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One of the oldest surviving works of literature widely read to this day, Homer's "Odyssey" tells the story of Odysseus, Greek hero king of Ithaca and his voyage back home following the cessation of the Trojan War. The journey back to Ithaca lasted as long as the war itself (10 years), and was fraught with many perils and travails that would claim the lives of his entire crew before their destination was reached. Assumed dead himself, Odysseus's wife is forced to endure a flurry of eager suitors. A must-read for grecophiles that would make for a worthy addition to any collection. Homer was the author of the two epic poems upon which the works of ancient Greek literature are predicated, the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey". Though Homer is regarded as being among the greatest and most influential writers of all time, the question of when, where and by whom the "Illiad" and "Odyssey" were written remains unanswered--although most scholars agree that they were both written around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. For thousands of years the influence of the Homeric epic has had on Western civilization has been significant, having inspired a large number of its most famous works of art, literature, and film. This version of Homer's classic was translated into English prose by Samuel Butler in 1900. Contents include: "Homer, an Introduction by John Henry Wright", "The Odyssey Poem, by Andrew Lang", "Translations, by Rev. W. Lucas Collins", "The Odyssey", "The Humour of Homer, an Excerpt by Samuel Butler", "Homer's Place in Literature, an Excerpt by Andrew Lang" and "Of Homer, an Excerpt by George Chapman".