Seven Greek cities claim the honor of being the birthplace ofย Homerย (c. 8thโ7th century BC), the poet to whom the composition of theย Iliadย and theย Odysseyย are attributed. Theย Iliadย is the oldest surviving work of Western literature, but the identityโor even the existenceโof Homer himself is a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical information having survived.
E. V. Rieuย initiated Penguin Classics with Allen Lane, and his famous translation of theย Odysseyย was the first book published in the series in 1947.ย The Iliadย followed in 1950.
Coralie Bickford-Smithย is an award-winning designer at Penguin Books, where she has created several highly acclaimed series designs. She studied typography at Reading University and lives in London.