The Odyssey

The Trojan War is over, and the heroes have sailed for home. But one of them, the clever Odysseus, king of the small island of Ithaca, has not returned. For ten long years he has wandered, and his name has given us a word for every long, adventurous journey. Composed nearly three thousand years ago and attributed to the poet Homer, The Odyssey is one of the oldest and greatest stories ever told.

The poem opens on Ithaca, where Odysseus's faithful wife, Penelope, is besieged by a crowd of arrogant suitors who feast in her halls and demand that she choose a new husband. Her son, Telemachus, now a young man, sets out with the help of the goddess Athena to seek news of his father. Meanwhile, far across the sea, Odysseus is held captive on the island of the nymph Calypso.

At a feast in the land of the Phaeacians, Odysseus tells of his astonishing adventures. He and his men outwitted the one-eyed Cyclops, Polyphemus, by declaring his name was "Nobody." They faced the sorceress Circe, who turned his crew into swine. Odysseus traveled to the edge of the underworld to speak with the spirits of the dead. He was lashed to the mast to hear the deadly song of the Sirens, steered between the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis, and suffered the wrath of the sea god Poseidon. Yet the greatest test still awaits him when he finally reaches Ithaca, disguised as a beggar in his own home.

The Odyssey is a story of courage and cunning, loyalty and patience, hospitality and homecoming. Odysseus wins not by strength alone but by wit, perseverance, and self-control. Penelope, every bit his match in cleverness, and Telemachus, growing into manhood, make it a story about a whole family. Composed in the oral tradition, likely in the eighth century BC, it has inspired writers from Virgil to James Joyce, and its adventures remain as thrilling as ever.

Why read it?

• The original adventure story. Monsters, magic, gods, and shipwrecks fill its pages.
• A hero of wits. Odysseus shows that cleverness can triumph over strength.
• A story about home. It celebrates loyalty, family, and the longing to return.
• A foundation of literature. Countless stories and expressions trace back to it.
• Perfect for study and reading aloud. It is ideal for classical education and family reading.

Why the Comfortable Classics edition?

Comfortable Classics was created to help families build a library worth keeping. Each book in the series shares the same handsome design, a black cover with warm wood-grain bands and a parchment panel. Only the title lettering changes, chosen to suit each book's spirit. Together they make a matching collection that looks beautiful on a shelf and invites you to take the next one down.

Classics meant to be kept, studied, and handed down.