Exhibition Proposal
“For this project, you will curate a small web-based exhibit for a general audience. This assignment is a chance to explore a topic that is of interest to you- it is completely open ended to any items held in a special collections library or libraries- allowing you to visit special collections and put together a proof of concept for an exhibition. There is a digital component and a presentation. Identify three to five special collections items relating to a subject of your choice. You may include items from multiple institutions if you wish. You must visit the institution(s) and engage material in person. The photos of items must be your own.’
Panel Text
Homer’s Odyssey has a long and complicated history. For one, we have no idea when this story was first created, and that’s due largely to the fact that it was around for centuries as an oral composition that was later written down. Neither date is known for sure, but most scholars date it to the 8th century B.C.E. Likewise, we do not know who Homer is; was he the initial creator of the oral poem? was he the poet who popularized the story? or was he the one who wrote it down? Both mysteries are part of what now is considered the Homeric question, which was debated even in ancient times by the likes of Herodotus and Plutarch. But that interest continued on through to modern times, as can be seen by the long printing history of Homer’s work. Homer’s Odyssey was used in ancient times as a moral story taught to young children, during the Renaissance it was revived as a connection to the past, in the 18th and 19th centuries it was studied by scholars, and in modern days it is influential to various works, and even to the fantasy genre as a whole. The Odyssey is an incredibly important work that has withstood the test of time, and will hopefully continue to do so.
Homer’s Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus, the acclaimed hero of Troy who came up with the hollowed horse that led to the ‘rescue’ of Helen from her captor Paris. However, due to improper religious sacrifice to the god, Poseidon, and subsequent obstacles that appear, Odysseus and his crew spent ten years traveling back home to Ithaca. While facing the monstrous cyclops, Polyphemus, the cannibalistic Laistrygonians, the sorceress Circes, and the entrapping Calypso, Odysseus’ wife, Penelope is being pursued by a large host of suitors who want to take over the throne as they believe Odysseus to be dead. Penelope keeps her suitors at bay through various schemes, namely by promising to make a decision on who she will marry after she completes a shroud for her thought-to-be-dead husband; however, each night she unweaves the progress she had made during the day. During this time, Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, goes on his own journey, trying to determine whether or not his father is dead, while also trying to get to know more about his father, as Odysseus left to go to war when Telemachus was just a baby. With the help of Athena, Odysseus’ patron goddess, Odysseus eventually makes it back home, outwits the suitors, and is able to live his life with his wife and son.
In this exhibition proposal, there are 14 editions of Homer’s Odyssey that are presented and come from various New York City special collections. However, only three of these have detailed labels, as those are the ones I will be focusing on. The others do have more information listed in the blog post at the bottom of this website. Additionally, I have included artifactual objects relating to The Odyssey throughout as well as images of and links to my bibliographical sources (on the left of this website), works influenced by The Odyssey (on the right), and modern editions of The Odyssey that I personally own (at the bottom).
Exhibition Items
ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙΑ·
Βαζαχομαχία·
ύμνοι·λβ·
VLYSSEA·
Batrachomyomachia·
Hymni · xxxii·
Grolier Club: 08.33 Grolier 1504 v. 2 (not in catalog) (Grolier Club 3)
Authorship/Printing
1504
Printed by Aldus Manutius
Aldine printer’s device
Printed in Venice
Format
Book, octavo
Laid paper
Watermark in corner → square then two circles
No pagination
Foliation
Only on recto, and only first four leaves
Preface has numbers, text in English letters that start lowercase then goes to capital letters
16 leaves (8 pages)
Has a catchword at the end of each gathering
Gilded on all three edges
Has a green ribbon
Contents
Greek language
Contains a preface before the title page
Plutarch’s Life of Homer
Herodotus’ Life of Homer
Then has title page, dedicatory preface, and then the text
Book plate: "Purchased from Nichols Fund"
This edition of Homer’s Odyssey, while not technically an incunabula copy (as it was printed in 1504), still supports the above quote’s argument that The Odyssey was ‘worthy’ enough to be printed by early printers, and by the famous Aldus Manutius of Venice no less! It was purchased by Jean Grolier during his stay in Italy as Treasurer and Receiver General of French Forces, and was then probably sold off as the ransom that freed him from being a prisoner-of-war. While unfortunately not in its original bindings, which probably would have been silk, velvet, or thinly skived goatskin, it is encased in a beautiful 1829 green goatskin with gilt border-and-centerpiece design and Greek turn-ins that was probably bound by Charles Lewis in England. Adding to the beauty of this octavo edition are the gilded edges on all three sides as well as the green bookmark ribbon. The paper is laid with vertical chain lines, and contains a watermark of a square with two circles below it. Foliation is provided only on the recto of the first four leaves within each gathering: the preceding histories of Homer uses numbers while the text itself uses the English alphabet starting from ‘Z’. Additionally, a catchword is included at the end of each gathering. This edition was acquired by the Grolier Club using the Nichols Fund in 1940 (Clemens, p. 280-1).
