The Complete World of Greek Mythology

by Richard Buxton

Book Overview

Greek myths are among the most complex and influential stories ever told. From the first millennium BC until today, the myths have been repeated in an inexhaustible series of variations and reinterpretations. They can be found in the latest movies and television shows and in software for interactive computer games. This book combines a retelling of Greek myths with a comprehensive account of the world in which they developed--their themes, their relevance...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0500251215
• ISBN13: 9780500251218
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 2.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.9" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Greek Myths

Good book for young children interested in this subject since pictures abound and captions tell a clear story. the text is more for late teens and above so the book has a good shelf life if bought when kids are young.

Like a lecture series sponsored by an art museum

This is a truly beautiful book, placing Greek myth in context. Well worth the price. The author's voice comes through quite nicely, and I do feel like I'm attending a lecture series at an art museum.

Well Constructed and Visually Engaging

I've been picking through the gamut of Greek myth texts for an introductory course, and I was fortunate to come across this beauty. It's not just a mythology text that the art historian can use, it's the ONLY classical myth "textbook" I have encountered that could legitimately appeal to art history classes. There are illustrations (usually color photos) on every page. The quality of the pages and binding itself is also really quality stuff. The narration is pretty standard. It's more of a summary text kind of thing than the various excerpts you find in other classical myth texts. I wouldn't use any of the other mythology texts, but this one makes a wonderful supplement to primary source material such as Homer, Hesiod and/or the tragedians. This thing raises the bar for the presentation of classical myth books.

The most beautiful book I have ever owned!

Not only does The Complete World of Greek Mythology give the reader a panoramic view of the major motifs of ancient Greek mythology, but there are breath-taking illustrations on every page. It is a magnificent book! And what a bargain. The publishers could easily charge twice as much. Tom Browder

Excellent.

An enormously engaging and highly explanatory work which details ancient greek religious beliefs and the works of the major playwrights and poets alike. What is of particular interest is how Gods and the stories of Myths of Gods and Godess's helped to explain the surrounding world to the people of the time. What is remarkable is these stories really were the first kind of documented evidence of humanity making sense of it's exsistance, purpose and meaning. A phenomena which has been occuring in revised and multi-cultural forms ever since. The Myths are surprising, intelligent and familair at once, they are remarkable informative and have much contemporary resonance. A classic work on a classic subject.