vengeful sea-god Poseidon, the sorceress Circe, and many other dangers on his long and perilous journey home. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Imagery, Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole Galore
The disclosure of the publisher "Puffin" rightly gives the fact that this is a child's version away.Yet, the prose of this text is not condescending.I love the use of imagery, similes, metaphor and hyperbole; this read is a treat for all ages, as it inspires the imagination in ways the original text may not for lack of so much detail.I enjoy reading the different versions of they Odyssey- analyzing the differences and appreciating the variety of interpretations is an exercise in and of itself.

The Odyssey (Puffin Classics)
Exactly as promised!Arrived in a timely manner, as well

The Odyssey puffin classics
The book was requested for my son who is in high school. It was an assignment for his english class. The shipping cost almost as much as the book. The book was easy reading and detailed the classic so that he understood the story.

The Odyssey review
this book was for a 11year old girl who was doing a school summer project.She loved the book, the simplicity of the story and had her project completed in two days

One eyed monsters- Oh My!
My daughter is 5 and will be in Kindergarten this fall. (she turns 6 this November) and she loves this tale. We read almost a full chapter, some are very long for a five year old, every night. The next day, oh yes, I am mean Cyclops, a Lotus Eater, etc. and she is brave Odysseus.(who is part super hero as she ties a towel around her neck!Since she is five and we are Christians I didn't tell her they were "gods" as it would take way more explanation than her dad and I wanted to get into. She first saw a picture of Posieden and thought he was a monster so we went with that. When she's older, we'll get into the Greek god mythology. I do change some of the wording, but not much, as it can get tedious for one so young. Highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description

The Homer Book is now being released in hardback, as part of the ongoing series: The Simpsons Library of Wisdom.

Homer Simpson is a man's man, an 'Average Joe', a loving father and husband, and a devoted beer drinker. But do you know the 'real' Homer? Find out what's on Homer's mind, discover the mysteries of Homer's fridge, hang out in Homer's haunts; meet his friends and enemies; and spend a typical day with the lovable lout who will lift you out of your

D'oh–ldrums.

In The Simpsons Library of Wisdom, Matt Groening, the creator of 'The Simpsons', offers an ongoing series of portable and quotable books that will eliminate the need for all religions and philosophies, exalt man's role in the universe and make the world a better place ... sort of. No other television show in history has commented so freely and so humorously on modern times, and there seems to be no end in sight for the sharp satire and pointed parody that 'The Simpsons' serves up every night of the week all around the world.

Customer Reviews (6)

A start for this collection
The Homer Book is the volume one of the Simpsons Library of Wisdom collection.

Not quite grossy but hands down funny for the Simpson fan getting to know this favorite character.

It's ever fun as you can say "mmmm....donuts".

OK
Not exactly what i expected. Some things in this book do not seem to match up with the show itself. But over all, for the price not too bad.

I disagree with these bad reveiws
This is great it has eveything a die hard fan or newbie fan wants not a dull moment in the book of homer

The Homer Book
Disappointing. I was expecting more than just a listing of not even the best Homerisms.

For Die Hard Simpsons Fans
This is a really fun book with every detail you ever wanted to know about Homer Simpson. It has a picture of Homer's brain, itemized pictures of Homer's work places and little known facts about Homer. It would make a great gift for those who love the Simpsons, and there are many other book like this one, such as the Lisa Book, the Moe Book, the Bart Book, etc. ... Read more

Product Description
The Third Reich is collapsing.The rules have changed.There are no rules.Nazi Germany, 1945. Hitler Youth on suicide missions...old men hanged for desertion ...marauding slave laborers...homeless Germans clogging roads...and looted art hidden all over.As Hitler's Germany thrashes in its death throes, Lt. Gina Cortazzo follows close behind the American front to rescue art stolen by the Nazis.Her success awaits the capture of Alt Aussee, the salt mine where the thousands of stolen masterpieces in Hitler's private collection are hidden.But SS Brigadeführer Reinhard Hofmann is also heading there with his crack forces, on his way to establish a final fortress where Nazism can hold out.And he is ready to carry out the Führer's final order: destroy the entire collection, should it be in danger of falling into enemy hands.Look Long into the Abyss paints a chilling and vivid picture of the last days of World War II.The cast of characters includes Sgt. Bill Terrill, who saves Gina's life as they cross paths with suicidal Hitlerjugend; Frieda, the mother of a Hitler Youth fighting with Hofmann; Stanislaus, the Polish slave laborer with whom Frieda and her daughter form an unlikely alliance; and Father Hieronymus, the abbot whose monastery harbors more than one dangerous secret.Throughout the chaos, Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man weaves a spell. Thieved from thieves, lost then found, the priceless work alters the lives of Frieda, Stanislaus, and Gina...and others caught in the maelstrom."Impossible to put down...offers something for everyone...an irresistible read!"-Kelynn Alder, award-winning artist and author"A masterpiece of historical fiction...a suspenseful drama of epic proportions."-Nancy Wilkens, author of When Apples FallA.R. Homer received the Distinguished Honor Award from The Military Writers Society of America for The Sobs of Autumn's Violins.Visit the author at www.ARHomer.com. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Beautifully crafted work that kept me in suspense
In the spring of 1945, as the war shudders to a close in Europe, the world becomes an even more terrifying place for Frieda, a German widow.Having fled to a remote part of Bavaria after her husband's execution as a traitor, she seeks to escape again as her son, Wolfgang, marches off to join his Hitler Youth troop and as stateless ruffians invade her home.

Meanwhile, feisty American Lieutenant Gina Cortazzo has landed her dream job.Despite a blue-collar background, her research has brought her prominence in the art world, and she now travels close behind the American front as one of the "Monuments Men" to rescue art stolen and hidden by the Nazis.Setting her sights on Hitler's immense private trove of looted art, she waits for the Americans to capture the salt mine where it is hidden - and where a very nasty surprise awaits them all.