ΟΜΗΡΟΥ
ΙΛΙΑΣ
ΚΑΙ
ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙΑ
The Morgan Library & Museum: GNROS1 145993-96 (Morgan 4a-d)
Authorship/Printing
1800-1
Format
Book, quarto
Woven
Pagination
Foliation
English/latin alphabet
Capital letter ‘B’ to ‘3B’
Only first two leaves labeled on recto
8 leaves (4 pages) per gathering
Gilded edges on all three sides
Watermark: ‘1794 J Whatman’
Contents
Introduction in Italian
Text in Greek
Four volumes
Vol. I: Iliad books Α to Μ
Vol. II: Iliad books Ν to Ω
Vol. III: Odyssey books Α to Μ
Vol. IV.: Odyssey books Ν to Ω
Lectori
Variæ Lectiones
Condition
Image transfer
THE
ODYSSEY OF HOMER
ENGRAVED FROM THE COMPOSITIONS
OF JOHN FLAXMAN R·A· SCVLPTOR,
LONDON.
(AND OTHER ENGRAVINGS)
The Morgan Library & Museum: Gordon N. Ray Collection- Double Oversize 146494 (Morgan 3)
Authorship/Printing
1805
Engraved from the compositions of John Flaxman
Plate marks are visible
Format
Book, folio
Woven paper? The paper is really thick
No pagination
No foliation
Either 6 or 8 leaves (3 or 4 pages) per gathering
Gilded edges on all three sides
Contents
English Language
Homer’s Iliad
Homer’s Odyssey
34 illustrated plates
Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days and The Days
Compositions from the Tragedies of Aeschylus
Each have a caption as well as a quote from Pope’s translation
These are “the most famous illustrations of the Homeric text [which] were produced in the late eighteenth century by the Englishman John Flaxman” (Young, 121). They were so highly praised that they were used for “editions of Homer for two centuries, and even some current reprints” (Young, 122). This 1805 edition is a bind-up of a number of John Flaxman’s engravings for various ancient Greek works, including Homer’s Odyssey. Unlike the other edition containing Flaxman’s engravings, this is bound like a normal folio, though the pages themselves are to viewed sideways. Also contrasting to the other Flaxman edition, this one is bound in a stunning cover and has gilded edges on all three sides. However, the differences end there: both contain 34 illustrated plates for The Odyssey that show plate marks, they are on very thick woven paper, and contain nor pagination nor foliation.
ΌΜΗΡΟΥ ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙΑ
Grolier Club: Mini Coll 14.28 H766 1831 v.2 (Grolier Club 2)
Authorship/Printing
1831
Londini, Guliermus Pickering
Aldine printer’s device
Format
Book, miniature (potentially a duodecimo?)
Woven
Pagination
Foliation
In English
Starts at ‘Z’, then doubles lowercase letters
Labeled only on the first leaf of the gathering
16 leaves (8 pages) per gathering
Includes line number in the headline
Contents
Greek language
Bookplate: Gift of Mr. Leonard L. Mackall
A miniature edition of The Odyssey that can easily be carried in your pocket!
