Gods, Demigods and Demons: A Handbook of Greek Mythology

By Bernard Evslin

Book Overview

"Gods, Demigods and Demons" is a concise, yet wide-ranging encyclopedia of Greek mythology that promises hours of delight for the classics enthusiast. Names, places and events are described in exciting, briefly-told tales of the gods of the Olympian pantheon. Here too are the demigods, demons, heroes, and many of the great cycles, fables and nature myths. The entries are well-balanced, readable and informative. They evoke the majesty, as well as the all-too-human foibles, of the Greek deities and their acolytes. At the same time, they bring the colourful world of Greek myth to life without providing more detail than is required for maximum enjoyment of the stories. Whether they find themselves caught up by the single combat of Hector and Achilles before the looming walls of Troy; or find themselves transported, like Odysseus, by the haunting and deadly song of the Sirens; or are thrilled by the quest of Jason and his Argonauts for the fabled Golden Fleece - fans of ancient history will find countless tales here to appreciate and return to again and again. "Gods, Demigods and Demons" is both a helpful guide and a treasure-trove of pleasurable reading.
It will be an indispensable companion to the ancient Greeks' religion and the gods that they worshipped.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845113217
• ISBN13: 9781845113216
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent reference tool

This is by far the best Greek Mythology reference book I've ever used. It is in encyclopedia form, making information easy to access and decipher. Bernard Evslin has included all relevant information on each topic and goes even further by providing rare factoids in various entries. Although this book is very hard to find, it is well worth the price (I think I paid $3.00). Easy layout and complete information make this this book a treasure among a sea of look-a-likes.

A shame it's out of print

This is an excellent reference of almost any Greek myth of importance, including the illiad and the odyssey. If you want an excellent reference, with better than dictionary definitions, each citation comes with a brief but detailed account of each "character's" significance, than this is the one for you.

Stunning!

Of all the mythology books I've read (which is quite an extensive list), this is by far the best of them. Bernard Evslin's book is extremely detailed and contains only known and proven facts and no minor little things that have no use to further a story. Now this is not a book with plot, so don't purchase it mistaking it for one with a story line. What it does do, though, is give you a list of Greek mythological characters and tell you about them, much in the form of an encyclopedia. Many lists of classical mythology characters include only major people and gods. Not this book. It contains so many more than just major ones. It has gods and mortals that I have not been able to find information about in any other way. It also includes many stories of Greek mythology. Besides mythological charcters, it alsoincludes major objects or events like the phoenix, Pandora's box, or the Trojan War. ALso, also, almost every mythology story is in here, from the birth of Zeus to the capture of Persephone. By far superb to all others. A great buy for a cheap price. Recommended for people who already know quite a bit about mythology, figuring it doesn't make things easy to understand for beginners.