Several larger-than-life characters appear on the stage of this thrilling story - Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Hitler.But even more memorable are Homer's portraits of people who never made it to the history books: the unfortunates whose lives the war has torn to shreds.Sergeant Bill Terrill, Gina's driver who once watched as his best friend was reduced to guts hanging from a tree by an 88 shell, wants only two things: to keep Gina safe and to go home. Stanislaus, an escaped forced laborer from Poland, finds the open road a dangerous place and takes shelter in a monastery where he makes an amazing discovery, one that provides some recompense for his years of enslavement - but one that puts the local Gestapo head hot on his trail.Trudi, Frieda's young daughter, her world brutalized by the war, gives voice to her deepest feelings through her rag doll.And, my favorite character, Father Hieronymus, his monastery like a tranquil island in a storm-whipped sea, works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.

And then there are the small-time thugs who harass them and the big-time fanatics whose misguided loyalties and private agendas drive them and all of Germany to the edge of Armageddon.Count von Schellendorf, who has amassed a fortune in illegally-acquired art, hides his prize piece in a place no one will ever find it - until someone unexpectedly does.Gestapo chief Emil Gruber is desperate to steal back something he stole from another Nazi, then lost.And SS commander Hofmann makes a pledge to his Fuehrer that has the power to horrify even those who know the outcome of the war.

This novel, the latest in Homer's `novels of war and love' series, is a beautifully-crafted work that kept me in suspense - and often on the edge of my chair - and also frequently warmed my heart.LOOK LONG INTO THE ABYSS is a splendid addition to the genre of fine World War Two historical fiction.

A Very Good Story
I own all of Mr.Homer's books and have enjoyed every one.This was a very good story, but I thought the US Military frowned on fraternization between the officers and enlisted so was a bit suprised at the very chummy relationship between the lieutenant and her enlisted driver and the speed at which it developed. Towards the end of the book when the German woman and her child are escaping, I have never encountered a stream that could be crossed by "stepping stones" yet was deep enough to drown in.Seems that wouldbe more like stepping boulders.And at a very exciting, tension-filled time in the story I found myself laughing out loud at a line that stated the man's hat fell off and "ran down the stream".

But I am giving it four stars as it was very enjoyable story, historically accurate, packed with factual information, yet easy to read.Just maybe needed a little more editing.

Love Will Not Be Denied
If you are interested in stories filled with suspenseful intrigue, fascinating characters, and historical drama, Look Long into the Abyss is for you.
Set at the tail end of the war in Europe, we follow two couples as they race against the clock.
Frieda, a German war widow, and Stanislaus, an escaped Polish slave laborer, are thrown together by happenstance.As they travel the German countryside to escape the violent human remnants of the Third Reich, they develop a bond forged by mutual acts of kindness.
The second couple, Americans attached to Arts and Monuments, are Gina, an art historian, and Bill, her working class G.I. Joe driver.The two follow the American army to retrieve stolen artworks before they are lost forever amidst the chaos of war.Their story is one of class difference and male/female roles.Never one to engage in stereotypical war characters, A. R. Homer presents the reader with a fresh approach to the time-honored literary question:How do man and woman overcome their prejudices to find love built on a foundation of respect for the other person?
When it comes to stitching together intersecting plot lines, A. R. Homer displays the skills of a master surgeon.He deftly weaves both love stories as they meet in a powerful climactic ending that is sure to satisfy even the most demanding reader.
This novel is another feather in the cap for one of the finest historical fiction writers on the scene today.If you like this book, be sure to check out other titles by this author.I particularly enjoy his consistent ability to capture human relationships set against the backdrop of chaotic circumstances without resorting to plot contrivances or striking false notes.This is a rare talent indeed.

An historically accurate view of the profits of war.
The historical , in depth, study of the WW2 era is A.R.Homer's lifes work. He not only has his facts straight on but his insight and abilities to relate the emotions and motivations of the characters involved is amazing. As a child, I grew up during the early days of the war, heard my uncles and family friends relate there personal experiences. Many had brought home with them a little "momento" of their time spent in the conflict. Mr. Homer's book shines the light of truth on just how big a "momento" Hitler and his stooges wanted to have in their collections. The cost for such greed in human lives and the loss of the true "treasures" of our civilization is shockingly revealed.
As in all of A.R. Homer's works, the very realistic incorporation of believable human characters and love is ever present. This is not a dry historic rehash of facts and dates. History becomes alive and personal. I found a lot of myself here as you will also.

"Look Long Into the Abyss"
The book is well written, exciting, and entertaining. Well worth reading. Although classified as fiction, it is based on historical facts. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Donelson F. Hoopes devotes a beautiful volume exclusively to the most popular of all American watercolorists. Published in cooperation with The Brooklyn Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the book includes virtually the entire Winslow Homer collection of both museums. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Covers the range of the artist's watercolours
The book opens with a chronology and a bibliography. This is followed by a ten page essay which provides a chronological record of Homer's development and his work. The remainder of the book is taken up with the colour plates, each of which is presented on the right hand page with the facing page offering details and comments on the work. These notes are generally objective and informative.

The large square format of the book combined with taking the image almost to the edges of the page, allows the images to be reproduced to a good size. However, while there is no problem with the clarity of the images they appear a little weak in colour, and lack the vibrancy one would expect from watercolours. While I have not been fortunate to see the works in the original, reproductions I have seen elsewhere look more convincing. I feel too that the choice of a modern serif font for the text is not the best choice; it certainly has not reproduced well and despite being fairly large is not that easy to read across the wide page.

This is a well produced book which offers thirty two full colour plates covering the range of the artist's watercolour output.

Great book for lovers of watercolor
This is an excellect book for anyone who is interested in painting, watercoler and/or Winslow Homer.It has a representative sample of Homers' work with large color plates, along with a discussion of each painting which places it in the context of Homers' life and career at the time the work was created. ... Read more

Product Description
THE GREATEST ADVENTURE OF ALL TIME

Richly imagined by the blind bard around 900 B.C.E., Homer's story follows Odysseus on a decade-long journey as he flees Cyclops, angers his gods, resists the Sirens, averts his eyes from Medusa, docks in exotic cities-ever longing to return to his wife and son. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not even close
This translation of The Odyssey changes and in sometimes excludes parts of the original work. I don't recommended to anyone especially if you need it for school.

