The Iliad of Homer & The Odyssey of Homer.

HOMER,.

Item Number: 78028

Strasburg: Bernard Lintot, 1542.

Early printing of Homer’s masterpieces The Iliad and the Odyssey in the original Greek. Octavo, bound in contemporary blindstamped pigskin over boards, brass clasps and hinges to The Odyssey. In excellent condition with some browning and general soiling.  The Iliad with woodcut titles and printer’s devices at colophon (in Greek); some contemporary Greek and Latin annotations and scholia and on the pastedowns. The Odyssey contains a second woodcut title and printer’s device at conclusion to Hymns.

Attributed to the singular ancient Greek poet Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey are considered to be the most important works of ancient Greek literature. The Iliad, set in the midst of the ten-year Trojan War focuses on the quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. The Odyssey tells the epic tale of the journey of Odysseus, King of Ithaca after the fall of Troy. The Homeric Question, concerning the tales' true authorship, continues to be debated - with some scholars believing the poems to be the work of many contributors over the course of centuries.