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Classics
The Iliad Abridged
By Homer
Translated by Ian Johnston
$16.95
Homer's Iliad, the oldest and greatest epic poem in our culture, was composed in the eighth century BC. It became the single most important literary resource in ancient Greek culture and has exercised a decisive influence on Western culture an influence which continues to this day. The poem tells the story of a quarrel between Achilles, the greatest of the Achaean warriors in the Greek expedition against Troy, and Agamemnon, the commander of the expedition—an argument which causes Achilles to withdraw from the fighting. The battles continue without him, and the ironic unfolding of events eventually leads him to rejoin the war and to seek out the great Trojan warrior Hector for a climactic single combat. The Iliad is our most important war poem. It constantly forces us to confront what goes on in battle, how men sustain themselves amid the horrors of the killing zone, and how the activity is simultaneously intensely and brutally destructive and also, by one of the strangest of all of life's ironies, intensely creative.
Ian Johnston's abridged version of Homer's great poem is based upon his acclaimed translation of the complete epic (also published by Richer Resources Publications). The abridged text is approximately one third of the original and presents a coherent narrative poem in which every line is taken from Homer's text, with occasional short summaries to keep the story coherent. This shortened version is an ideal entry into Homer's vision of the world for those who are not yet ready or do not have the time to tackle the full poem. The text is accompanied by a few explanatory footnotes, a glossary of names, and a map indicating the origin of many of the major characters.
- Category
- Classics
- ISBN (softcover)
- 978-0-9818162-8-9
- e-ISBN
- 978-1-935238-02-7
- Author
- Homer
- Translator
- Ian Johnston
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I started reading your abridged translation of the Iliad and am impressed with the readability - quite different than the version I remember from my university days (1967). Thanks for the excellent work. I am staying in Moscow, Russia, and am re-reading the classics.
— Moscow
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Excellent translation, easy to read, wonderful entry to epic Greek poems.
— Classics Enthusiast
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Thank you so much for this beautiful translation of the Iliad. I have been searching and searching for a poetic form of the Iliad that I can give to my sophomores. This will totally work. I really enjoy your translation of the Iliad. Thank you so much for making this and your other translations available.. I have been using small sections of it my Western Civ classes for years.
— Idaho
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I came across your Iliad translation when I made a Google (actually Vivisimo) search for new translations and/or the original Greek online. Yours is simply gorgeous, or at least what I've seen of it. It's the truest in both verse form and spirit of the original that I've seen. Don't mean to gush, but it simply blew me away. With best wishes,
— Nancy C
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Resources for The Iliad Abridged
TEACHING THE CLASSICS
Character Guide to Homer’s Iliad
A classroom-oriented guide to the major characters in Homer’s Iliad, with explanations of their roles in the poem, relationships and traits to watch, and questions that help students understand Homer’s treatment of heroism, honor, leadership, war, and mortality.
Read resource →Reference Guide by Ian Johnston
Deaths in the Iliad
A chronological guide to the named deaths and major woundings in Homer’s Iliad, identifying the combatants, manner of death or injury, and corresponding lines in Ian Johnston’s translation.
Read resource →TEACHING THE CLASSICS
Discussion Questions for the Iliad
Discussion questions for Homer’s Iliad, organized around major episodes, characters, and themes, with prompts for close reading, classroom conversation, short written responses, and longer analysis
Read resource →GREEK LITERATURE & CULTURE
Greek Literature and the Tragic Vision
Ian Johnston explores how Greek ideas of justice, divine power, and human freedom shaped the heroic and tragic vision of ancient Greek literature.
Read resource →FOR STUDENTS
Greek Mythology Background Students Need Before Reading Homer
A clear introduction to the Greek mythological background students need before reading Homer, including the Trojan War, the major gods, the House of Atreus, the judgment of Paris, and the events that connect The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Read resource →HOMER'S ENDURING LEGACY
Homer in the News
Recent articles, reviews, discoveries and cultural conversations surrounding Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey
Read resource →Introduction to Ancient Greece
A concise guide to the geography, history, political life, and cultural development of ancient Greece, from the Bronze Age civilizations of Crete and Mycenae through the rise of the city-states, Classical Athens and Sparta, and the age of Alexander the Great.
Read resource →ESSAY ON THE ODYSSEY
It’s a New Moment for The Odyssey. The Classroom Is Where It Matters Most.
A New Generation Discovers The Odyssey. This gives educators a new opportunity.
Read resource →HOMER & THE EPIC TRADITION
Lecture on the Odyssey
Ian Johnston explores the enduring appeal of Homer’s Odyssey, examining its narrative structure, its celebration of home and family, and the transformation of Odysseus from warrior to returning husband, father, and king.
Read resource →TEACHING THE CLASSICS
Major Themes in the Iliad
A guide to the major themes of Homer’s Iliad, including anger, honor, heroism, leadership, friendship, mortality, fate, grief, family, and the human cost of war, with questions to help students connect these ideas across the poem.
Read resource →HOMER—IN HIS OWN WORDS
Quotes from The Iliad
Selected passages from Ian Johnston's Iliad Translation
Read resource →FOR STUDENTS
Reading Homer for the First Time — aimed specifically at students
A practical introduction for students reading Homer for the first time, with guidance on unfamiliar names, gods, heroic values, repeated language, long speeches, battle scenes, and the best ways to approach The Iliad and The Odyssey without feeling overwhelmed.
Read resource →TEACHING THE CLASSICS
Teacher’s Guide to Homer’s Iliad
A practical guide to teaching Homer’s Iliad, with essential background, book-by-book guidance, central themes and questions, discussion topics, writing assignments, and a flexible framework for classroom use.
Read resource →THE TROJAN WAR
The Legend of the Trojan War
Ian Johnston traces the legend of the Trojan War from its origins and the judgment of Paris through the war, the fall of Troy, and the journeys that followed, placing the stories of the Iliad and Odyssey within the larger tradition of Greek myth.
Read resource →Teaching the Classics
The Odyssey Is Back in the Classroom. Now We Need to Help Students Read It.
Renewed interest in The Odyssey is bringing Homer to a new generation. The challenge for educators is helping students encounter the poem in an accessible form without sacrificing its language, ideas, and enduring questions.
Read resource →The Trojan War
Who Really Won the Trojan War?
The Greeks destroyed Troy—but victory proved far more complicated. Achilles was dead, Agamemnon returned home only to be murdered, Odysseus wandered for another ten years, and the defeated Trojans lived on in legend. The ancient stories leave us with a surprisingly modern question: if war devastates victors and vanquished alike, what does it really mean to win?
Read resource →Book Trailer
The Iliad Book Trailer
A visual introduction to Homer’s Iliad and its exploration of heroism, rage, honor, war, and the human cost of conflict.
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The Iliad Abridged
$16.95