The Ancient Greece of Odysseus (The Ancient World) [Paperback]

Peter Connolly (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: The Ancient World

This is a marvellous, superbly illustrated retelling of two great epics - "Homer's Iliad" and "Odyssey", following the fortunes of Odysseus, the craftiest of the Greek commanders. Interspersed with the story are pages of fascinating information about the true history of Troy, illustrated with photographs, maps, and Peter Connolly's unequalled reconstructions. Together, the two parts add up to more than the whole, and bring Homer's epics triumphantly to life. First published as "The Legend of Odysseus", this book, which won the T.E.S. Information Book Award, is now reissued with a new title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This clear, vigorous retelling encompasses both Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, with occasional pages on historical topics: the archaeology of Troy, Mycenaean Greek armament, Greek religion, etc. The book's pride and glory are Connolly's abundant, detailed paintings."--School Library Journal

About the Author

Peter Connolly is one of the foremost writers and illustrators on the ancient world. His children's books have won many awards. He is Honorary Research Fellow of the Institute of Archaeology, London, and has studied at the British School, Athens, and in Rome.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Revised edition (May 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199105324
• ISBN-13: 978-0199105328
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #919,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Myth Mastered, March 7, 2002

By 

Carey Taylor-Forbes (Calgary, AB, Canada.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ancient Greece of Odysseus (The Ancient World) (Paperback)

This book combines Peter Connolly's expansive knowledge of the literature of Homer with his enormous knowledge of the archaeology of the ancient world. He manages to give full value in both areas for any interested reader, whether new to either subject or not. That seems to be true of the target age group or even those of us of much hoarier vintage. Something an interested child should treasure long past the time he has apparently "grown out of it."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Illustrations, January 4, 2006

By 

km86617 (Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ancient Greece of Odysseus (The Ancient World) (Paperback)

Peter Connolly has provided (as usual) excellent illustrations in this book. He has the uncanny ability to draw what is already in your imagination.

The text itself is interesting and a great recap of Homer's works. The archaeological tidbits on Mycenae and Troy are also worth reading.

If nothing more, this book is worth buying in order to liven your visualization of Homer.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peter Connolly's Retelling of Homer, March 26, 2008

By 

K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ancient Greece of Odysseus (The Ancient World) (Paperback)

This is basically a retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey geared for preteens/young adults. I freely confess I bought it just for the artwork, which of course was excellent. Like the previous reviewer I would strongly caution those who are considering this book for young or sensitive students; there is (not surprisingly) a fair bit of gore and graphic battlescenes throughout, and some of the characters, particularly the goddesses, might be a bit shocking to a young reader. Connolly does a very accurate job of recreating the costumes of the ancient Mycenaeans which means bare chests for some of the women and perilously short tunics for most of the men.

This book would also be interesting for us old folks for its numerous details on the historical background of the Iliad, such as the people(s) who may have inspired the Trojans and their Asian allies, and of course the artwork (which includes cutaway maps of several Bronze Age fortifications, and Nestor's Palace). In short this is a good intro or education supplement to the Iliad for the preteen/junior high age, but would not be appropriate for little kids and would have little to offer an adult that has read Homer or has a good knowledge of this topic.