THE
ODYSSEY OF HOMER
ENGRAVED FROM THE COMPOSITIONS
OF JOHN FLAXMAN R·A· SCVLPTOR,
LONDON.
NYPL: Stuart 11532 (NYPL 7)
Authorship/Printing
Engraved from the compositions of John Flaxman
Plate marks are visible
Format
Book, folio? (opposite folding)
Woven paper? The paper is really thick
No pagination
No foliation
Either 6 or 8 leaves (3 or 4 pages) per gathering
Contents
English Language
34 illustrated plates
Each have a caption as well as a quote from Pope’s translation
Bookplate: ‘Lenox Library R.L. Stuart Collection Presented in 1892’
Condition
Front cover unattached to textblock
Images are transferring to opposite leaf
THE
ODYSSEY OF HOMER
TO WHICH ARE ADDED
THE BATTLE OF THE FROGS AND MICE BY PARNELL;
AND THE HYMNS BY CHAPMAN AND OTHERS.
NYPL: Stuart 9327 (NYPL 6)
Authorship/Printing
1859
Translated by Alexander Pope
With observations and brief notes by the Rev. J.S. Watson
Illustrated with the entire series of Flaxman’s Designs
London: Henry G. Bohn, YYork Street, Covent Garden
Format
Book, octavo
Woven paper
Pagination
Foliation
Preceding material has lowercase letters
Text itself has capital letters that then double
Labeled only the first two leaves on recto
16 leaves (8 pages) per gathering
Summary of lines on that spread in the headline
Line numbers in the margins
Near the fore edge for recto
Near the gutter for verso
Contents
English Language
Introductory remarks
Contents
Flaxman’s Illustrations of the Odyssey
Text
Illustrations tipped in
Footnotes
Postscript by Pope
Battle of the Frogs and Mice
A Hymn to Apollo
Hymn to Hermes or Mercury
Various other Hymns
Certain Epigrams and other Poems of Homer
An Index of Persons
Bookplate: ‘Lenox Library R.L. Stuart Collection Presented in 1892’
Condition
Images bleed onto the other leaves
Does not open much as it was bound too tightly
Fragile paper
“Be Homer’s works your study and delight,/Read them by day, and meditate by night,/Thence form your judgements, thence your maxims bring,/ And trace the Muses upward to their spring. --Alexander Pope (1688-1721)” (Young, p. 4)
The
Odyssey of Homer
Translated Into English Blank Verse
Volumes I&II.
NYPL: *KL (Homer.Odyssey) c.2 (NYPL 4 & 5)
Authorship/Printing
1872
Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cullen Bryant
Boston, James R. Osgood and Company
Format
Book, quarto
Laid paper
Horizontal chain lines
Pagination
Foliation
Uses numbers
8 leaves (4 pages) per gathering
Lines numbered in the margins
Mostly smooth edges
Contents
Volume I
Bookplate: ‘Lenox Library Duჸckink Collection. Presented in 1878’
Inscription: ‘ “The Muse inspired the band to sing the praises of [?]; ‘twas a song whose fame had reached To the high heaven,” The Odyssey Book VII, lines 87-89. William Cullen Bryant. December 28th 1874’
Preface
Contents
Text
Prose
Books I to XII
Volume II
Bookplate: ‘Lenox Library Duჸckink Collection. Presented in 1878’
Inscription: ‘ “On the day that one became a slave The Thunderer, Jove, takes half his worth away.” The Odyssey Bk. XVII lines 392-2. William Cullen Bryant December 28th, 1874’
Contents
Text
Prose
Books XIII to XXIV
During the early translation of Homer’s works, including his Odyssey, there was much debate on how to stay most faithful to the original Greek. Should translations by strictly word for word, therefore not flowing well in the new language? Or should liberties be taken on word choice, in order to stay true to the meter? Or should both be ignored in favor of ease of understanding by the reader? Because of differing opinions on which method of translation stayed true to the Greek original, a lot of disagreeing and even insulting critiques were made.