Worst Translation Ever
If you are looking for the poetic translation of the Odyssey, I wouldn't reccomend this one. In fact, I wouldn't reccomend it to people who don't want that translation. WHD Rouse probably didn't use the original words of Homer. He criticized Homer in his note, saying that the poem version isn't good and that it should be put into simple words. If you want a good version of this classic, I would reccomend the Fagles version. It is poetic, yet not too hard. It's a good book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book discusses and reproduces more than two hundred paintings, watercolors, and drawings that span Winslow Homer`s career, focusing not only on Homer`s masterpieces in various media but also on the suites of works on the same subject that reflect the artist`s essentially modern practice of thinking and working serially and thematically. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Condition of book exceeded expectations
The Winslow Homer catalog that I purchased from the Amazon reseller arrived in pristine condition, even though it was listed as in 'very good' condition in the reseller's description. A great deal; I paid as much for the shipping and handling as I did for the catalog, which sells new for $55.

Truth in Advertising
I was told that this was a hard cover book.It's not.Oh well.I'll give it to my kid's school library and continue to look for one for my home library.

Homerandthe sea
I liked the book, has hundreds of oil paintings and many of the watercolors of Homer, about everything that has to do with the sea where it is a true master. The reason for placing four stars and not five is not that there are so many color illustrations of every page, as expect of a large book. But like is a very good buy for lovers of Homer

Taking Winslow Homer Seriously
Too often museums and writers take the prodigious output of the 19th century American artist Winslow Homer lightly, even at times dismissing him as inconsequential in the mainstream of important art.This magnificent volume whould change that once and for all.

Essayists and curators Nicolai Cikovsky andFranklin Kelly, with significant contributions by writers Judith Walsh and Charles Brock, have not only created a superb collection of Homer's works in all media, they have also taken the time to reevaluate Homer in terms of his place among his colleagues of his day, his subsequent isolationism when he communicated with nature along the coast of Maine, creating come of the most mystically beautiful works form an American artist, and an overview of how history has treated him.

The result is a hefty volume with more valuable insights and well written essays that for once truly illuminate the images generously placed throughout the volume.This may have started out to be a catalogue to accompany a traveling exhibition, but its long shelf life is assured by the high quality of every aspect of the book.Highly recommended for art lovers and art historians alike.Grady Harp, January 06

A nice taste of Winslow Homer
I'd been looking for a book about Winslow Homer for a while and was delighted to find this one. Kate Jennings' copy about his life and art are very good and the 68 color prints are large and on glossy paper. The prints are not top notch, but very nice. If you're looking for a nice collection of Homer's work without breaking the bank, this is for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men-carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.
-Lines 1-6

Since it was first published more than twenty-five years ago, Robert Fitzgerald's prizewinning translation of Homer's battle epic has become a classic in its own right: a standard against which all other versions of The Iliad are compared. Fitzgerald's work is accessible, ironic, faithful, written in a swift vernacular blank verse that "makes Homer live as never before" (Library Journal).

This edition includes a new foreword by Andrew Ford.
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Customer Reviews (45)

Good Book
The book got to me in great time, and is in the condition it said it would be in

The ground is dark with blood
With many books, translations are negligible, with two obvious exceptions, one is the Bible, and surprisingly the other is The Iliad. Each translation can give a different insight and feel to the story. Everyone will have a favorite.

For example:

"Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
Murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many souls,
great fighters' souls. But made their bodies carrion,
feasts for dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles."
-Translated by Robert Fagles

"Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a heroes did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles first fell out with one another."
-Translated by Samuel Butler

"Rage:
Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,
Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks
Incalculable pain pitched countless souls
Of heroes into Hades' dark,
And let their bodies rot as feasts
For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.
Begin with the clash between Agamemnon--
The Greek Warlord--and godlike Achilles."
-Translated by Stanley Lombardo

"Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men--carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another--
the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus' son, and Prince Akhilleus."
-Translated by Translated by Robert Fitzgerald


Our story takes place in the ninth year of the ongoing war. We get some introduction to the first nine years but they are just a background to this tale of pride, sorrow and revenge. The story will also end abruptly before the end of the war.

We have the wide conflict between the Trojans and Achaeans over a matter of pride; the gods get to take sides and many times direct spears and shields.

Although the more focused conflict is the power struggle between two different types of power. That of Achilles, son of Peleus and the greatest individual warier and that of Agamemnon, lord of men, who's power comes form position.

We are treated to a blow by blow inside story as to what each is thinking and an unvarnished description of the perils of war and the search for Arête (to be more like Aries, God of War.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recorded Books Unabridged Classics
Performed by George Guidall
40 years career in the theater includes leading roles on Broadway.
George is very animated in this reading and adds the dimension of a great oral tradition.


Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

The ground is dark with blood
With many books, translations are negligible, with two obvious exceptions, one is the Bible, and surprisingly the other is The Iliad. Each translation can give a different insight and feel to the story. Everyone will have a favorite.

For example:

"Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
Murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many souls,
great fighters' souls. But made their bodies carrion,
feasts for dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles."
-Translated by Robert Fagles

"Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a heroes did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles first fell out with one another."
-Translated by Samuel Butler

"Rage:
Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,
Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks
Incalculable pain pitched countless souls
Of heroes into Hades' dark,
And let their bodies rot as feasts
For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.
Begin with the clash between Agamemnon--
The Greek Warlord--and godlike Achilles."
-Translated by Stanley Lombardo

"Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men--carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another--
the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus' son, and Prince Akhilleus."
-Translated by Translated by Robert Fitzgerald


Our story takes place in the ninth year of the ongoing war. We get some introduction to the first nine years but they are just a background to this tale of pride, sorrow and revenge. The story will also end abruptly before the end of the war.

We have the wide conflict between the Trojans and Achaeans over a matter of pride; the gods get to take sides and many times direct spears and shields.

Although the more focused conflict is the power struggle between two different types of power. That of Achilles, son of Peleus and the greatest individual warier and that of Agamemnon, lord of men, who's power comes form position.

We are treated to a blow by blow inside story as to what each is thinking and an unvarnished description of the perils of war and the search for Arête (to be more like Aries, God of War.)

Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

The ground is dark with blood
With many books, translations are negligible, with two obvious exceptions, one is the Bible, and surprisingly the other is The Iliad. Each translation can give a different insight and feel to the story. Everyone will have a favorite. I have several.

