Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
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- Create Date：2021-03-24 12:28:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Edith Hamilton
- ISBN：0316438529
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Summary
Since its original publication by Little， Brown and Company in 1942， Edith Hamilton's Mythology has sold millions of copies throughout the word and established itself as a perennial bestseller in its various available formats: hardcover， trade paperback， mass market paperback， and e-book。 For 75 years readers have chosen this book above all others to discover the thrilling， enchanting， and fascinating world of Western mythology-from Odysseus's adventure-filled journey to the Norse god Odin's effort to postpone the final day of doom。 This exciting new deluxe， large-format hardcover edition， published in celebration of the book's 75th anniversary， will be beautifully packages and fully-illustrated throughout with all-new， specially commissioned four-color art， making it a true collector's item。
Reviews
Heidi
，
I still have fond memories of reading this in a hammock in the front yard in preparation for my first year of high school。 I have always wanted to go back and reread the whole thing。 I tried to listen to the audiobook last year but it was so dry I couldn't do it。 Reading it isn't a ton better: it is a collection that mostly summarizes many of the Greek myths， not a dramatic retelling of them。 However it is well-organized and gives a comprehensive overview of Greek mythology in such a thorough ye I still have fond memories of reading this in a hammock in the front yard in preparation for my first year of high school。 I have always wanted to go back and reread the whole thing。 I tried to listen to the audiobook last year but it was so dry I couldn't do it。 Reading it isn't a ton better: it is a collection that mostly summarizes many of the Greek myths， not a dramatic retelling of them。 However it is well-organized and gives a comprehensive overview of Greek mythology in such a thorough yet accessible way that I can see why it is considered a classic。 The only gripe I have is that Edith Hamilton editorializes a lot and her （often dated） opinions take away from the enjoyment of the stories。 I do appreciate that she credits her source material for each myth and gives details such as where and when the author was writing。 The last chapter gives a brief overview of Norse mythology and was honestly my favorite， so I guess I'll have to find a book on that next。 。。。more
Christian
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the mixtures of different styles （because of different sources） is a little awkward at the beginning， until you get used to it。also sometimes the source description and story itself could be better separated。my hardcover edition is very beautiful all arround， nice pictures， nice type-setting。
Teodor Zhelyazkov
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A must read for all who are curious in Greek mythology。 The author has gone above and beyond to gather these stories from a variety of Greek and Roman poets。 It is very interesting to see alternative versions of some of the myths and the reasoning behind those differences。 It contains everything from the myth of creation， through the great heroes - Jason， Hercules， Perseus， Theseus， the Trojan war， Odysseus's journey home， eight wonderful and tragic love stories and other less important myths an A must read for all who are curious in Greek mythology。 The author has gone above and beyond to gather these stories from a variety of Greek and Roman poets。 It is very interesting to see alternative versions of some of the myths and the reasoning behind those differences。 It contains everything from the myth of creation， through the great heroes - Jason， Hercules， Perseus， Theseus， the Trojan war， Odysseus's journey home， eight wonderful and tragic love stories and other less important myths and heroes。 It is quite comprehensive and easy to read with an invaluable insight into the Greek and Roman way of thinking。 Fascinating to find more evidence that the ancient people's motives， desires， wants， needs and ambitions are pretty much identical to ours today。Contrary to common belief， Zeus and the rest of the Olympians were not the most important gods to the ordinary Greek。 It was Demeter and Dionysus who were the ones that really mattered and were part of the everyday life of the Greeks。 Especially striking to see that drinking wine was a form of worshipping Dionysus as the Greeks could see 'the divine （wine and through it the god himself） enter their bodies and minds and make them incredibly courageous or cruel。'There is a section in the end dedicated to the Norse mythology。 It is fairly brief but it does manage to demonstrate the differences between the gods of the Greek and Roman people and the inhabitants of the Nordic lands。 Through that it also showcases the different mentality of these nations which is truly enriching。 。。。more
Jay Hall
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Magnificent translation and tellings of all the Greek myths。 Their imagination and creativity leaves one amazed。
Melcatt
