Iliad, opening lines (Stephen Mitchell translation) Leaving their naked flesh to be eaten by dogsĪnd carrion birds, as the will of Zeus was accomplished” The deadly rage that caused the Achaeans such griefĪnd hurled down to Hades the souls of so many fighters, “The rage of Achilles-sing it now, goddess, sing through me Fortunately, the American actress Claire Danes has narrated the audiobook-so stick in your headphones, put your feet on the sofa, and press play.
Many of us would love to listen to the Odyssey, as that’s how it was first delivered back in 700 BCE. Not only is it a highly readable translation, but the introduction provides a lot of context and historical background for anyone wondering who Homer was, when the poem was first written down etc. If you’re interested in Homer and the poem of the Odyssey, the 2017 translation by Emily Wilson, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, is a great place to start. Odyssey, opening lines (Emily Wilson translation) He worked to save his life and bring his men He suffered in the storms at sea, and how When he had wrecked the holy town of Troy,Īnd where he went, and who he met, the pain Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson Click on each book to find out what experts we interviewed said about it in greater detail. Each entry includes the number of experts who have recommended that particular book. Our book recommendations are listed in order, so our most recommended books appear at the top. But novels dominate the list of our most recommended books, suggesting that fiction remains one of the most powerful tools for understanding the world around us and the challenges of the human condition. It’s a foundational text for liberal democracy and a paean to the importance of individuals’ rights. Top of our most recommended books is On Liberty, an essay written by the British philosopher John Stuart Mill and published in 1859. Many are already out of copyright and available for free, though if your budget can stand it, there’s a lot to be said for the informative introduction and footnotes that a good editor, selected by an established publisher, can provide. With one or two noteworthy exceptions, our most recommended books are not the latest books being promoted by publishers, but books that have stood the test of time.
The experts who picked them for us range from philosophers to politicians, economists to novelists, eminent historians to comedians. These are books that have been recommended over and over again, suggesting they are some of the most important books ever written. The results of this 10+ year project are listed below. Over the past decade, we’ve asked hundreds of experts to pick the five best books in their field-and to explain in detail why those particular books are so important.
Looking for a good book? We have the world’s largest collection of expert book recommendations.
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