The Odyssey.

HOMER,.

$20,000.00

Item Number: 91267

Venice: Aldine Press, 1524.

Rare third Aldine edition of Homer’s The Odyssey. Small octavo, original vellum with the title to the spine in manuscript, with woodcut Aldine device to title and final colophon leaf. In excellent condition with some minor toning to the leaves. Exceptionally rare, with only two having appeared at auction in the last 80 years. This is one of the earliest obtainable examples of Homer’s landmark work.

One of the two major ancient Greek poems attributed to Homer, The Odyssey is the second-oldest extant work of Western literature, while the Iliad is the oldest. The work was likely composed near the end of the 8th century B.C.E. in the Greek coastal region of Anatolia in an oral tradition which was more likely intended to be performed that read. The story details the epic ten-year journey of the Greek hero, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who has been assumed dead after the fall of Troy.