THE
ODYSSEY OF HOMER
The Morgan Library & Museum: Morris 076845-6 (Morgan 2)
Authorship/Printing
1887
Done into English Verse by William Morris
London: Reeves & Turner
Format
Book, folio
Vertical chain lines
Laid paper
Watermark: ‘John Dickinson & Co’
Deckled edges
Pagination
Volume II starts where Volume I left off in numbering
Foliated
Capital letters
Preceding pages has lowercase letters
Only first leaf is labeled
16 leaves (8 pages) per gathering
Volume II starts where Volume I left off in labeling
Lines numbered in margin
Contents
English verse
Volume I
Inscription
Contents
Books I to XII
Volume II
Newspaper clipping
Contents
Books XIII to XXIV
THE ODYSSEY
OF HOMER
NYPL: Rare Books 09-1898 (NYPL 3)
Authorship/Printing
1898
Translated by T.E. Shaw Lawrence of Arabia
Wood Engravings by Barry Moser
Preface by Jeremy M. Wilson
The Limited Editions Club
Format
Book, folio?
Woven paper
Pagination in the margins
No foliation
16 leaves (8 pages) per gathering
Red and black ink
Can feel raised text from reverse side, and relief from facing side
Smooth edges
Contents
English language
Illustrations
No text on reverse side
Can see platemarks
Content
Illustrations
Preface
Translator’s Note
Notes on the prints
Colophon: “Two thousand copies of this edition of THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER in the translation by Lawrence of Arabia have been printed for the members of The Limited Editions Club by the Hampshire Typothetae in West Hatfield, Massachusetts, the type having been composed in San Francisco by Mackenzie-Harris and cast in metal by Michael & Winifred Bixler, in Boston. Barry Moser, who planned the typographic format and executed the wood engravings, and Jeremy M. Wilson, who wrote the preface, here sign … this copy, which is number 898.”
Unlike Flaxman’s illustrations, these by Moser are not as obviously Odyssey related, nor are they classical in style.
THE ODYSSEY
RENDERED INTO ENGLISH PROSE FOR THE USE OF
THOSE WHO CANNOT READ THE ORIGINAL
The Morgan Library & Museum: NRM 131518 (Morgan 1)
Authorship/Printing
1900
Translated by Samuel Butler
Logmans, Green, and Co.
Format
Book, quarto
Woven
Pagination
Foliation
Capital letters
Only first two leaves are labeled on recto
16 leaves (8 pages) per gathering
Line numbers in margins
Contents
Prose
Contents
Summary of sections in headlines (some are really funny)
Footnotes
Illustrations on glossy paper tipped in
Includes a clipping of Samuel Butler’s obituary
Appendix
Publisher’s Catalog
Condition
Not easy to turn individual pages
THE ODYSSEY
OF HOMER
The Grolier Club: 34.62 O98h 1909 Folio (Grolier 1)
Authorship/Printing
1909
Printed at the University Press
With the Greek Types designed by Robert Proctor
Format
Book, quarto
Laid
Floral Watermark
No pagination
Foliation
Greek alphabet
Triples
Only labeled on first leaf
8 leaves (4 pages) per gathering
Black and red text
Lines numbered in the margin
Deckled edges
Contents
Greek language
Colophon
Condition
Can feel the raised letters from reverse side due to printing
Very unevenly cut pages especially length-wise
THE ODYSSEY
OF HOMER
Pratt Institute: Special Collections Rare Books 095.7 E59H (Pratt)
Authorship/Printing
1931
Translated by Alexander Pope
Introduction by Carl van Doren
Printed by Joh. Enschede en Zonen, Haarlem, Holland
Format
Book, folio
Woven paper
Watermarks: four that repeated throughout
Person holding cloth above head
‘The Limited Editions Club’
Curly design
‘Homer’s Odyssey’
Deckled edges and uncut pages
Contents
English Language
Introduction
Text
Iambic pentameter couplets
Contents
Colophon:“Of this edition of the Odyssey, designed by J. van Krimpen, fifteen hundred copies have been printed for the Members of THE LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB by Joh. Enschede en Zonen Haarlem, Holland. Each copy is signed by the designer J. van Krimpen This is number 971”
Alexander Pope’s translation of Homer’s Odyssey, which is written in iambic pentameter couplets, is one of the most successful English translations of all time. Dating from 1725-26, his translation has continued to be used for centuries, as evident by this edition that was printed in 1931, as well as by the other edition included in this exhibition that uses his translation that was printed in 1859.
