Jul 29, 2026 - Culture

Nolan's "The Odyssey" sends Philly library waitlists soaring

Mike D'Onofrio

Close-up of a book cover showing "ODYSSEY" by HOMER in blue letters with gold serif title on a light background and decorative illustration. Surrounding are candle jars and tins in a dim, warm setting. — Photo: Jackie Molloy for The Washington Post via Getty

Getting your hands on "The Odyssey" isn't quite as daunting as Odysseus' journey back home to his wife, but Christopher Nolan's new film is fueling a run on Homer's epic at the Philadelphia Free Library.

Why it matters: Interest in the 2,700-year-old tale is on the rise, causing library waitlists for the book to grow by the day.

Driving the news: One of the most in-demand editions is University of Pennsylvania professor Emily Wilson's translation —which Nolan credited with inspiring his film — a library spokesperson tells Axios.

Zoom in: There are roughly 100 holds for the library's 13 print copies of Wilson's book.

The ebook waitlist is worse: 400+ holds

By the numbers: The library's collection includes 37 distinct versions of "The Odyssey" across all formats, running from traditional print editions to graphic novels. There's also:

📱 Ebooks: More than 200 copies of seven editions (many of which are checked out)
🎧 Digital audiobooks: 43 (with more than 525 people waiting).

1 fun thing: Start reading now with an "always available" ebook version.

What's next: The library is expected to buy more licenses for ebooks and audiobook versions of "The Odyssey" to try to reduce wait times.

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Nolan's "The Odyssey" sends Philly library waitlists soaring

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