For example:

"Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
Murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many souls,
great fighters' souls. But made their bodies carrion,
feasts for dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles."
-Translated by Robert Fagles

"Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a heroes did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles first fell out with one another."
-Translated by Samuel Butler

"Rage:
Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,
Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks
Incalculable pain pitched countless souls
Of heroes into Hades' dark,
And let their bodies rot as feasts
For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.
Begin with the clash between Agamemnon--
The Greek Warlord--and godlike Achilles."
-Translated by Stanley Lombardo

"Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men--carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another--
the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus' son, and Prince Akhilleus."
-Translated by Translated by Robert Fitzgerald

"Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son of Achilleus and its devastation, which puts pains thousandfold upon the Achains,
hurled in the multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished since that time when first there stood the division of conflict Atrecus' son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus."
-Translated by Richmond Lattimore

You will find that some translations are easier to read but others are easier to listen to on recordings, lectures, Kindle, and the like.

Our story takes place in the ninth year of the ongoing war. We get some introduction to the first nine years but they are just a background to this tale of pride, sorrow and revenge. The story will also end abruptly before the end of the war.

We have the wide conflict between the Trojans and Achaeans over a matter of pride; the gods get to take sides and many times direct spears and shields.

Although the more focused conflict is the power struggle between two different types of power. That of Achilles, son of Peleus and the greatest individual warrior and that of Agamemnon, lord of men, whose power comes form position.

We are treated to a blow by blow inside story as to what each is thinking and an unvarnished description of the perils of war and the search for Arête (to be more like Aries, God of War.)

Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

One of our first war novels
I used the W. H. D. Rouse translation

One of our first war novels: the Achains and their allies send a great multitude of ships laden with armored warriors carrying bows, spears, and swords; divisions of horse drawn chariots rumble there way into the ranks of the Trojans and their allies laying siege to Troy.The Trojans counter-attack with a push all the way to the ships.And as we read, these gains and losses continue throughout the story.There is a short truce to mourn the dead and recoup, then the battle rages on only in our minds.

It flows like a song.Lucid, with wonderful imagery and symbolism's.Homer, with Rouses' help, bring out the details of battle and personalize each warrior: we learn he has a wife, a family, and a life elsewhere, after he has been cut in two and stripped of his armor.Men are slaughtered with an indifference, as if they were mere cattle.I found it hard to follow the extensive list of characters.I believe some of the realism was lost to modernization.I also found the knowledge Homer had of the human anatomy surprising.The footnotes were helpful.Better than Odyssey.

It is interesting to note: the gods control man, and man controls the gods.The two interact with each other; the gods send down their wrath and protections upon their favored nation.The gods are no different than the humans they try to control, except for their immortality.Hades is where all mortals go unto death.The parallels to the Bible are evident, with connotations of God.It can be hard to grasp.......a story that is 2,700 years old.

Wish you well
Scott





... Read more

Product Description
The epic tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural and supernatural threats - shipwrecks, battles, monsters and the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon - Odysseus must test his bravery and native cunning to the full if he is to reach his homeland safely and overcome the obstacles that, even there, await him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The Odyssey
Knowing the precise condition and price of the item is always great. It helps me with picking out which item best suits me. The Odyssey (paperback) that I received was exactly in the condition as stated in the description of the item on Amazon. I had received it before the given estimated date of arrival. I am very satisfied with the product and with the sender.

A classic re-made...
(I'm not sure why amazon has over half of these reviews for Fagels's translation on Rieu's page? I noticed this happening quite a bit on amazon, but anyway...)

I have spent quite a bit of time comparing versions of "The Odyssey", and out of all of them I settled on Rieu's pioneering translation.

It was originally published in 1946 as Penguin's very first book!

He would recite "The Odyssey" from the original Greek to his wife and children during the second world war in London while bombs dropped around them.It was Rieu's wish to start a publishing company that dealt with reviving the classics for common man. Penguin Classics is now the most widely loved, read and utilized editions on the market!What a vision he had!

This edition of The Odyssey was revised by his son in 1991 and reprinted with a better print and layout in 2002.It still carries a type of "joie de vivre" all throughout, a wonderful raciness, and a strength of believablity.

...as good as the revised one is, Rieu's original more important and historic because of the eloquent and humble human language he uses...which has largely been taken away.

"I long to be homeward bound" Simon and Garfunkel
The Trojan War is over and one of our hero kings is lost. His son (Telemachus) travels to find any information about his father's fait. His wife (Penelope) must cunningly hold off suitors that are eating them out of house and home.

If he ever makes it home, Odysseus will have to detect those servants loyal from those who are not. One absent king against rows of suitors; how will he give them their just deserts? We look to Bright Eyed Pallas Athena to help prophecy come true.

Interestingly all the tales of monsters and gods on the sea voyage was told by Odysseus. Notice that no one else survives to tell the tale. Therefore, we have to rely on Odysseus' word.

Many movies took sections of The Odyssey, and expanded them to make interesting stories those selves.

Not just the story but also the way in which it is told will keep you up late at night reading.


The Odyssey

Down-to-Earth Translation of a Classic
Over the years, I've encountered several different translations of Homer's 'The Odyssey' in school textbooks. These were generally excerpts, not the work in its entirety. I had become quite familiar with it's plot, as well as its ties to Greek mythology, though I'd never read the whole work. I've made attempts at reading Robert Fitzgerald's full translation of 'The Odyssey' in the past, though I found that I couldn't get into it. A couple of months before writing this review, I came across this particular translation...After leafing through the pages, it appeared to be much more accessible than others I had seen, so I thought I'd give it a try.

One of the key differences between this translation and others is that it has been rendered in the style of a novel than like the epic poetry its been translated from. Though the literal meaning of the passages has been largely retained, I find this translation's layout to be more aesthetically appealing and, thus, easier for a casual reader to become immersed in.

