PRESS RELEASE

Media Release
Contact: Publisher
1926 N. Woodrow Street Arlington, VA 22207
Phone: 703-276-9344 Toll Free:1-800-856-3060 Fax: 703-276-0193
email: info@RicherResourcesPublications.com
Website: www.RicherResourcesPublications.com
November, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Modern Translations of Homer’s Classics putting new life into 3000 year old stories

(Arlington, Virginia and Nanaimo, British Columbia) - Richer Resources Publications is proud to announce the historic release of new poetic translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. These works remain among the most popular classic texts for both academic and casual reading and yet have only rarely been translated into modern English, and never with such attention to Homer’s poetic sensibilities. When asked why these texts were brought to press, the publisher had this to say: “When I first read the Iliad and the Odyssey years ago, I was not aware of the existence of Mr. Johnston’s translations. The texts I read were, needless to say, a difficult first reading of these texts, but the beauty of the stories was nevertheless compelling. I decided then and there that a newer, modern poetic translation had to be found and made available to the general public so that anyone who has ever thought of reading these poems would have an opportunity to take in the spell-binding beauty of Homer’s words. And so, a search began and these translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are the result.”

These translations were designed primarily for people who are reading these Homeric texts for the first time. The texts are accompanied by complete glossaries, maps and other study aids intended to ensure that one’s initial ventures into the world of Homer’s classics are fruitful ones. The Iliad, composed between 800 and 700 B.C. and telling the story of a war which took place over 3000 years ago, is a true classic. The Odyssey, long a favorite of young and old alike, tells of Odysseus’ long voyage home from that war and the adventures that befall him.

“Johnston’s translation is extremely faithful to Homer’s Greek text, and yet at the same time is characterized by a very readable English style, so that the clarity and fluency of this translation set it apart from many other alternatives. The result is an interesting and evocative synthesis of a past vision and modern sensibilities.”

Dr. Anne Leavitt, Professor and Liberal Studies, Malaspina University-College

 

“Ian Johnston provides his readers with a clear and comprehensible translation of the Iliad that presents itself as a dynamic equivalent of the Greek original. Johnston captures the text with an eye to both accuracy and his modern readership.”      Dr. Andrew Porter, University of Missouri-Columbia.

Ian Johnston has long been a major contributor to the academic world of ancient and philosophic texts with his prolific works available online to anyone who accessed the johnstonia (qc) website. With over 5,000,000 hits to this site since its inception, it has become popular with students, teachers and others who ventured into the world of the classics. Now, for the first time, Mr. Johnston’s popular translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey are available in book form for the general public.

Mr. Johnston resides in British Columbia and Richer Resources Publications is in the United States just outside of Washington, DC. Both Mr. Johnston and the publisher are available by phone or in person for interviews relating to the release of these texts.