THE ILIAD OF HOMER translated by ALEXANDER POPE 1715 - 1720 VERY RARE - THREE FINE LEATHER BINDINGS - RARE FIRST FOLIO EDITION - ORIGINAL LEATHER FOLIO'S 12.0" x 8.0" Inches. LONDON: Printed by W. Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott between the Temple-Gates. 1715-1720. FIRST FOLIO EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. FOLIO. 12.0" x 8.0" Inches. (LxB). 6 volumes bound in three. Complete as issued with the list of subscribers, 6 privilege ff., beautifully illustrated with fine copper-engravings, including the rare frontispiece bust of Homer by George Vertue (not found in many copies), a double-page map of Homeric Greece and Phrygia, three plates (one folding), including the beautiful full-page plate depicting in ornate and accurate detail the Siege of Troy, the often missing “Shield of Achilles” plate present and numerous initials and elaborate head- and tail-pieces. Bound in the original early 18th century full calf leather boards. This is the original folio issue, with priv. leaf in vol.1 in 30 lines, and is exceptionally scarce. List of subscriber's includes Joseph Addison, William Congreve, M. Prior, N. Rowe, R. Steele, Dean Swift, Christopher Wren etc. The Iliad of Homer was a poetic interpretation of the original Homeric poem undertaken by Alexander Pope, published serially from 1715 to 1720. It was followed by Pope's similar interpretation of The Odyssey of Homer in 1725. Pope’s translation of Homer’s Iliad has been justly lauded for centuries. No less a genius than Samuel Johnson considered this the finest work in all of English poetry (certainly after Shakespeare) and the culmination of the development of English literature. Encouraged by Swift, Addison, and Steele, among others, Pope spent his formative years as a poet translating Homer, he began his translation in 1713, an arduous undertaking that would prove to be the most laborious literary enterprise of his life, but one to which he was well-suited, and in his translation he successfully found a style that answers the sublimity and grace of Homer. Retells the events of the war between Greece and the city of Troy, focusing on Achilles' quarrel with Agamemnon. Ancient Greek poet Homer established the gold standard for heroic quests and sweeping journeys with his pair of classic epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Pope’s long-lasting literary fame rests to a large degree on the great success and extensive influence of these translations. A classic work.