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Classic Comparisons

Right away, we should point out that many of the versions listed in these pages are not consistently available here at Exodus. But even if they say "out of stock" the listings still have value! Many of them offer reviews, samples, links to internet versions, and much more. Please let us know if you have questions about anything here!

Once upon a time there was an old blind man with a harp. His name was Homer, and he spoke Greek, and he was really good at composing long poems about the adventures of Greek heroes. He never wrote anything down because that's just not how things were done back then, but other people did, and what Homer sang and they wrote we call The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Much more recently, you (or someone like you) stood in a bookstore and wondered why there were twelve thousand versions of these two relatively short books. Were there sequels? Did people other than Homer come up with the same stories? Or are there just different covers for one or two versions?

It's easy to resolve the problem by simply buying the least expensive copy. And it isn't just the works of Homer that present us with similar decisions: there are multiple editions of Virgil, Dante, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Cervantes' Don Quixote, etc. Does it matter which one you pick? Is cheapest always best?

Well, to quote a great philosopher, the price don't enter into it. The main reason there are so many versions of these books is because there are so many translations, and there are so many translations because foreign or ancient languages can be interpreted in so many ways. Choosing the best one can be exceedingly difficult, as each translation has its own strengths and weaknesses, and one size almost never fits all. With books written and published in English, there might be a wide selection of editions due to editorial changes or a variety of illustrators. Some books have had a number of retellings for children, and our goal is to familiarize you with which ones might best suit your needs.

That's why we've developed the Classic Comparisons pages. The issue here isn't to prove which version is the best—it's to help you figure out which version may become your favorite. Each page includes an original introduction to the text itself, links for further reading and activities online, an exclusive overview, kids' versions, and occasional extras. In the case of translation or editorial differences, we offer a side-by-side comparison chart of several versions, and if it's all about the illustrations, our pages will offer samples of the artwork. 

