The Homer Encyclopedia

Though there are various handbooks addressing aspects of the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as general classical dictionaries and encyclopedias, this is the first comprehensive encyclopedia devoted to Homer. Finkelberg (classics, Tel Aviv Univ.) commissioned over 1600 entries from many of the leading figures in classics, including Christopher Gill, Gregory Nagy, and Froma Zeitlin. The entries range over topics related to the Iliad, Odyssey, other epic cycles, the Homeric Hymns, the Argonautica, and the oral traditions, with articles on all the individual characters; linguistic and stylistic matters; social, religious, and cultural artifacts; and institutions. There are also articles on various archeological, geographical, biological, and historical topics, as well as entries addressing Homeric scholarship over the ages and the reception of Homer. The coverage of the Homeric material is solid, though that on reception has some striking omissions, for instance, no mention of Fénelon's Télémaque (1699) or Derek Walcott's Omeros (1990). Each article is written by a specialist and includes a brief bibliography. The three volumes are well printed and well bound, though the illustrations are not always well reproduced. BOTTOM LINE The coverage is thorough, and the articles are accessible to the general reader while maintaining a scholarly sophistication that makes them useful for the specialist. A handy and valuable resource for any serious student of Homer.—T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah