A cornerstone of Western literature, Homer's The Iliad tells the story of the weeks during the Trojan war when King Agamemnon and the hero warrior Achilles were at loggerheads. After nine years, the Greeks are still fighting to reclaim the beautiful Helen and it is hardly the time for their supreme warrior, Achilles, to drop out of the war. But he does, in revenge against the overlord Agamemnon for seizing his concubine, Briseis. Only the death of his best friend, Patroclus, persuades Achilles to return to battle and confront the Trojan leader Hector in single combat. This handsome gift edition features an accessible prose translation by the classical scholar and novelist Samuel Butler, first published in 1898. Exquisitely presented with printed page edges, gold cover embossing, patterned endpapers and ivory paper, it makes a wonderful collectible for any fan of classic literature.