This edition of the Iliad, abridged and translated by the noted critic and translator I. A. Richards, has made this classic work of literature available to modern readers since 1958 in a remarkably readable version. Mr. Richards has cut many passages that are not essential to the storyline and has omitted books 2, 10, 13, and 17. Removing the stylized decoration that can hinder a nonspecialist reader, he makes the language of the poem clearly accessible, and his narrative condensation allows the action to stand out boldly.