The Iliad is Homer’s legendary account of the Trojan War, an epic battle that took place over three thousand years ago and had a significant impact on world history. So significant was the war that it led to the invention of the phonetic alphabet as a means to record the great conflict. Homer’s chronicle of the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek states is considered to be the greatest war story ever told and numbers amongst the most important works of Western literature. This fantastic 1898 translation by Samuel Butler is a must-read for lovers of literature and history alike, and would make for a worthy addition to every bookshelf. Contents include: Homer, an Introduction by John Henry Wright , To Homer, a Poem by John Keats , Translations, by Rev. W. Lucas Collins , The Iliad , Homer’s Illiad, an Excerpt by D. J. Snider and The Age of Homer, an Excerpt by Goldwin Smith .