'The Odyssey' is the story of the main character, Odysseus, and his return to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, had to leave both his wife Penelope and his newly born son Telemachus behind because he has to leave for Troy. 'The Odyssey' begins, chronologically, in the 'middle' of the actual sequence of events in Odysseus' story. While Odysseus has been away from Ithaca for an unusually long length of time, his patron goddess, Athena, is discussing his fate with her father, Zeus. In the meantime, Odysseus' wife, Penelope, is constantly being harassed by a large group of men collectively referred to as the 'Suitors', who wish to marry her, since it appears that there is no chance of Odysseus returning. Athena visits Telemachus, who is now around 20 years old, and is able to help him get news of his father's whereabouts. Odysseus has been held captive by the nymph Calypso for many years, though the messenger-god Hermes persuades her to free him. Odysseus builds himself a raft, though it ends up being wrecked by the enraged sea-god Poseidon. Odysseus swims to an island, where he is rescued by a young girl, Nausicaa. He is welcomed by her father, Alcinous, and mother, Arete. At this point, Odysseus tells of the trials he has had to endure since his participation in the Trojan War so long ago.

Many of these events will be familiar to anyone interested in Greek mythology; for instance, his crew's ships being wrecked on the island of the Lotus-Eaters, his encounter with a Cyclops (Poseidon's son, who Odysseus blinds by thrusting a stake through his eye; this is the reason why Poseidon is angry with Odysseus), and passing through the land of the singing Sirens. After he is finishing telling of his adventures, a group of skilled sea-men, the Phaecians, help him reach Ithaca. Odysseus is able to introduce himself to his son Telemachus, who he hasn't seen since he was a baby. In disguise, Odysseus is able to walk amongst the Suitors and Penelope, and tells them that Odysseus is going to be returning soon. Penelope tests all of the Suitors, saying that anyone able to string Odysseus' bow in an archery competition may have her hand in marriage. Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, is the only one able to do so. Then, he reveals his identity to the Suitors, then kills them after turning his bow upon all of them. His wife, Penelope, tests Odysseus to see if he is really who he says he is by telling the maid Eurycleia to move their bed from the bedroom. Odysseus then tells of how he built that bed himself from an olive-tree and how it would be incredibly hard for anyone to move it. Thus, Penelope was convinced of his identity, and they talk of all of the events that have occurred in each of their lives during the long span of time that they haven't been able to communicate.

'The Odyssey' is one of the central works of Western literature, which is understandable based on the story's scope: mythology, adventure, an intelligent and cunning hero, and an unpredictable plot. The fairly flat, and sometimes archetypal dispositions of the characters are made up for by the complex and enjoyable nature of the tale.

An Epic Thriller
The Odyssey is an epic story about a king and his twenty year journey back home to Ithaca. The book starts off in the city of Ithaca where Odysseus is told that he has to off to Troy to fight in the Trojan War. Odysseus is the main character of this story that goes to fight in the Trojan War in which he hides inside a Horse (A gift for the Trojans) and come backs home to find that his house is overran by suitors. This epic poem could be compared to the Iliad, which tells about some aspects of the Trojan War, by Homer.
The author uses great and specific details of the killings and the in the injuries the characters endure during their adventure. I suggest this book to anybody who loves action filled epic stories.
When I read this it makes me want to read it again every time because of the action and details in this story. If you are a fan of epic adventure I recommend you read this book because of the compelling characters the specific details.
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Product Description
"Spectacular and constantly surprising."
-Ken Burns

Written with the authority of a scholar and the vigor of a bestselling narrative historian, The War That Killed Achilles is a superb and utterly timely presentation of one of the timeless stories of Western civilization. As she did in The Endurance and The Bounty, New York Times bestselling author Caroline Alexander has taken apart a narrative we think we know and put it back together in a way that lets us see its true power. In the process, she reveals the intended theme of Homer's masterwork-the tragic lessons of war and its enduring devastation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

What Achilles Really Lived For
This is a book one would expect from one of today's elite combat veteran intellectuals, rather than an historian. Caroline Alexander writes about the Illiad the way the lost generation wrote about World War I, using scholarship instead of poetry. The vein she mines is how Homer shows not just the madness of the war, but the participants' knowledge of that madness, then their actions and feelings in light of their knowledge. As Alexander notes, there are 1,000's of books written about the Iliad, itself an oral performance. I think each era gets the Illiad book(s) that fit it, built on the past scholarship, new discoveries, and the tenor of the times. The War that Killed Achilles is the Illiad overview for our times, but its viewpoint transcends the moment, reaching from the Trojan battles to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One can argue with Alexander's view and conclusions, if one is sufficiently well informed or careful enough about reading the Iliad, but there is no arguing that she has important points to make, careful scholarship to support them, and a coherent, consistent presentation. Further, she is a skilled writer who moves the book along in an absorbing fashion that makes it as hard to put down as a good thriller. I enjoyed it so much that the minute I finished it, I started rereading it, for deeper understanding and for fun. I have read the Iliad many times; this book opened a conversation with it that makes me want to reread the source and to reach out to other writings about it.

A GOOD STARTING PLACE
Alexander, who has written well received popular histories of Shackleton's antarctic expedition (The Endurance) and the ill-fated mutiny on Capt. Bligh's ship (The Bounty), earned her doctorate in the classics, writing on the Iliad, at Columbia University. In this book, which lies closer to popular history than to the strictly academic product, she retells the story of the Iliad while pointing to its salient features, many of which are not at first apparent to a lay reader like me. This means a great deal of telling of the story, with copious quotation followed by commentary on the passages cited. It all points to a mildly, though not exceptionally, different interpretation of the poem's message and biases than I have seen presented before.With the exception of Alexander's translation of Book XIX (the death of Hektor), passages are all from Lattimore's translation. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing I don't know, but its one of the major modern translations of the poem, and to quibble with her choice of it seems petty.

Alexander's thesis is that the Iliad is sui generis in its approach to war. Homer humanizes the victims more than is common in other epics, making their death in battle less acceptable than it if only fame and glory were the warriors' preoccupations or the poet's focus of attention. Achilles, no less than Hektor, just wants to go home. He disdains the Achaians' own leader, the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, who has shown little capacity for military leadership before the walls of Troy. By taking from Achilles his bounty, the beautiful slave woman Briseis, the king has fatally insulted him so Achilles retires from battle, leaving the Achaians to their own measures to fight off the reinvigorated Trojans

Alexander argues that Achilles' response to Agamemnon has echoes in the reactions of modern day warriors to their own war experience: wars carried on for no or flimsy reason, incompetent and self-serving leaders, appalling loss. So far, so good. When she tries to build a case for Achilles' qualities as a military leader, though, she is on much shakier ground. Achilles is too much of a wild animal to make a good leader, no mater how charismatic he can be or how respected he is as a warrior. No sane subordinate would follow him for long, given his tendency to fall into rage or sulk. He just doesn't behave the way a good leader does.

