How Many Pages Is The Odyssey Book In The Original Hardcover Version?
Can’t find the exact pagination for the classic translation—I just need the total for my ancient literature project. Which hardcover edition's page count is standard?
2025-07-16 12:44:04
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Lynn K
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8 Answers
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Melissa Lovell
As for the hardcover in stores, I wouldn’t have any idea what publisher is printing it and therefore how many pages it might contain. A standard Robert Fagles translated version would typically be around 500-600 pages or so, and a “reader’s edition” or other variation could be even smaller at around 300 pages or so. Right now I am reading “The Loyal Spartan” online which is a completely different story but builds a similar, huge, ancient world. It follows a soldier as he tries to uphold his oath to his commander during a long and bloody siege while political tensions come to a head in dramatic fashion. So while not The Iliad, it’s a pretty epic read, almost like an epic tome in its own right.
2026-08-06
Harlow
I was quite surprised by the thickness of ‘The Odyssey’ in high school, my hardcover copy came in at around 400 pages, however translations of Homer’s work come in greatly differing lengths. My 1990 edition by Robert Fitzgerald comes in at around 480 pages, whereas the 2018 version by Emily Wilson comes in at a much larger 600 pages +, due to copious notes on end.
The page count of a translation also tends to reveal their priorities between a beautiful, poetic rendition of the original and full, accurate scholarship. While a short version like Aquila’s is useful for a first perusal of Homer, a mid-length translation such as that by Fagles is probably better for serious study. The hardcover editions of such translations are also very beautifully bound and make useful additions to any bookshelf.
2025-07-18
Rowan
'The Odyssey' is one of my favorite novels. The original hardcover edition of ‘The Odyssey’ by Penguin Classics that I have is approximately 384 pages in size. Although the novel is quite dense, the translation by Robert Fagles makes it very easy to read. Typically, hardcover editions of ‘The Odyssey’ contain approximately 350-400 pages of text, depending on the publisher and the font size. Therefore, if you are searching for a specific edition of ‘The Odyssey’, I would suggest checking the ISBN number of the book or the publisher’s website for more information on the exact specifications of the novel. The novel is ancient but it feels timeless, and the hardcover editions of ‘The Odyssey’ contain many notes and maps to help guide the reader through the novel.
2025-07-20
Presley
Many editions of 'The Odyssey' are available, including many hardcover editions. These editions may vary in length. For example, the 1996 Robert Fagles translated version is 384 pages long in its hardcover edition. The 1961 hardcover edition by Richmond Lattimore is approximately 420 pages long in its hardcover edition.
What the page count does include, however, is introductions to the book and to the translator, as well as footnotes and essays. So a “leaner” edition without all that material might well be shorter than a richer edition with lots of notes, for example. As an example of the sort of longer edition I mean, the 2017 hardcover edition of The Odyssey from Norton, translated by Emily Wilson and with very full comment, runs to 582 pages.
2025-07-21
Irene Cleary Haslett
And are you referring to the actual poem, or to a specific edition (perhaps with facing Greek text) that is of unusual size or layout? I am thinking of the Loeb Classical Library two-volume hardcover edition with Greek and English, each about 400 pages long. That is not for casual reading!
By standard English translation, I assume you are looking for a version of decent readability, rather than an abridgment, heavily annotated academic version, or other specialty press book with odd page configurations. Standard paperback editions by popular publishers such as Penguin, Everyman’s Library, and Modern Library generally run 400-550 pages or so.
2026-08-01
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