There's a Book for That: The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey for the big screen is the hit of the summer. Classicists, mythology lovers, and cinephiles are all weighing in with raves and critiques. What a thrill to see readers discover, or return to, Homer’s epic poem. Greek mythology is alive and well in 2026! And we have myriad editions for adult and younger readers alike:
A new hardcover edition of a cornerstone of the Penguin Classics catalog, in time for Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation, the 80th anniversary of Penguin Classics, and the 30th anniversary of Robert Fagles’s acclaimed translation.
Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, presents us with Homer’s best-loved and most accessible poem in a stunning modern-verse translation that has been a preferred translation for generations of readers and students for its accessibility and dynamic read. “Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy.” So begins Robert Fagles’ magnificent translation of The Odyssey, which Jasper Griffin in the New York Times Book Review hailed as “a distinguished achievement.”
Homer’s classic epic of survival, revenge, and homecoming, translated by E. V. Rieu, now in a stunning clothbound edition designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, and featuring an Introduction by Peter V. Jones. The epic tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War, 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 use his wit and native cunning if he is to reach his homeland of Ithaca safely and overcome the obstacles that, even there, await him.
One of the supreme masterpieces of world literature, the Homeric saga of the shipwrecks, wanderings, and homecoming of the master tactician Odysseus encompasses a virtual inventory of the themes and attitudes that have shaped Western culture. The tale of Odysseus’s encounters with such obstacles as Calypso, Circe, Scylla and Charybdis, the Sirens, and the lotus-eaters, and his dramatic return to Ithaca and his patient wife, Penelope, forms a prototype for all subsequent Western epics. Robert Fitzgerald’s much-acclaimed translation, fully possessing as it does the body and spirit of the original, has helped to assure the continuing vitality of Europe’s most influential work of poetry. This edition includes twenty-five line drawings by Barnaby Fitzgerald.
Step into a world shaped by gods, warriors, and ancient quests with this luxury edition of Homer’s epic poetry. These foundational works of classical literature have inspired centuries of storytelling, offering a powerful blend of heroism, longing, betrayal, and fate. This volume invites readers to experience the grandeur of ancient Greece in a beautifully crafted format designed to endure.
Most translations of The Odyssey are in the kind of standard verse form believed typical of high-serious composition in the ancient world. Yet some scholars believe the epic was originally composed in a less formal, phrase-by-phrase prosody. Charles Stein employs the latter approach in this dramatic, and in some ways truer, version…Most versions exclude or minimize the magical aspects of the poem, but Stein gives these elements full play, so that the spirit of a universe predating the classical era shines through.
FOR YOUNGER READERS
Voyages across the sea, man-eating monsters, witches, gods, and goddesses: The Odyssey is the ultimate adventure story. Written by self-proclaimed Greek myth nerd, and host of the Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! podcast, Liv Albert brings this ancient Greek Epic to life. Liv’s version of The Odyssey portrays Odysseus as he really was – a complex man who did many great things … and just as many bad. Littered with historical facts, maps, and family trees, Liv brings her expertise to this future classic.
An action-packed young readers adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, in an edgy, deluxe hardcover!
After ten years of war, Odysseus turns his back on Troy and sets sail for home. But his voyage takes another ten years and he must face many dangers—Polyphemus the greedy one-eyed giant, Scylla the six-headed sea monster and even the wrath of the gods themselves—before he is reunited with his wife and son.
With bold imagery and an ear tuned to the music of Homer’s epic poem, award-winning graphic artist Gareth Hinds reinterprets the ancient classic as it’s never been told before. A New York Times bestseller, now in a sumptuous collectible edition with new cover design, gold foil, and stenciled edges.
An Illustrated Retelling of Homer’s Epic about Odysseus, Greek Mythology & Ancient Greece for Grades 3-7 Classroom Study and Children Ages 8-12.
“Every image seems to have been created with unhurried care; it’s a quiet but monumental piece of work.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
For more on these and related titles, visit the collection: The Odyssey
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