The Wrath of Achilleus. The quarrel with Agamemnon, and Achilleus withdraws from the war.
Roman Roads Classics
Homer · c. 750 BC · Epic
The Essential Iliad
Prose rendering by Wesley Callihan · Foreword by Dr. Dale Grote
Six complete books of the Iliad, with short summaries of the other eighteen: the whole story, and Homer unabridged at its turning points.
A slightly dinged copy is available for $12.59Ready for the whole poem? The full Iliad is $27.99.
“But if you read unabridged sections, you walk away knowing “this is what Homer is like.” We hope this Essential version of the Iliad will do just that, and give you a true taste of Homer, a sweet and pleasing taste that will make you desire more.”
About the book
An abridgment that does not condense
Most abridgments boil a poem down. This one keeps six books whole, word for word the same as Wesley Callihan’s full Iliad, and tells the rest of the story in short summaries, set in italics under the same headings the full text uses. You follow the whole wrath of Achilleus, and you read Homer unabridged at the turning points.
Callihan is plain about what it is for: “This book is a representative sampling of the Iliad, and like all samples, it should make you want more.” It is meant for introductory literature classes, for friends daunted by the size of the classics, and for parents reading aloud to their children. It is the recommended reading for students on the Essentials Schedule of Old Western Culture.
Read in full
Six books, whole
The Embassy to Achilleus. Odysseus, Phoinix and Aias plead with him to return.
The Death of Patroklos. Patroklos goes into battle in Achilleus’s armor.
The Shield of Achilleus. Thetis brings her son new armor made by Hephaistos.
The Death of Hektor. Hektor faces Achilleus before the walls of Troy.
The Recovery of Hektor’s Body. Priam goes to Achilleus by night to ransom his son.
Look inside
How the summaries work
The full contents6 books in full, 18 in summary · 237 pages
- Series prefacev
- Acknowledgmentsxi
- Foreword, Dr. Dale Grotexiii
- Prefacexvii
- Introductionxix
- Major Characters in the Iliadxxxv
- Maps of the Iliadxliii
- The Iliad
- Book IThe Wrath of Achilleus · in full1
- Books II–VIIIin summary23
- Book IXThe Embassy to Achilleus · in full37
- Books X–XVin summary63
- Book XVIThe Death of Patroklos · in full75
- Book XVIIin summary107
- Book XVIIIThe Shield of Achilleus · in full109
- Books XIX–XXIin summary131
- Book XXIIThe Death of Hektor · in full137
- Book XXIIIin summary155
- Book XXIVThe Recovery of Hektor’s Body · in full157
PlayTaught in Old Western Culture
Year One, Unit 1: The Epics
Wes Callihan’s twelve lectures take the two poems in order: the backdrop of the Iliad, the anger of Achilleus, the turning points of the war, the deception of Zeus and the death of Hektor; then the Telemachy, the court of Alkinoös, Odysseus’s wanderings and his homecoming, and the legacy of Homer in Western civilization. On the Essentials Schedule, this book is the reading.
Publishing information
- Author
- Homer
- Prose rendering
- Wesley J. Callihan
- Foreword
- Dr. Dale Grote
- Format
- Paperback, 5 × 8 in · 237 pages
- Edition
- 2021; this printing 2022
- Series
- Roman Roads Classics
- ISBN
- 978-1-944482-57-2
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