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Originally published in 1942， Mythology by Edith Hamilton is considered a classic， fact I didn’t know when I picked this book up fascinated by the magnificent edition that makes it a collector item。 It can take some time to get used to Hamilton’s language， especially if you are not a native English speaker。 However after a while your mind adjust and the material flows delicately。 Her retelling contains all of the essentials Greek -and a tiny bit of Roman and Nordic- mythology tales， using a mix Originally published in 1942， Mythology by Edith Hamilton is considered a classic， fact I didn’t know when I picked this book up fascinated by the magnificent edition that makes it a collector item。 It can take some time to get used to Hamilton’s language， especially if you are not a native English speaker。 However after a while your mind adjust and the material flows delicately。 Her retelling contains all of the essentials Greek -and a tiny bit of Roman and Nordic- mythology tales， using a mix of different sources。 The author explains her choice of authors in her introductions to each tale。 I actually was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this， considering the fact that I already read quite a lot on the subject。 I agree on the fact that the book should have been called “Greek Mythology” and stayed at that， the Norse Mythology part being less that 5% of the entire book。 The author can be a bit opinionated sometimes， making some value judgments on some sources but otherwise undoubtedly care about her subject。This edition stands as one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen: I will keep this book with me forever。 I recommend it to anyone that enjoys mythology， this sublime edition can be a staple into anyone’s home。 。。。more
Michael Wilson
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Good Shit。 Not A Classics Guy Myself Tho。
Just Josie
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😍 IT JUST ARRIVED！😍It’s hands down one of the prettiest books I own。 I can’t wait to have these legends and tales told🤎💗🤎
Nico Bruin
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A great overview of （mostly） Greek mythology， though I think Stephen fry does it slightly better。A point in favour of Hamilton as opposed to Fry though is that she involves you more in her choice of sources， and often provides some historical context around those sources。
Sahni
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One of my new favorite books！ Absolute must-read！
Aaron
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Great book to give you a nice overview of Greek mythology， and a little beginner taste of Norse mythology。 The Black Dog & Leventhal is a must have。
Adam L。
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Well-regarded as a classic， albeit a little dry
Fernando Pavon
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Amazing collection of Greek mythology。 Easily digested and fun to read。 Wish there was a larger section on Norse mythology。
Allison
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This book encompasses many of what might be considered lesser known myths。 I enjoyed hearing new stories。 I appreciated that sources were cited throughout since there are many retellings。 I was surprised at the end by a brief chapter on Norse mythology。 It was by no means comprehensive but it does give some good background into why they are less known than the Greek myths。
Sonia
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I love mythology， especially Greek mythology， since I was a kid and this book does a great job telling all these stories。 It reads well， it's very enjoyable and interesting。 And I'm glad I got the anniversary hardcover version because the illustrations are just beautiful。 I love mythology， especially Greek mythology， since I was a kid and this book does a great job telling all these stories。 It reads well， it's very enjoyable and interesting。 And I'm glad I got the anniversary hardcover version because the illustrations are just beautiful。 。。。more
Marta
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This is a revered book on Greek mythology that many love。 If this was my first book on Greek gods， goddesses， heroes， and their exploits， I would have loved it， too。 However I already knew the stories， and have recently listened to Stephen Fry’s retelling， also to the Illiad and the Odyssey。 Compared to those， Hamilton’s mythology is a rather dry Cliff’s Notes version - the summary of the stories， with the life wrung out of them。 Also， why half a chapter on Norse mythology， when the Greek myths This is a revered book on Greek mythology that many love。 If this was my first book on Greek gods， goddesses， heroes， and their exploits， I would have loved it， too。 However I already knew the stories， and have recently listened to Stephen Fry’s retelling， also to the Illiad and the Odyssey。 Compared to those， Hamilton’s mythology is a rather dry Cliff’s Notes version - the summary of the stories， with the life wrung out of them。 Also， why half a chapter on Norse mythology， when the Greek myths are detailed？ Seemed tacked on and weak。 。。。more
James Scott
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Hamilton offers a broad overview of Greek and Roman Mythology， editing different versions of the tales into emotional and imaginative stories that feel both their age and a bracing modern engagement。 Unfortunately， she also adds on a bare chapter at the end that attempts to address Norse tales， but does so in such a sparing manner as to be wasteful of those rich tales。 What's more， she adds on editorial notes indicating she has no love for these stories and declares them a clear subordinate to t Hamilton offers a broad overview of Greek and Roman Mythology， editing different versions of the tales into emotional and imaginative stories that feel both their age and a bracing modern engagement。 Unfortunately， she also adds on a bare chapter at the end that attempts to address Norse tales， but does so in such a sparing manner as to be wasteful of those rich tales。 What's more， she adds on editorial notes indicating she has no love for these stories and declares them a clear subordinate to the Greco-Roman variety。 Given her lack of interest and lack of pages given to these stories， the book would actually feel richer and more complete if these final chapters were simply cut out。 。。。more
Jed Pido
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Very informative resource to teaching Mythology and Folklore。
Tom McNamara
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This survey of Greek mythology gives you the essential points of myths。 Most of them are things you will be familiar with， but this collection might shed some light on details you missed。 There are also a couple of chapters at the end of the book dealing with Norse mythology。
