With last week’s recommendations focusing on the fairer sex this week’s book recommendations look at some of the more unexpected men who have helped to mold the world into its modern shape.

The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters

Regarded as the father of Western Literature Homer has inspiring countless works of emulation, from Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ to the Cohen brother’s ‘Oh Brother, Where Art Tou?’. Being so well regarded there is little chance of this ancient Greek poet ever being forgotten. This popularity and recognition brings its own dangers though.

With so many references and interpretations of ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’ available Homer’s own works can easily be lost. Inspired by an epiphany while sailing along the Irish west coast Adam Nicholson began his own journey to rediscover Homer’s works and the passion and lessons they hold. Looking at the different interpretations and readings of Homer through time Nicholson looks at how this ancient author affects and is affected by time and place.

‘The Mighty Dead’ is Nicholson’s attempt to unwrap Homer’s works and try and uncover the lessons that lie within. Though we no longer live in the violent world where Odysseus and Achilles thrived their stories can impart wisdom for us today. This book makes it clear why Homer’s writings are still relevant and is a great read for anyone interested in these epics and how they can be used to trace the changing, or unchanging as the case may be, ideas around masculinity.

Michelangelo: His Epic Life

While Homer looms large in the world of literature there are few names as great in the world of art as Michelangelo. Working throughout the High Renaissance he created some of the most recognisable and beloved works of art and sculpture from this period of genius. A servant of the great Medicis and eight different popes he helped define the tastes of the time, earning himself the nickname ‘the divine one’ and cementing his place in history.

His fame was so great that two biographies were written while he still lived, a first for a Western artist. These and later works helped to capture the amazing time in which Michelangelo lived. A servant of some of the most influential men in the world Michelangelo’s life stretched through the Italian Wars, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the rise and fall of the Medici’s, and Charles V’s sacking of Rome. When he died in 1565 the world was a far different place from the one he had first seen.

In his latest artistic biography Martin Gayford draws on the plethora of information available to create a vivid portrait of Michelangelo. This trove of sources is double edged however. There are few discoveries to find on a well worn path and there are few surprises in Gayford’s biography. That said ‘Michelangelo’ is a good read for anyone interested in the life of one of history’s greatest artists, it just won’t shed any new light for those familiar with his turbulent life.

Shackleton: By Endurance We Conquer

Ernest Shackleton in many ways epitomised the great men Homer and Michelangelo tried to capture in words, stone, and art. An adventurous spirit his leadership and bravery have ensured that he is remembered as one of the greatest figures from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. What makes his legacy that much greater is that it is not founded on sacrifice and success but rather survival.

A seasoned naval officer Shackleton began his career as an explorer in 1901 as part of the Discovery Expedition. This and his later expedition on the Nimrod in 1907 did much to further understanding of the Antarctic, helping to pave the way for Amundsen’s journey to the South Pole in 1911. Never comfortable standing still Shackleton embarked on another adventure in 1914, this time hoping to traverse the great southern continent.

The so-called Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition failed when their ship, the Endurance, became crushed by sea ice. Stuck on the ice Shackleton and his 28 man crew were forced to make camp and survive. With their ship gone and adrift on the shifting ice though there was no hope of rescue. In a daring move Shackleton crossed the dangerous and stormy South Georgia in one of the open topped lifeboats.

This daring decision and strong leadership by Shackleton himself eventually saw every man from the expedition rescued. This amazing tale cemented Shackleton’s already formidable reputation. In ‘By Endurance We Conquer’ accomplished chronicler of polar exploration Michael Smith recounts the life of Ernest Shackleton, from his exploits on the ice to his unsettled time at home. Anyone interested in tales of adventure, polar exploration or Shackleton himself should get a copy of this book.