Alexander relies heavily on the work of her illustrious predecessors. This isn't a failing: an intelligent writer should do that, indeed often has to do it. I wasn't put off by the copious citation in the body of the text. It didn't bother me to move slowly through the poem, stopping time and again to examine points. Over all, the book helped me understand the Iliad. I thought what she wrote was lively, sensible and insightful.

Dreamy, Scholarly, Riveting
If you have ever read the Iliad twice then you simply must read this book. Not a textbook, not a summary, but a work of art in its' own right, The War That Killed Achilles has a thousand bits of facts, history, and trivia that make Homer awaken and shake any dust off that may have been clinging to his original work.

Specifically, Caroline Alexander walks us, chapter by chapter, through the basic story of the Iliad. She explains the nexus of the gods/mortals connections, reveals enough anthropology to place the struggle in context within the Greek bronze age, and accomplishes all of this in a clear style. If you are a Greek scholar you should probably stick to more rigorous textbook-style tomes. But for those of us just interested in the Classics, and teaching ourselves while reading alone, Ms Alexander has a style that seemed to be some sort of process where I felt I was remembering the Iliad in a cozy moment while I was actually reading her book.
After finishing this book the well known characters acquired a depth that I had never before imagined. The tussle in the heavens, predating the Trojan war to the beginning of time, was now clearly played out both on the plains of Troy (by the men) and on Mt. Olympus (by the gods)

In the end I felt that very rare combination that so few writers are able to imbue ... Elation and Education

Achilles the conscientious objector
People have been writing commentaries on the Iliad for 2500 years. The question is: do we need yet another one? Caroline Alexander has managed an original effort. In the traditional telling the Trojan War reflects the values of the heroic age when warriors fought and died for honor and everlasting glory. As the times have changed the Iliad has fallen out of favor. Instead the Odyssey has grown in popularity, emphasizing as is does brains (some would say deceit) over brawn, with Odysseus as the new kind of hero, characterized by cunning rather than martial prowess. In this modern view one often reads of Achilles characterized as not very smart, all muscle and no brains, a humorless killer, and an overgrown child pouting and sulking in his tent over a minor affront to his honor.

Now we come to Caroline Alexander's audacious retelling. What if Achilles is infact very smart? What if he is actually not particularly concerned about honor? What if his problem is that he is stuck with an incompetent commander (Agamemnon) and what if he is, most astonishingly, a conscientious objector? Alexander explicitly compares him to Muhammad Ali who refused to fight in Vietnam saying that the Vietnamese had done him no harm and that on the contrary he felt a certain kinship with them as they were being oppressed by white men in much the same way as him. Here then is a man whose courage and strength are beyond doubt, but who has no desire to fight. Achilles does in fact say that the Trojans never caused him harm and that he is only at Troy for Agamemnon's sake. His problem is that he has now decided that Agamemnon is not worth fighting for. Personal insults apart, Alexander provides many examples of Agamemnon's incompetent leadership and also contrasts this with Achilles' own leadership style which we glimpse late in the epic. I must point out that the Iliad finds Achilles at a particularly bad time so that the image we have of him is not the one the ancients had, being familiar with other stories. Other commentators have also pointed out that the gracious leader we see during Patroclus' funeral games is a truer characterization, consistent with Achilles' great reputation in antiquity.

I think at this point I have said enough to pique the reader's interest. I cannot help adding that Alexander comes down pretty hard on all the leaders in the Iliad, describing Hector also as arrogant, overconfident and incompetent so that he too ultimately got exactly what he deserved. The tragedy of the Iliad is thus recast not as the death of Hector but the fatal return of Achilles to a war he does not believe in.

New, interesting slant on the Trojan War and Achilles
This book has an interesting take on the Iliad from the perspective of Achilles. It addresses the issues of war and peace and the role of the individual in deciding the relative morality and desirability of the two. Achilles goes from famous warrior to "peacenik" to reluctant avenger of his friend (some think lover) Patroklus. He is strongly influenced by his immortal mother Thetis who, failing to gain him literal immortality, presses for the undying fame of the glorious warrior. The relevance of this to the modern citizen soldier, under pressure from both the peace movements and the still popular glorification of the warrior as the "defender of liberty," is inescapable.

I mostly enjoyed all of the book, though there is a bit of repetitiveness in the later chapters. The book also serves as a good review of the main storylines of the Trojan War -- derived from both Homer and other less well-known sources -- though it's even better if you've read or reread the Homeric epic(s) fairly recently.

I highly recommend this work if you are interested in a new and timely take on the Iliad.After reading it, I bought an extra copy as a gift. ... Read more

Product Description
The two Homeric poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, have long been considered masterpieces, and their influence on subsequent Greek and Western literature has been immense. An international team of experts discusses the poems, their background and composition, and subsequent reception to the present day. Each chapter features contemporary critical insights and closes with a guide to further reading on the topic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best detailed introduction to Homer
Back in the 1960s, Wace and Stubbings published their "Companion to Homer", an impressive collection of essays on a range of topics related to the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey. It remains one of the best books on Homer, though parts of it are now outdated, and though parts relating to literary interpretation feel a bit alien to 21st-century tastes. (It is not currently available from Amazon, sadly.)

A follow-up, the "New Companion to Homer", was published in 1996, edited by Ian Morris and Barry Powell. Morris is a highly-respected scholar. Even so, the "New Companion" had its ups and downs. It was certainly more up-to-date than Wace and Stubbings; but it left a sense of faint disappointment at what might have been.

Since then there have been a few more books designed as general introductions to Homer. There is one by Joachim Latacz; a variety of less reputable ones; and then there is this book.

Now, Latacz is an easier read than this book. He is more approachable. His book also really needs to be read as a whole; that may be either a virtue or a shortcoming depending on how you look at it. It is a good book.

