For those wishing to read critical and historical commentary on the Odyssey, there are a great many works available. The following is a very short list of suggestions.

Austin, Norman. Archery at the Dark of the Moon: Poetic Problems in Homer’s Odyssey. University of California, 1975.

Bloom, Harold. Homer: Modern Critical Views. NY: Chelsea House. 1986.

Finley, M.I., The World of Odysseus. New York: The Viking Press, 1954.

Griffin, Jasper. Homer: The Odyssey Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987

Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A Commentary on Homer’s Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Segal, Charles. Singers, Heroes and Gods in the Odyssey. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994.

Thalmann, William G., The Odyssey: An Epic of Return. NY: Twayne Publishers, 1992.

Twentieth Century Interpretations of the Odyssey: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Howard W. Clarke. Prentice-Hall, 1983.

There are a great many resources on the Internet as well, including an essay by the translator of this volume available at the following address:

http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/introser/homer.htm