FAQ

Q: My institution's library has an extensive collection of reproductions of
original Greek manuscripts, but we don't have the Lost Books. Why?

A: The sole extant copy of the Lost Books is in the British Museum (probably.
See below.) In the tradition of that venerable, august and under-funded
institution, they disseminate even vital scholarly work more or less as the
spirit moves them. For this reason the best way to examine the original
manuscript (of a copy of a copy) of the Lost Books is (or rather, was) to go
to London.

Q: I've been to the British Museum, and found the Lost Books in the catalog,
but neither I nor the librarians can find it in the stacks.

A: In 1998 there was a major renovation of the British Museum and a thorough
modernization of the indexing system. So modernized has the collection become
that the Lost Books, perhaps the rarest surviving Helladic document, was
misplaced. I have requested several searches, which have eventually been
made, turning up nothing. Presumably it is in a box somewhere in the
rabbit-warren limbo that is the Museum's "secondary" collection. Perhaps it
is in the store-rooms below the subway tunnels that housed the government
during the Blitz. Or worse yet, it could have been purloined (security was
never the Museum's strong point) and will briefly surface on the rare
manuscript market prior to disappearing into a wealthy and (justifiably)
secretive collector's library. Or worst of all, it could have been destroyed
by damp or rats or fire, making the blurry mimeographes in my office drawer the
sole remaining record.

Q: The Greek government has demanded that the Lost Books manuscript be
returned to them along with the Elgin marbles. Their Prime Minister has
described the manuscript as, "An essential part of the unique literary and
cultural heritage of Greece that belongs to the Greek people and in this epoch
of post-colonialism must be returned." What do you think about that?

A: I am in favor of the Greek government obtaining possession of the Lost
Books, provided they find it first (see above). Beyond that, the business of
states has long been, in part, looting each others' treasures - questions of
ownership rights seem moot after enough centuries and cultural shifts. I
would say that the Elgin marbles, for instance, belong to the city-state of
Athens, which was utterly annihilated millenia ago, and if the present
inhabitants of geographic Athens, who have only the most attenuated genetic
and cultural connections to that vanished city, wish to collect its treasures,
then good luck to them. For me, the notion of a right to an antique objet
d'art is as meaningless as that of a right to an antique literary trope.

Q: The Lost Books of the Odyssey seems to function less like a traditional
Homeric epic and more like a sort of post-modern self-contained literary
universe. Can you explain?

A: Post-modernism dates back to pre-antiquity. Recall that Achilles's shield
is embossed with an extremely intricate image that depicts, among many other
things, Achilles's shield. And in the Aeneid, Aeneas goes to Carthage and
finds an ancient temple carved with a frieze depicting the events of the
Trojan war that was then still winding down. Nihil sub sole novum.

Q: I have found another historical source that mentions the Lost Books. Are
you interested in hearing about it?

A: I congratulate you, and thank you for your interest. I am, however, moving
on from the Lost Books, after having dedicated many years of my life to it
almost exclusively. I recommend you publish your work through the usual
channels and make your discovery available to the general community of
interested scholars.

Q: Where can I learn more about the algorithms used to decrypt the Lost Books?

A: James tells me that the the majority of the techniques he used are still
classified, and likely to remain so for at least another decade. Certain
elements of his work have been published in mainstream venues for academic
cryptography.

Q: The algorithms described in the introduction seem to be impossible (even
for NSA).

A: I can hardly speak to that. I refer you to James or to the articles
describing his work. To be sure, it does seem like a prodigious achievement.
I can only say that the algorithms must be possible, because otherwise my
translation would not have been made.

Q: How can I contact Dr. James Styrszinksi?

A: James has left NSA and is now involved with an early stage venture-backed
start-up company. For security and intellectual property reasons, he is not
interested in discussing the technical details or implications of his work.
To secure his privacy, I have given "James" a pseudonym.

Q: What do you think of the many books in Western literature that are
variations on the Odyssey? (Joyce's Ulysses foremost among them.)

A: I think that The Lost Books of the Odyssey, which are contemporary with or
prior to the actual Odyssey, are the first element in a long sequence of books
in the genre of variations on the Odyssey. A man drifting in the sea through
dangerous faerie lands with war behind him and a beloved isle before him,
which is the seed of the Odyssey, can grow into a shocking variety of forms.

Q: I am a member of the Theosophical Society and/or a devotee of the mystic
writings of Madame Blavatsky. I think your book gives short shrift to my
beliefs/is an abominable heresy/is spiritually revelatory and I wish to turn
to you for spiritual guidance.

A: I wish you joy of your beliefs but do not wish to hear from you.