The Golden Age of Greek Heroes — James Baldwin

This book paves the way to an enjoyable reading of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey by presenting the legends about the causes of the Trojan War in a continuous narrative, ending where the story of the Iliad begins. The youthful Odysseus is the hero as he journeys to visit his grandfather Autolycus, then Nestor and Menelaus, hearing the old stories as he goes. I have taken the various legends relating to the causes of the Trojan war, and, by assuming certain privileges never yet denied to story-tellers, have woven all into one continuous narrative, ending where Homer's story begins. The hero of the Odyssey -- a character not always to be admired or commended -- is my hero. And, in telling the story of his boyhood and youth, I have taken the opportunity to repeat, for your enjoyment, some of the most beautiful of the old Greek myths.