Shelfology Book Pairing

by Homer

The Odyssey, translated by T. E. Lawrence, an epic 12,000-line poem composed over 2,700 years ago, is the first adventure story in Western literature. It describes the ten-year wanderings of Odysseus in his quest to return home after the Trojan War. Hounded by the sea-god Poseidon and championed by the goddess Athene, he encounters giants, sorceresses, and sea monsters before finally reaching his beloved Ithaca. There he must endure the taunts of the Suitors to his queen, Penelope, who have taken up residence in his palace. At once enchanting fairy tale and gripping drama, the Odyssey is eminently readable, not least for the rich complexity and magnetism of its hero. An inspiration to writers as diverse as Virgil, Swift, and Joyce, the Odyssey has proved enormously influential and continues to captivate readers of all ages.

by John Stuart Mill

For John Stuart Mill, freedom is the "first and strongest desire of human nature" and only enables the individual to fully develop his faculties, mind and morals. All state and social action must accordingly be directed toward granting the individual free development, while his freedom, as Mill formulates it in a principle known as the "principle of liberty," may be restricted under one condition: in order to protect himself or another person. Interventions by the state or society, on the other hand, aimed at forcing the individual to behave in a way that they believe is better or wiser or makes the individual happier are, according to Mill, unlawful and must be avoided at all costs. Gröls Classics - English Edition