It is the tenth year of the siege of Troy, and no one knows who will win. The gods watch from Mount Olympus and fight, too, some for the Greeks and some for the Trojans. There are battles and quarrels, and Achilles--the greatest warrior among the Greeks--refuses to fight any longer. But then the Trojan champion Hector kills Achilles's great friend, and Achilles goes out to avenge him. Homer's great epic poem is brought to life in this critically acclaimed retelling. Heroic sagas, myths and legends evoking magical times long past, fairy tales and fantasies--they all come together in this collection of new and newly-reissued titles in Oxford's classic Story Collections series (formerly Myths and Legends ). Each of these handsome books brings together both familiar and little-known stories from a culture rich in folklore and tradition. The myths and stories--of bloodthirsty Vikings, Gaelic knights, Chinese ghosts and demons, Indian princes and heroes--supply a textured, living background to history and a more in-depth understanding of a world culture.

Redesigned covers, compact size, more illustrations, reduced price, and enhanced readability are the prominent new features of these reissues. The perfect introduction to the diversity of world cultures, the books in the Oxford Story Collections invite adults to let their children in on the beloved fantasy world of their own childhood. (reissue of ISBN 0-19-274147-0).