A commentary with an introduction that describes the features of oral poetry and discusses the history of the text of the Odyssey. Jones provides a line-by-line commentary that explains the many factual details, mythological allusions, and Homeric conventions that a student or general reader could not be expected to bring to an initial encounter with the Odyssey. His notes also enhance an appreciation of the Odyssey by illuminating epic style, Homer's methods of composition, his characterization, and the structure of the work.