THE ODYSSEY OF
HOMER
NYPL: *KP (Rogers) (Homer.Odyssey of Homer.1935) (NYPL 1)
Authorship/Printing
1935
Translated by T.E. Shaw (colonel T.E. Lawrence)
Oxford University Press, London: Humphrey Milford
Format
Book, octavo
Woven paper
Watermark: ‘Elemesh Books / Made in U.S.A.
Pagination
No foliation
16 leaves (8 pages) per gathering
Contents
English Language
Translator’s note
Text
prose
Bookplate: ‘The New York Public Library Presented by Mrs. Carl M. Fishel’
THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER
NYPL: *KP (Rogers) (Homer.Odyssey of Homer.1940) (NYPL 2)
Authorship/Printing
1940
Translated from the Greek by T.E. Shaw [Lawrence of Arabia]
New York, Oxford University Press
Format
Book, octavo
Laid paper
Vertical chain lines
Pagination
No foliation
16 leaves (8 pages) per gathering
Slightly deckled edges
Contents
English language
Front Flap Blurb
The Hesperides Series Logo
Books Already Issued in The Hesperides Series
Extracts from letters of T.E. Shaw
Text
Prose
Illustrations at the start of each book
Translator’s note
Back Flap Blurb
Even though this is the most recent edition of Homer’s Odyssey and does not have the same historic sense of awe that the Aldus Manutius’ edition has, I find this to be a beautiful edition. While the dust jacket and coverboards are very simply designed, they are still elegant as they are inversions of each other. Also, I really enjoy the illustrations that head each book. This edition is a 1940 translation by T.E. Shaw [Lawrence of Arabia] written in English prose. It is an octavo copy printed on laid paper with visible vertical chain lines. While there is no foliation, there is pagination which makes sense as foliation falls out of use towards modern times.
Other Items
Artifacts
Papyrus Fragment with Text from Homer’s Odyssey
The J. Paul Getty Museum: 76.AI.56
Terracotta plaque ca. 460-450B.C.; Greek, Melian; Odysseus returning to Penelope
The Met: 30.11.9
Statuette of Odysseus under a Ram
The J. Paul Getty Museum: 79.AD.37
Two-handled Cup with Relief Decoration
The J. Paul Getty Museum: 96.AM.57
Terracotta oinochoe (jug) ca. 430-420B.C.; attributed to the Disney Painter; Archer, probably Odysseus
The Met: 24.97.24
Tripod Pyxis
The J. Paul Getty Museum: 96.AE.222
“White-on-Red” Ware pithos with Lid
The J. Paul Getty Museum: 96.AE.135
Papyrus fragment with lines from Homer’s Odyssey ca. 285-250B.C.; Greek, Ptolemaic
The Met: 09.182.50
Terracotta plaque ca. 450B.C.; Greek, Melian; Eurykleia washing Odysseus’ feet
The Met: 25.78.26
Terracotta calyxkrater (bowl for mixing wine and water) ca. 440B.C.; attributed to the Persephone Painter; Above obverse: Odysseus pursuing Circe
The Met: 41.83
Terracotta alabastron (perfume vase) 575-550B.C.; Greek, Corinthian; The blinding of Polyphemus
The Met: 76.12.6
Modern Editions of Homer’s Odyssey
The Story of Odysseus, Homer, The Odyssey translated by W.H.D. Rouse (1953)
The Odyssey of Homer translated by Richmond Lattimore (1967)
The Odyssey by Homer; translated by Robert Fagles, and introduction and notes by Bernard Knox (1996)
The Odyssey by Homer; translated by E.V. Rieu, revised translation by D.C. H. Rieu, and introduction by Peter Jones (2003)
The Odyssey a graphic novel adaptation by Gareth Hinds (2010)
The Odyssey by Homer (2017)
The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson (2018)
Works Influenced by Homer’s Odyssey
The Cyclops by Euripides
The Aeneid by Virgil
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
O Brother, Where Art Thou (movie)
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Circe by Madeline Miller
Curatorial Reflection