Ashley
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The title of this book is somewhat disingenuous。 Don’t go into it expecting a comprehensive look at world mythology; Hamilton’s focus is really （uh， Eurocentric） aimed toward Greek and Roman myths， with Norse mythology tacked on almost as an afterthought （which is a shame; it really left me wanting more）。 There’s nothing wrong with this per se， just know what you’re getting into before you crack this bad boy open。That being said， I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the aforement The title of this book is somewhat disingenuous。 Don’t go into it expecting a comprehensive look at world mythology; Hamilton’s focus is really （uh， Eurocentric） aimed toward Greek and Roman myths， with Norse mythology tacked on almost as an afterthought （which is a shame; it really left me wanting more）。 There’s nothing wrong with this per se， just know what you’re getting into before you crack this bad boy open。That being said， I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the aforementioned mythologies。 I wouldn’t recommend it as a person’s only point of reference—Hamilton pretty explicitly lays out her sources and biases—but it’s a good place to start。 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Maxwell Acton
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Good little summary of Greek mythology， perfect for whetting the appetite。
Michele Yan
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Not a easy book to get through but a very thorough account of Greek and Roman mythology。 I prefer the Greek part， mostly from Ovid and Apollodorus and to a lesser degree Homer， because of its romanticism and sharp insights into human nature。 The Roman part， mostly from Virgil’s later work such as the Aeneid which aims to create a hero for Rome， was good though it was a bit too functional and lacked the imagination I hoped。 Nevertheless， I can see it’s usefulness for the time from a historical pe Not a easy book to get through but a very thorough account of Greek and Roman mythology。 I prefer the Greek part， mostly from Ovid and Apollodorus and to a lesser degree Homer， because of its romanticism and sharp insights into human nature。 The Roman part， mostly from Virgil’s later work such as the Aeneid which aims to create a hero for Rome， was good though it was a bit too functional and lacked the imagination I hoped。 Nevertheless， I can see it’s usefulness for the time from a historical perspective。 Overall， it’s a worthy read and it helped me to connect the poems and tales in a chronological order from the more classic works I’ve read before。 Highly recommend for anyone who is not only interested in the characters of gods and goddesses but also the invincible spirit and sheer courage of the heroes and mortals who fight for what they believe in and are true to their hearts。 。。。more
Anna Porter Hall
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My mythology phase has come to a close。 This was a very informative book！ If only Thor was mentioned more than once。。。
Tanvi Nishar
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An interesting read for Greek Mythology lovers！ I especially enjoyed reading the lesser known myths and brief tales。 Definitely worth reading！
Phoenix Robles
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A classic overview of Greek and （some） Norse mythology。 *。。。
Colm
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A wonderful read and resource。 Summaries of all the Greco-Roman myths told in a very readable fashion drawing in multiple sources to tell the most complete version of the myth possible。
Veronica Gerolia
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I would love to have a physical copy of this book for my birthday！
Ella
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this has been a LONG time coming been reading a myth a week for a minute but 10/10
Lucy Langford
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4。5****This was great for Greek mythology- with family trees at the back of the book to aid understanding and it was great to see how these heroes and Gods all connect。 The author also wrote where the these stories are found and the source material she used （eg through tragic plays， or part of poetry） which was great for me for further research！ I also enjoyed how the author included different versions of the tales and who originally wrote these down- for example， there are different versions of 4。5****This was great for Greek mythology- with family trees at the back of the book to aid understanding and it was great to see how these heroes and Gods all connect。 The author also wrote where the these stories are found and the source material she used （eg through tragic plays， or part of poetry） which was great for me for further research！ I also enjoyed how the author included different versions of the tales and who originally wrote these down- for example， there are different versions of Jason on the Argo， whether Atalanta was part of the Argo or not and a different tale of Ipigneia’s demise （which I especially loved as her story was so sad！）。 There was some for Roman mythology but this was mostly The Aenid overview。This also had a short introduction to Norse Mythology。I would say this was great for an overview of Greek mythology but more of an introduction for Roman and Norse mythology。 。。。more
Maria
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This book is an amazing introduction to Greek， Roman and Latin mythology。 It also has a small section on Norse mythology which definitely bound me in to exploring more thoroughly into that category。 One of the only downsides I found was that on occasion it was a very slow read and also was hard to read due to the formatting。 There was one error on page 449 where “the” was spelled as “he” which I don’t mind I just thought I’d point that out。
Nellie Ziegler
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