Homer's Iliad is the first and most important literary achievement of Greek culture—the foundation of Western civilization and an epic poem unmatched in world literature. The story focuses on the critical events of the last year of the Trojan War, leading to Hector's death at the hands of Achilles and the fall of Troy. But Homer’s theme is not merely war or heroism. With compassion and humanity, it presents a universal and tragic view of the world: the lives of people played out under the shadow of suffering and death, set against an extensive and largely ruthless divine backdrop.

This edition features the vivid translation of Homer's great epic by E. V. Rieu, the founder of Penguin Classics.