I very nearly went overboard with this assignment, or even more so than I have. That is because I really enjoyed this assignment, and because I chose a topic that I am very passionate about. At first, I was planning on ‘exhibiting’ all of the items I had visited, but quickly realized I would need a lot more time to provide each item with the research I would have liked to have given them. That being said, I tried to do just that until the very last minute. Now, while I decided to still ‘display’ all of the items I visited, I only provided extensive label text for three of them: Grolier Club 3, Morgan 3, and NYPL 2. Before explaining for choosing these three, the reason I decided on three instead of the full five is because, for one three is an important number in Greek mythology so felt fitting; two, there are three perspectives within The Odyssey; and lastly because three just happens to be my favorite number. With that being said, I knew that one of the three would be Grolier Club 3 as it is the oldest edition I was able to visit. When it came to choosing Morgan 3, I could have instead chosen NYPL 7 as they are both “Engravings from the Compositions of John Flaxman”. However, the Morgan’s copy not only includes the engravings of The Odyssey but also those from The Iliad and Hesiod’s works. Also, the Morgan’s edition has a ‘prettier’ cover. Finally, I decided to include NYPL 2 because it was my personal favorite of all the editions I visited. Alongside the 14 editions of Homer’s Odyssey, I decided to ‘exhibit’ artifactual items that are related to Homer’s Odyssey as well as modern editions and works influenced by this original work. This, I believe, helps to create a more encompassing picture of how influential and important The Odyssey is for Western Civilization.
The various editions used in this exhibition proposal came from four different special collections: Pratt Institute, The Golier Club, New York Public Library, and The Morgan Library & Museum (this is the order in which I visited them). My experiences at each institution was quite different. While Pratt and, surprisingly to myself, The Golier Club were quite laid back in their guidelines for using special collections materials (at both, I was able to handle the items pretty freely), NYPL was a little more restricting, and The Morgan was even more so. At NYPL, I was required to fill out a slip of paper for each item I was viewing, and needed to record how many pictures I had taken of each. The Morgan went even further: I was not allowed to have nail polish on my fingernails, I could not physically handle the books more than flipping the pages, I was required to sign for each book, and I had to include a copyright slip within each picture I had taken. It was very interesting to see how special collections are approached at each institution, and I am glad to have had this chance.
Presentation
For this project, I decided to view various editions of Homer’s Odyssey. It’s one of my favorite stories of all time, and is one of the many reasons I decided to study Classics in undergrad. Also, I personally collect different modern editions of The Odyssey and I couldn’t pass up this chance to view rare editions of it. And I really went overboard in the number of editions I viewed: I saw 14 different editions, and almost saw another, which I’m slightly bitter about because that copy would have been the first printed copy of Homer’s Work that was printed in 1488; the only reason I didn’t see it was because I thought, due to one of my sources, that it was located at Princeton University’s library, when in fact it is actually held by Columbia University; I found this out too late, and unfortunately didn’t get to see it. However, that being said, I still saw way too many editions for this project, so while I did include all 14 on my website for the project, I chose to focus primarily on three. This was for a number of reasons: least related is the fact that three is my favorite number; but also, three is important within Greek mythology more generally, but also within this story; there are three main perspectives in Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus himself who tells his long journey from Troy, that of his wife Penelope who finds herself pressured by a large number of suitors to remarry, and that of their son Telemachus who sets out to find if there is any evidence that is father is still alive; and finally, I chose three because a lot of these editions repeat certain aspects, whether it be that they use the engravings of John Flaxman, or the translations of Alexander Pope, or are in Greek and therefore I couldn’t get much out of the content.
