Bulfinch's Mythology - Deluxe Edition [Hardcover]

Thomas Bulfinch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1040 pages
• Publisher: Gramercy (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051722688X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517226889
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #670,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Classic on the Classics, July 9, 2006

By 

Bati (Argentina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bulfinch's Mythology - Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

Myths represent everything that's magical and unlikely - and yet we cannot but admire their underlying wisdom. Ever since they sprung up, man has delighted in analyzing, telling and retelling these stories, which we now see as an inextricable part of our civilization. However, and maybe because it so-well mirrors our own nature, mythology is as self-contradictory as it is timeless. Not surprisingly, those contradictions have turned the subject into another academic battleground. This could be the reason why Bullfinch's version of the myths stills stands out a century and a half after it was written: amidst a sea of dry scholarly works, it is easily the most charming and inviting compendium of mythology available.

Thomas Bulfinch, an art-loving bank clerk, had a very clear purpose when he started to write his books: he simply set out to supply the general reader with an approachable, enticing account of those ancient fables that were so often quoted or alluded to in literature. This approach ended up being very convenient. On the one hand, it gave him the freedom to purge whatever he thought to be in disagreement with "good taste", since he claimed such things were alien to "elegant literature". On the other hand, he could trim his sources down to Ovid and Virgil, who were the ones most English writers read in the first place. Because of such limitations, it may seem easy to dismiss his work as biased, quaint and incomplete; yet, time has turned what once was a book on the classics into a classic itself. Nowadays, when we read Bulfinch, we get not only a look into ancient mythology, but a delightful glimpse of 19th Century writing and mentality, too. Furthermore, Bullfinch's narrowness in approach is more than compensated by the resulting self-consistency, lacking in most similar works.

Those who fear Bulfinch might have deprived the myths of their piquancy shouldn't worry. Zeus still makes Don Juan look like a eunuch; Oedipus's story keeps all its shocking elements of incest and patricide; Queen Guenever isn't any less obvious in her feelings towards Sir Launcelot; and, on the whole, more blood is spilled than on the goriest Clive Barker novel. Though things like how the Minotaur was conceived are left in the dark, such omissions are the exception rather than the rule. Just like Galland's translation of The Thousand And One Nights hasn't lost its place as arguably the most enjoyable version of them all (even after a thousand-and-one more "faithful" translations have been published), Bulfinch's quirks aren't enough to spoil what's obviously a wonderful work. Of course, like most Victorians, he can be very pompous at times ("...and struck him a fiercely-wounding, severely-venomous, and sternly-smiting blow upon the crown of his head, so that he clove him in twain..."), but his approach is hardly at odds with the material. Overall, what one finds in Bulfinch is a source of endless, childlike wonder.

The volume is divided in three parts: The Age of Fable; The Age of Chivalry; and Legends of Charlemagne. The first one deals with Greek and Roman mythology, although it also contains a short section on the Norse gods and a dab of Easter Mythology; the second retells the stories of King Arthur, the Round Table, and the Mabinogeon; the third one goes over the romances of the Middle Ages. To illustrate the strong connection between myth and English poetry, Bulfinch has spread snippets from poems by authors such as Milton and Spenser, and specially contemporaries Byron, Shelley, and Longfellow (to whom the volume is dedicated)throughout the book.

As regards this particular edition, it just might be the most beautiful one yet. Not only is it leather-bound, with gilt-edged pages and a golden ribbon marker, but it also includes numerous maps, charts and illustrations. I was particularly taken aback by the quality of the latter, since publishers usually have the most uncanny ability to choose for each and every occasion the worst drawings available. Here, on the contrary, every one is a treasure. The Index was expanded into a classical and mythological dictionary, in an attempt to turn Bulfinch's work into better reference material - a goal it certainly achieves. Some sections were also added to "add to the rounded completeness of the work", as well as a few verse extracts that came after Bulfinch's time, which blend in seamlessly with the rest. You can rest assured that, if you are looking for a durable, good-looking complete edition of this classic, Gramercy's is the best you will find, especially if you consider its affordable price. (Modern Library's paperback is probably best if you want a copy to carry around, though.)

It goes without saying that many wonderful books have been written on mythology, some of which in many respects tower over Bulfinch's. Nevetheless, there is something that still makes his stand out. Hamilton may be more careful about her sources and analytical in her approach; Graves may be incomparable in his deeply personal, creative interpretation (and "embellishment") of the myths; but Bulfinch is the only one that endeavors to make his love for mythology infectious and the old fables endlessly amusing - and succeeds.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have!, February 10, 2009

By 

Cristin - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bulfinch's Mythology - Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

This is a must have for students of literature, poetry or the English language in general. You would be surprised how many allusions you may have missed before being familiar with the mythology cataloged in this volume.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book, May 9, 2011

By 

A. Barton "Li Li" (Maryville, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bulfinch's Mythology - Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

This is such an elegant book. It is one of my favorite to open and look it. They didn't take away from that old age feel, and that gives it so much more quality. There is a multitude of stories and not all are about Greek Mythology. If you want a book that has everything in it, and you can leave it on display so everybody can see it.... this is that book.