Finley analyzes the world of Ancient Greece and the important figures associated with that time period. The major events take place in the Mediterranean Basin centered upon Greece, her surrounding islands, and Asia Minor. This time period of mythological hysteria and heroic role models is explained and assessed in great detail by the author. As a well-known historian, the author provides the reader with a strong sense of reliance, as the author persistently deals out information and expresses his historically-backed opinion throughout the course of the book. The author carefully analyzes the well-known stories of Ancient Greece, primarily The Odyssey and Iliad, which are accepted as accurate sources of Ancient Greek history. As he divides the book into five chapters, the author organizes his data while carefully providing the reader with historical relevant background data. .
In one of the chapters known as "Homer and the Greeks," the author provides the reader with basic information of Ancient Greece as well as information on The Odyssey and Iliad, the two books on which this book is based upon. In another chapter, referred to as "Wealth and Labor," the author successfully supplies the reader with a larger knowledge base for what the Ancient Greek period was like. Economic and social traits of the period are discussed, with an emphasis of the role of the average Greek man. Throughout the rest of the book, the author carefully continues to assess the roles of Greek man and his relations and beliefs as told through The Odyssey and Iliad.
The most interesting aspect of The World of Odysseus, is the smoothly flowing relationship between the mythological stories and the historical facts. The author rarely explains the great stories of the gods and heroes of Ancient Greece without identifying it's historical impact, relating it to actual events, or explaining how it describes the values and morals of the men living in Greece in that time period.