The first out of the three is the oldest edition of Homer’s Odyssey that I viewed. It is held by The Grolier Club. It was printed in 1504 by Aldus Manutius and contains his printer’s device. This copy is encased in a beautiful 1829 green goatskin with gilt border-and-centerpiece design and Greek turn-ins that was probably bound by Charles Lewis in England. However, the original bindings would probably have been silk, velvet, or thinly skived goatskin. This edition has quite a bit of information on it, as it was used in an exhibit at The Grolier Club that was focused on Aldus Manutius printed works.
Next is a collection of engravings by John Flaxman not only of Homer’s Odyssey, but also of Homer’s Iliad, as well as of Hesiod’s and Aeschylus’ works. Flaxman’s engravings are apparently ‘the most famous illustrations of the Homeric text’, which after viewing these 14 books, I can definitely believe it because they were present in three of them. This edition of The Odyssey was from The Morgan Library & Museum.
And finally is the most recent edition I viewed, which was held by NYPL. Printed in 1940 it was translated from the Greek by T.E. Shaw [Lawrence of Arabia]. I personally wanted to highlight this edition, because I think it might be my favorite. I think it has a beautiful dust jacket and uncovered spine. Also, I really enjoy the illustrations that are included before each book. This is also a good edition to bring up the disagreements that came up about how to best translate the original Greek. I found a lot of critiques about it, as some people believed that only faithful translations were correct, while others thought that staying faithful to the meter was correct, while still others thought that ease of understanding was most important. Especially in the first years of translating The Odyssey into other languages, a lot of the critiques were hilariously harsh.
I really enjoyed this project, being able to research a topic I was interested, ‘collect’ items for exhibition by visiting various special collections, and then present it via website. Now I’m even more confused on what I want to do after graduating, because I’ve now added curation to the long list of positions I think I would enjoy, because it does combine research and object handling, two concepts I enjoy. Also, I wanted to briefly mention my experience going to the four different special collections. I was really surprised in how they worked, because the one that I thought would be the strictest (The Grolier Club), was not very strict at all, while NYPL and, more so, The Morgan Library were; for The Morgan, I had to run to get nailpolish remover right before my visit because I would have been denied access if I was seen with nail polish on my fingernails. I also visited Pratt, but I wasn’t expecting anything much because I work there and was familiar with the process.
Bibliography
Cartwright, M. (2017). Odyssey. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Odyssey/.
Clemons, G.S. (2015). Aldus Manutius: A Legacy More Lasting than Bronze. New York: The Grolier Club.
Dickerson, M.T. & D. O’Hara (2006). From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.
The Grolier Club (?). Online Catalog. Retrieved from http://grolier.vtls.com:3272/heading/search?theme=grolier.
The J. Paul Getty Museum (?). Collection. Retrieved from http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/.
Kennedy, L. (2018). Earliest Known Written Record of Homer’s Odyssey Found in Greece. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/homer-odyssey-fragment-found-ancient-greece.
Mathews, R. (2011). Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination. New York, NY: Routledge.
The Met (2000-2019). The Met Collection. Retrieved from https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection.
The Morgan Library & Museum (?). Search Collection. Retrieved from https://www.themorgan.org/search/collection.
The New York Public Library (2019). Research Catalog. Retrieved from https://www.nypl.org/research.
Plutarch (1996). Essay on the Life and Poetry of Homer. J.J. Keaney & R. Lamberton (Ed.). Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press.
Pratt Institute Libraries (?). Research & Discover. Retrieved from https://library.pratt.edu/.
Tracey, J. (?). The Complicated Radicalism of Emily Wilson’s The Odyssey. Retrieved from http://blog.pshares.org/index.php/the-complicated-radicalism-of-emily-wilsons-the-odyssey/.
Young, O.H. (2003). The Printed Homer: A 3000 Year Publishing History of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.