The Odyssey

The timeless themes of the Odyssey - survival, courage, loyalty and hospitality - have resonated with readers through the ages, making it the most enduring classic in western civilization.

Features John Flaxman's famous neoclassical illustrations.

Homer is reputed to be the author of both the Odyssey and its prequel, the Iliad. Although no biographical details have been discovered, he is believed to have been an historical figure whose poems were transmitted in song, following the Ancient Greek oral tradition.

Alexander Pope was one of the greatest English poets of the 18th century. His translation of the Odyssey remains a classic interpretation of this masterpiece.

George Davidson studied languages and linguistics at the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Strasbourg, and is a graduate of Edinburgh University. A former senior editor with Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, he is now a freelance compiler and editor of dictionaries and other reference books. He is an Elder of the Church of Scotland, and lives in Edinburgh.