Yeah, I have a few Harvards, but really the only reason is the nice binding for a few classic titles. The Arabian Nights is the Lane translation, and if you're going classic, you have to go Burton. Same for a few others - you can go older or newer, but there's no particular reason to go for the Harvards. Same for any big classics set.
That said it's not a bad place to start. I loved the Butler prose translation of the Iliad and Odyssey because it was fun to read and straightforward. Now that I have moved on and love Pope's and Lattimore's, I would recommend those over it - but if someone bought one, I wouldn't "tut tut" or anything.
My advice with translations is always to gather a few, read the first few pages or chapter in each, and go with the one that you like. There's always the chance you'll end up with a Bowdlerized version or something (I did with the Count of Monte Cristo, the old ~1850 anonymous translation) but if you enjoy the book that's what matters - you can always read it again or fill in the blanks.
That said it's not a bad place to start. I loved the Butler prose translation of the Iliad and Odyssey because it was fun to read and straightforward. Now that I have moved on and love Pope's and Lattimore's, I would recommend those over it - but if someone bought one, I wouldn't "tut tut" or anything.
My advice with translations is always to gather a few, read the first few pages or chapter in each, and go with the one that you like. There's always the chance you'll end up with a Bowdlerized version or something (I did with the Count of Monte Cristo, the old ~1850 anonymous translation) but if you enjoy the book that's what matters - you can always read it again or fill in the blanks.