The World of Odysseus

This work is cited in the third edition of Books for College Libraries. Basing his suppositions on close readings of Homer's epics the Odyssey and Iliad, Finley puts forth a sociological argument that the texts, although fictions, reflected actual social realities of the times portrayed. His analysis with regard to the practice of reciprocal gift-giving, though controversial at the time of original publication, has come to be widely accepted. This appears to be a reprint of the 1977 revised edition of the original 1954 text. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR