-
The Odyssey
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Iliad
- By: Homer, Robert Fagles - translator
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, Maria Tucci
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dating to the ninth century BC, Homer’s timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to the wrenching, tragic conclusion of the Trojan War. Renowned classicist Bernard Knox observes in his superb Introduction that although the violence of the Iliad is grim and relentless, it coexists with both images of civilized life and a poignant yearning for peace.
-
-
Abridged
- By Amazon Customer on 10-15-18
By: Homer, and others
-
The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
-
-
Good but the chapters aren't IN ORDER
- By Maggie on 10-18-17
By: Virgil
-
The Iliad
- Penguin Classics
- By: Homer, E. V. Rieu - translator
- Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death.
-
-
The greatest book Mankind has to offer.
- By OkamiOki on 03-18-21
By: Homer, and others
-
The Hobbit
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Andy Serkis
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of 13 dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day, to whisk him away on a journey "there and back again". They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
-
-
Andy Serkis Was Sheer Perfection
- By Barbara Lunz on 09-22-20
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
The Fellowship of the Ring
- Book One in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Rob Inglis
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in the trilogy, tells of the fateful power of the One Ring. It begins a magnificent tale of adventure that will plunge the members of the Fellowship of the Ring into a perilous quest and set the stage for the ultimate clash between the powers of good and evil.
-
-
Audiobook version better than I had hoped
- By James W. on 10-31-18
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
To Kill a Mockingbird
- By: Harper Lee
- Narrated by: Sissy Spacek
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south - and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred, available now for the first time as a digital audiobook. One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the 20th century by librarians across the country.
-
-
It's all about timing and time
- By Fletch on 08-02-14
By: Harper Lee
-
The Iliad
- By: Homer, Robert Fagles - translator
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, Maria Tucci
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dating to the ninth century BC, Homer’s timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to the wrenching, tragic conclusion of the Trojan War. Renowned classicist Bernard Knox observes in his superb Introduction that although the violence of the Iliad is grim and relentless, it coexists with both images of civilized life and a poignant yearning for peace.
-
-
Abridged
- By Amazon Customer on 10-15-18
By: Homer, and others
-
The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
-
-
Good but the chapters aren't IN ORDER
- By Maggie on 10-18-17
By: Virgil
-
The Iliad
- Penguin Classics
- By: Homer, E. V. Rieu - translator
- Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death.
-
-
The greatest book Mankind has to offer.
- By OkamiOki on 03-18-21
By: Homer, and others
-
The Hobbit
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Andy Serkis
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of 13 dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day, to whisk him away on a journey "there and back again". They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
-
-
Andy Serkis Was Sheer Perfection
- By Barbara Lunz on 09-22-20
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
The Fellowship of the Ring
- Book One in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Rob Inglis
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in the trilogy, tells of the fateful power of the One Ring. It begins a magnificent tale of adventure that will plunge the members of the Fellowship of the Ring into a perilous quest and set the stage for the ultimate clash between the powers of good and evil.
-
-
Audiobook version better than I had hoped
- By James W. on 10-31-18
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
To Kill a Mockingbird
- By: Harper Lee
- Narrated by: Sissy Spacek
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south - and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred, available now for the first time as a digital audiobook. One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the 20th century by librarians across the country.
-
-
It's all about timing and time
- By Fletch on 08-02-14
By: Harper Lee
-
Lord of the Flies
- By: William Golding
- Narrated by: William Golding
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marooned on a tropical island, alone in a world of uncharted possibilities, and devoid of adult supervision or rules, a group of British boys begins to forge a society with its own unique rules and rituals.
-
-
Mispronounces Conch
- By Amazon Customer on 05-10-20
By: William Golding
-
The Grapes of Wrath
- By: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott
- Narrated by: Dylan Baker
- Length: 21 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shocking and controversial when it was first published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer prize-winning epic The Grapes of Wrath remains his undisputed masterpiece. Set against the background of Dust Bowl Oklahoma and Californian migrant life, it tells of Tom Joad and his family, who, like thousands of others, are forced to travel west in search of the promised land. Their story is one of false hopes, thwarted desires, and broken dreams, yet out of their suffering Steinbeck created a drama that is intensely human, yet majestic in its scale and moral vision.
-
-
Harmonica..
- By Danielle on 09-22-18
By: John Steinbeck, and others
-
Fahrenheit 451
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: Tim Robbins
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family."
-
-
Wish I Hadn't Cliff Noted This in High School
- By Joel on 03-27-17
By: Ray Bradbury
-
Mythology
- By: Edith Hamilton
- Narrated by: Suzanne Torren
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since its original publication by Little, Brown and Company, in 1942, Edith Hamilton's Mythology has sold millions of copies throughout the world and established itself as a perennial best-seller in its various available formats. Mythology succeeds like no other audiobook in bringing to life for the modern listener the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths and legends that are the keystone of Western culture - the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.
-
-
Good reading of classical myths
- By Kathi on 03-18-13
By: Edith Hamilton
-
The Great Gatsby
- By: F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Narrated by: Jake Gyllenhaal
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel of the Roaring Twenties is beloved by generations of readers and stands as his crowning work. This new audio edition, authorized by the Fitzgerald estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal's performance is a faithful delivery in the voice of Nick Carraway, the Midwesterner turned New York bond salesman, who rents a small house next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby....
-
-
Gyllenhaal is an incredible narrator
- By Lauren on 04-24-13
-
Norse Mythology
- By: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people.