We started this section with an original dozen titles, but have several more in the works. Please be patient with us as several of those pages are still under construction! We hope you'll find these helpful, and that you'll learn as much from them as we did in making them.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
Did you find this review helpful?
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We Love Translations
Another site with a similar goal! She's done more of the French and Russian lit we have yet to do!
72 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 9th grade (Ages 14-15), Trade Paperback
Aeneid
by Virgil, translated by Robert Fagles
from Penguin Putnam
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$19.00
Aeneid
Penguin Classics
by Virgil, translated by David West
Reissue from Penguin Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$16.00
Aeneid
by Virgil, translated by Frederick Ahl
from Oxford University
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Aeneid
Penguin Classics
by Virgil, translated by Sarah Ruden
Reissue from Yale University Press
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$18.00
Aeneid - MP Teacher Guide
by Cody King
from Memoria Press
for 9th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$19.90
Alex O'Donnell and the 40 CyberThieves
by Regina Doman
from Chesterton Press
for 7th-10th grade
Ascent to Love
by Peter Leithart
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Classical Literature Guides (Location: LIR-CLA)
$16.00
Augustine on the Christian Life
Theologians on the Christian Life
by Gerald Bray
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
Augustine's Confessions
by Leland Ryken
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Literary Analysis & Reference (Location: LIR-LAR)
Beowulf
by Anonymous (translation by Frederick Rebsamen)
from HarperCollins
Medieval Poetic Epic for 8th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$9.99
Beowulf
by Anonymous (translation by Seamus Heaney)
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Medieval Poetic Epic for 8th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$15.95
Beowulf
by Robert Nye
from Laurel-Leaf Books
for 6th-10th grade
$5.99
Beowulf
by Anonymous, translated by Seamus Heaney
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Medieval Poetic Epic for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$24.95
Beowulf
by Anonymous, translated by Douglas Wilson
from Canon Press
for 7th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$14.00
Black Horses for the King
by Anne McCaffrey
from Magic Carpey Books
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Black Horses for the King
by Anne McCaffrey
from Del Rey
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress
by Leland Ryken
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Literary Analysis & Reference (Location: LIR-LAR)
Canterbury Tales
Penguin Classics
by Geoffrey Chaucer (edited by Nevill Coghill)
from Penguin Classics
Medieval Poetry for 8th-12th grade
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$11.00
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 9th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$13.60 $8.50 (1 in stock)
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer, translated by David Wright
from Oxford University
for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$8.95
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer, retold by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus
from Oxford University
Epic Poetry for 7th-9th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Canterbury Tales - Teacher Guide
by Geoffrey Chaucer
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$13.50 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Penguin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Penguin Classics
Social Satire/Comedy for 8th-10th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$10.00
Elfin Knight
by Edmund Spenser & Toby Sumpter
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$20.00
Gilgamesh
by Anonymous (translation by David Ferry)
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Ancient Poetic Epic for 7th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$15.00
Heroes of the City of Man
by Peter Leithart
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Classical Literature Guides (Location: LIR-CLA)
$25.00
Hood
The King Raven Trilogy Book 1
by Stephen R. Lawhead
First Edition from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
Iliad of Homer
by Homer (translation by Richmond Lattimore)
from University of Chicago
Ancient Literature/Epic Poetry for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$15.00
Iliad of Homer
by Anonymous (translation by Samuel Butler)
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 9th-Adult
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$14.70
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Milton's Paradise Lost
by Leland Ryken
1st edition from Crossway Books
for 9th-12th grade
in Literary Analysis & Reference (Location: LIR-LAR)
Odyssey
by Homer (translation by Robert Fitzgerald)
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Ancient Literature/Epic Poetry for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$16.00
Odyssey
by Homer (translation by Emily Wilson)
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 8th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$18.95
Odyssey (retold)
by Robin Lister & Alan Baker
from Kingfisher
for 7th-9th grade
Odyssey - MP Student Book
by Stephan Musick
from Memoria Press
for 9th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$13.60 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Odyssey - MP Teacher Book
by Stephan Musick
from Memoria Press
for 9th-12th grade
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$18.35 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Odyssey of Homer
by Homer (translation by Richmond Lattimore)
from HarperCollins
Ancient Literature/Epic Poetry for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$18.99
Odyssey of Homer
by Homer (translation by Samuel Butler)
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 9th-Adult
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$14.70
Old Western Culture Year 1 Volume 1 - Reader
by Wesley Callihan
from Roman Roads Media
for 9th-Adult
in Old Western Culture (Location: LITCUR-OWC)
Outlaws of Sherwood
by Robin McKinley
from ACE Publishing
for 8th-12th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$15.00
Pilgrim's Progress - Study Guide
by Maureen L. Bradley
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$9.99
Pilgrim's Progress in Modern English
by John Bunyan
from Bridge-Logos
Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 9th-Adult
in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17)
$19.99
Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English
by John Bunyan
from Moody Press
Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 9th-Adult
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Plutarch Project Volume 1
by Anne E. White
Revised from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 10
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 2
by Anne E. White
Revised from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 3
by Anne E. White
Revised from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 4
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 5
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 6
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 7
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 8
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch Project Volume 9
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Plutarch's Lives Volume I
by Plutarch, translated by John Dryden
from Modern Library
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$19.00
Practical Plutarch
by Anne E. White
1st edition from Anne E. White
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
from Oxford University
for 8th-12th grade
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$7.95
Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
from Dover Publications
for 8th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$11.00
Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe, with an introduction by Virginia Woolf
Reissue from Modern Library
for 8th-12th grade
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$9.00
Robinson Crusoe (adapted)
by Anne T. White (retells Daniel Defoe's classic), illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky
from Golden Books
for 6th-12th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Roman Lives
by Plutarch, translated by Robin Waterfield
Reissue from Oxford University
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$14.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Scarlet
The King Raven Trilogy Book 2
by Stephen R. Lawhead
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
by Anonymous, translated by Burton Raffel
Reprint from Signet Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$6.95
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
by Anonymous, translated by Brian Stone
from Penguin Classics
for 8th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$12.00
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
by Anonymous, edited by J.R.R. Tolkien, E.V. Gordon, and Norman Davis
2nd edition from Oxford University
for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight / Pearl / Sir Orfeo
by Anonymous, J. R. R. Tolkien (Translator)
from Mariner Books
Medieval Fairy Tale/Poetry for 8th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$16.99
Story of King Arthur and His Knights
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 1.
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10tth grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.95
Story of Robin Hood
by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford
from Schocken
for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 3.
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Story of the Champions of the Round Table
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 2
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 4
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.50
That Hideous Strength
Space Trilogy Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Fantasy for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
Tuck
The King Raven Trilogy Book 3
by Stephen R. Lawhead
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
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