This book, however, is the one everyone had been hoping that the "New Companion" would be. We have here a truly excellent, well-rounded book. It is still not up to the very, very high standard set by Wace and Stubbings; but it is more up-to-date, it is scholarly, it is accurate, it is informative, it is concise. Each chapter is an article in its own right and can (should) be read separately. The book is also very reasonably priced.

If you are in doubt as to which book to buy as an introduction to Homer, there is no contest: buy the "Cambridge Companion". Of the competitors, Latacz is the only one that even comes close. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (12)

Waste of your time.
This book is awful. I consider myself pretty undemanding of my light reads - if I'm wasting time reading while I'm cooking or taking a bath, just about anything will do. I've spent an hour on a magazine for diabetics, for pete's sake, and I'm not even close to having diabetes. So I thought I would enjoy this book, since I can be quite girly.

But this book is awful. The author writes in short one-liners obviously intended to be heavy with wit, insight, and knowledge. But she totally and completely bores me. I can't even bear to resign this book to reading while cooking or bathing - I'm just going to re-sell it. And that's something I NEVER do. I still have biology textbooks from college because I couldn't bear to get rid of a book!

I found myself disagreeing with so much of what she said (like the idea that you should almost always wear a little black dress, and that red is the color of sexual predators). She contradicts herself (like when she says that a black shift dress is perfect for a garden party, and then only a couple pages later says that only pastels are appropriate for a garden party - and specifically warns against black). Some of her information is just flat-out wrong (like when she says that going up a cup size on your bra automatically makes your band larger even if you keep the same band number - I am in the lingerie business, and I promise that she is mistaken).

This book also seems horribly dated even though the copyright is from 2003. She warns against buying the latest, trendiest power suit with large shoulder pads (this isn't the 80s! I wouldn't even know where to find something like that anymore!) and says that there is no such thing as a heel over 6 inches (recent fashion has absolutely proved otherwise, even totally outside of the "stripper shoe" realm).

If you have zero style knowledge, this book will misguide you. If you know even the slightest bit about style, this book will bore you. If you are a normal woman who has a basic understanding of style, you will laugh out loud at some of the suggestions she makes. Don't waste your money!

Bought on a whim.Only reason to buy it.
I picked this up at a local shop and I have to admit I found the author's English attitude and dry sense of humour quite whimsical.

However, as other reviewers have pointed out, it's an explanatory magazine essay in book form, though interspersed with quite wonderful quotes, such as « Une robe n'a de sens que si un homme a envie de vous l'enlever, je dis bien l'enlever pas l'arracher en hurlant d'horreur. » (Trans: A dress makes no sense unless a man wants to take it off -- that is, to remove it, not tear it off howling in horror.) And there are a few deliciously dishy tips, such as how to have a signature scent no one else has -- go to a cheap chop in France and buy their (invariably cheap) house scent, and then sadly tell those who compliment you on it that "it's not available in this country".

In sum, I cannot frankly recommend it to anyone, but not because of a flaw of the book itself per se, it's because it's written both at an advanced level (making it insuitable for those ladies who are still looking desperately for style à la Audrey Hepburn at Top Shop) and at an elementary level (making it insuitable for those ladies who are looking for a way to seem a touch more soignée, rather than staying too safe and Sloane-y).

However, this is coming from an American, and for all I know, British women are actually listening to Susannah and Trinny, so perhaps it suits in the home market?

Classic style, explained
This terrific little guide should be on every woman's shelf - especially those who want to transform their ultra trendy wardrobe into one that may be still "on trend" but kicked up a notch, sophisticated and chic. In others words, grown up.

A Book Every Woman Should Read
I really enjoyed this book. It contains many quotes from fashion icons as well as helpful hits. You will be able to learn what is appropriate to wear and when it is appropriate to wear it. I read through the whole book and loved every page. Every woman should read this book and they will always be in style.

great way to put your priorities in place
This book is full of many things we instinctively know... but it helps to hear them spelled out in plain English.

So if you have a tendancy to splurge on purple bell bottoms on sale and green fluo platform sandals (that spend 3 years in the back of your closet never worn until you chuck them), this book is for you.

I find it a good reference every now and then, to help keep my fashion priorities in place.And when I encounter a fashion victim hottie, it helps me to keep perspective and not go out and buy those pink suede cowboy boots. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (33)

Ambassador's Son-cn
Beware of picking up any of the Josh Thurlow series books. You won't be able to put them down once you start. The action forces you from one chapter to the next. The thourough historical background is also an outstanding feature at least for me. As I would get to the end of the book, I felt a little pang at my heart saying "Oh no, it's almost over, what will I do then?"

The Ambassador's Son
Liked this book best of all - full of interesting facts and surprises - unsual point of flow with the birds - in the series - great fun to learn somethings not widely know about our Presidents.

Hickam followup features famous sons.
Hickam is a great story teller, and he seems to get better as he goes.This is the second in the "Son" series, pulling together famous Sons Jack Kennedy and David Roosevelt Armistead (along with "Nick" Nixon and Jim Michener) in the continuation of his ongoing saga of his Outer Banks corp of misfits.

The story rockets along, as characters fly and boat around the Solomon Islands battling "Jap", bugs, weather, cannibals, and each other.While Hickam provides two brief historical notes at the beginning of the book and a historical recap and bibliography at the end, some of the goings-on seem too fantastic to be true.

But still very well done, with only the believability factor knocking this down below the top rung rating.

The third installment moves on to the island of Tarawa:The Far Reaches (Josh Thurlow Series #1)

More! More!
Absolute page turner, both in the historical speculation and the twisting and turning adventure plot.

Enjoyable Read - Suspension of Disbelief Required, However
I read and thoroughly enjoyed Hickman's previous Josh Thurlow book, "The Keeper's Son." (By all means, read it first.)I was looking forward to the sequel.This one is not quite as good as the first book, but enough action to keep the pages turning.If possible, I'd give it 4 1/2 stars.