-
-
Great book
- By Amazon Customer on 12-05-19
By: Neil Gaiman
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
Gilgamesh
- A New English Version
- By: Stephen Mitchell - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This brilliant new treatment of the world's oldest epic is a literary event on par with Seamus Heaney's wildly popular Beowulf translation. Esteemed translator and best-selling author Stephen Mitchell energizes a heroic tale so old it predates Homer's Iliad by more than a millennium.
-
-
A defense of this "translation"
- By George on 07-16-08
-
Catch-22
- By: Joseph Heller
- Narrated by: Jay O. Sanders
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy - it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he's assigned, he'll be in violation of Catch-22.
-
-
Stop randomly adding music
- By Kenneth S. Clark on 08-31-18
By: Joseph Heller
-
Macbeth: Fully Dramatized Audio Edition
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, is among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language. Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, Macbeth murders the king in order to succeed to the throne. Tortured by his conscience and fearful of discovery, he becomes fatally enmeshed in a web of treachery and deceit.
-
-
excellent
- By Laura W. on 05-25-18
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
-
-
Divine Comedy
- By Tbaley on 05-27-15
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.
-
-
Great Bio Followed by Milton's Masterpiece
- By Thomas Phelan on 01-10-11
By: John Milton
Publisher's Summary
Homer's masterpiece tells the story of Odysseus, the ideal Greek hero, as he travels home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, a journey of 10 years and countless thrilling adventures. Rich in Greek folklore and myth, featuring gods and goddesses, monsters and sorceresses, The Odyssey has enchanted listeners around the world for thousands of years.
Mandelbaum's robust, romantic, lyrical translation has an openness and immediacy unsurpassed by any other. Read aloud, it is a wonderful way to experience this enduring classic.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Odyssey
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sher from Provo
- 01-20-12
A True Classic
This book has probably been on my "to-read" list since high school. I finally decided to read it when I acquired an audio version of it read by the incomparable Derek Jacobi. I obtained a physical copy of the same translation, and read along with the narration. It was a fabulous experience. The translation was by Allen Mandelbaum, and is extremely well done. I have read parts of several other translations, and to me, nothing comes close to this one because of the way Mandelbaum has tried to stay true to the poetic nature of the story. It is all set in Iambic Pentameter, just as the original was. I can only imagine how long it must have taken him to set it up so poetically, and yet stay true to the story of Odysseus and all his trials. The story is not hard to follow once you get used to the fact that the gods can work a lot of tricks. They can transform themselves or anyone into anything, or any other human being. It is quite a talent. But it makes for some fascinating situations. In the end, I was entertained by the story line, enchanted with the narrator, and in love with the poetry, not to mention in awe of the fabulous Homer, who wrote this story so many centuries ago. I am so happy that it has been preserved for all to enjoy today.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Linda
- 07-18-14
Fascinating Classic Tale // Excellent reader
Though this is a prose translation (not the original poetry), it is an excellent listening experience. It flows beautifully and is full of imagery. Derek Jacobi's wonderful voice and expression is a major reason for the success of this audio book. I've long known the individual events in this adventure, but this is the first time I've heard the whole journey.
I'm sure I'll listen to this again and again over the years.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nancy Lary
- 10-31-18
Great Speaker, Bad Deliverance
I really liked the way that Derek Jacobi narrated this book, but what I didn’t like was how the audio skipped multiple pages at a time and picked up on a random paragraph. I also really don’t like how it’s separated into chapters and not books like it is on the actual hard copy.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- CL
- 01-11-18
Doesn't use books, but chapters
Any additional comments?
The performance is great. I wish they had diivided the recordings into the original 'Books" rather than sections. I can't find where one book ends and another continues, which makes it frustrating to find the break to pick just one book.
That is the only reason why I scored it so low.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Collette T Holzer
- 09-20-15
Well described and define version
This book was so very wonderful! The characters were so defined by Derek Jacobi that I never became lost. I would most definitely want to listen to this version again.
A student of Highbury Tutorials
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nemo
- 02-27-20
Simply perfect
Mandelbaum’s translation is totally underrated. His flawless iambic pentameter manages to be the most poetic of modern translations and yet is incredibly close to the original without fake “olden” vocabulary or contorted syntax. God knows how he got it right. Renowned Shakespearean actor Derek Jacobi’s reading, too, achieves a perfect balance of the dramatic and the poetic. If you can’t decide on an Odyssey to download, try this one!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A. Hunter
- 05-08-17
The book skips, and chp.'s are numbered different
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
No, because this book skips and the ch. in the book is different than the audible book.
What do you think your next listen will be?
Not sure.
What does Derek Jacobi bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Nice oration.
Did The Odyssey inspire you to do anything?
No.
Any additional comments?
The book needs to NOT skip around. The chapters in the book should be the same on audible.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- dionne
- 04-14-16
A classic, timeless masterpiece
Derek Jacobi gives an outstanding performance of a book that one should read at least twice in their lives. I started this audio book with some hesitation because I said to myself "why should I listen to this when I already had read excerpts when I was at high school?" However Derek Jacobi narration is more than just an amazing interpretation; it is a captivating Shakespeariano that takes you to a timeless story, from fairytale to graphic gruesome reality, to the love for life. I would read it again
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- St Andrews
- 01-25-19
Jacobi's superb recitation
I don't normally listen to abridged audiobooks. However, this version is very good; the highlight being Jacobi's ability to bring the translation to life