The Odyssey - Homer

The Odyssey follows the long and perilous journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he attempts to return home after the Trojan War. Having already spent ten years fighting at Troy, he is forced to wander for another decade due to the anger of the god Poseidon and the many trials set before him. At the poem’s beginning, Odysseus is held on the remote island of Ogygia by the nymph Calypso, who wishes to keep him as her husband. The gods, moved by the suffering of his family, decide he must be released.

In Ithaca, his wife Penelope remains faithful despite being besieged by suitors who believe Odysseus to be dead. They consume the household’s wealth and pressure her to choose a new husband. Their son, Telemachus, now on the verge of adulthood, sets out to discover any news of his father, guided by the goddess Athena, who takes a particular interest in the family’s fate.

After Odysseus leaves Ogygia, he is shipwrecked by Poseidon and washes ashore in the land of the Phaeacians. There he recounts the extraordinary adventures that have delayed him. These include his escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus, his time with the enchantress Circe, his passage past the Sirens whose song lures sailors to destruction, and his confrontation with the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis. Each episode reveals his intelligence, resilience and desire to return home.

The Phaeacians eventually convey him to Ithaca, where he arrives disguised as a beggar. With Telemachus and a few loyal servants, he plots to reclaim his household. Penelope proposes a contest involving Odysseus’s great bow, which only he can string. When he succeeds, he reveals himself and defeats the suitors, restoring order. The poem concludes with the long awaited reunion of Odysseus and Penelope, affirming the enduring power of loyalty and homecoming.

Stunning Cranford Edition with embossed cover and spine with sprayed edges.