I do have to say that I did have to suspend disbelief on several occasions as Hickman tried too hard to work two famous real life characters into the book.We spend a lot of time with John F. Kennedy, who joins Thurlow's crew after PT-109 is sunk.And Richard Nixon makes a couple ofappearances as well.It's true that they both served in the Armed Forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II, but the story would have worked just as well without them.If you can overlook this stretch, and liked "The Keeper's Son," this book will not disappoint. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is a new Loeb Classical Library edition of Homer's stirring heroic account of the Trojan war and its passions. The eloquent and dramatic epic poem captures the terrible anger of Achilles, "the best of the Achaeans," over a grave insult to his personal honor and relates its tragic result-a chain of consequences that proves devastating for the Greek forces besieging Troy, for noble Trojans, and for Achilles himself. The poet gives us compelling characterizations of his protagonists as well as a remarkable study of the heroic code in antiquity. The works attributed to Homer include the two oldest and greatest European epic poems, the Odyssey and the Iliad. These have been published in the Loeb Classical Library for three-quarters of a century, the Greek text facing a faithful and literate prose translation by A. T. Murray. William F. Wyatt now brings the Loeb's Iliad up to date, with a rendering that retains Murray's admirable style but is written for today's readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

the first Western book ever written is probably still the best
What are we reviewing here?Homer's work?The translation?The Greek text?The format of Loeb?I'll try to hit them all.
Homer's Iliad is as good as anything ever written in any language.Like just a few other authors--Shakespeare, Goethe, maybe Dante, Homer is a genius on the level of poetry, drama, and ideas.Enough said.
The difference between reading Homer in Greek and reading him in English is the difference between chicken salad and chicken s--t.ALL translations betray Homer terribly and of course this is not one of the best.But I assume most people who buy this book buy if for the Greek, but also want a diglot.I am aware of no other diglot available for the entire Iliad, and probably you could not much improve on this except to make the font bigger.Loeb should make their texts larger, not thicker but larger, so the font would be easier to read. The font of this revison is in fact even smaller than the earlier editions.But of course the texts are portable and affordable, so you can't have everything.In a diglot the translation has value only as a crib, and Murray's is great because it is very literal.What I like most about it (again, as a crib to aid the Greek, NOT as good literature, which it is not) is that Murray follows the Greek word order whenever possible.And yet it is very important to get this revision by Wyatt, because he for the most eliminates Murray's arcane language.
The other thingI like about the Loebs is that there is space around the text to annotate it by jotting down the vocab words you look up.
One final note.All my reviews are written from the perspective of New Testament Greek.The vocabulary of Homer is maddeningly extensive and does not overlap with the NT all that well.The forms are very different.The syntax is easy but for that reason will not help you with your NT syntax as much as other Greek texts.Value for NT Greek is NOT a good reason to read Homer in Greek.The only good reason to read Homer in Greek is that his Greek is wonderful in its own right, better than anything you will find anywhere.The first is still the best.

superb dust collector!
I got this to help with my intermediate Greek course; we're reading the first book of the Iliad and other selections.I found that it simply collects dust on my shelf next to all my other Loebs (which I have used much more).If you want something to help you study, I recommend the Lattimore translation of the Iliad.It's line-for-line and nearly completely accurate.The antiquated language of the Loeb and its approximate translation make Homer confusing and inaccessible.However, it is useful because if I read a passage from the Loeb, it forces me to realize what is wrong with it, so in a backwards way I have a better understanding of Homer because I know what is wrong with the Loeb and why the Lattimore is closer to accuracy.

Great edition of a great book
Homer, The Iliad, Loeb Classical Library Nos. 170 & 171, translated by A.T. Murray (1924), revised by William F. Wyatt (1999).ISBNs 0674995791 and 0674995805.

The Loeb books are small, as the dimensions on the Amazon product page will show you, and they're all hardcover.All volumes have the original Latin or Greek text on the left and an English translation on the right.Greek Loebs are bound in green and Latin volumes in red.Many Loeb volumes were originally issued in the early part of the twentieth century (the series was started in 1911) and so those which have not been updated can sound stilted to modern ears.A.T. Murray's Loeb translation of the Iliad was published in 1924.The professor of classics at Brown University, William F. Wyatt, has updated Murray's rendering, taking out the thees and thous and adding a few notes to Murray's already very helpful annotations.

I first read the Iliad in Butler's translation.I decided to read it again, and chose the Loeb version for the series' translations, which as mentioned above, tend toward the literal side of things to help students who are reading the Greek text and using the translation as a "crib."Of course, the Iliad really is "Greek" to me, and so the translation is the only useful thing to me in the Loeb edition.But the translation is well worth the forty bucks or so it costs for both volumes.The sentences can get a bit long and involved, but nothing worse than you'll find in older English literature, and I know enough about Greek to know it has long sentences.So from someone who knows no Greek, take it for what it's worth.

As for the Iliad itself: it might take a bit of getting used to for the modern reader, should he be unused to anything outside of his own century.Every time a warrior dies, it's "and over him his armor clanged," or "and his knees were loosed," or another formula phrase.Characters most likely have a descriptive handle: "Odysseus of many wiles," "ox-eyed queenly Hera," "swift-footed Achilles."But I quickly got the point where I was enjoying the formulas and not resenting them.Battle scenes are rather graphic: we're told exactly where the spearpointed entered and where it came out, and exactly which body parts fell out in the process; although a lot of us moderns brought up on Hollywood gore won't mind that.

So should you read the Iliad?If you do, you put yourself in company with Aeschylus, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Dante, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Milton, Johnson, our Founding Fathers, Tolstoy, and J.R.R. Tolkien, just to name a few.So do yourself a favor and give it a try.

Loeb still a classic
Wyatt's revision of Murray's classic translation updates the English text.The accuracy of the translation of the Greek in the line by line fashion characteristic of the Loeb classics is invaluable to those interested in reading at least parts of Homer in classical Greek.

Very enjoyable translation
I suppose whether you will like this version of the Iliad comes down to if you prefer a poetic or prose version. If you prefer the poetic translations, this book is not for you.On the other hand, I have found this to be my favorite to read (Butler's is good if you can find one with Greek god names as opposed to Roman), and it is a prose version.I have 7 or 8 of the various translations, and this is the one I come back to just to read for pleasure.And, it being a Loeb, it has the Greek on the left, so if you are feeling adventurous you can work on your language skills.

All-in-all a fine version of the Iliad.
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