Customer Reviews

Classical Mythology

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have quite a bit of experience in the study of Classical civilization, and I have yet to find a better source for information on Greek and Roman mythology. I think this book is a necessity for anyone wishing to learn more about ancient religion or to anyone who needs a reliable reference for this subject.

This book is the standard text for several of the Classical Mythology sections at my college. It is an excellent source for both basic and detailed information on Classical myths. Primary texts are quoted, and all parts of the book are easy to read. There is a select bibliography for each chapter. Has a glossary of words that may not be familiar to reader, as well as a glossary/index of all the gods and goddesses with a short summary of who they are at the back of the book for quick reference. Some color picture sections, as well as black and white pictures throughout. Highly recommended as a reference if you are unable to take a class on the subject.

Everyone should own a copy of this book. It is the best sophisitcated introduction to classical mythology that is out there, and is filled with useful illustrations.

I have a great passion for Greek and Roman mythology. This came about because of my involvment in the Christian Church for ten years. After having lost my faith due to certain cosmological facts that I couldn't reconcile with Scripture, I left Christianity. However I never lost my love for theology, mythology and philosophy. Thus I continued in my reading. Having moved into the reading of the classics I found a new love. While I have not read everything on the subject, to date this is my absolute favorite book that strictly deals with Greek and Roman myth. It contains extensive translations of texts with excellent commentary and insights. The authors deal heavily with the psychological interpretations of Freud and Jung, which I enjoyed. This book is absolutely awesome. GET IT!

This well honed 8th edition is an entrancing and beautiful description of the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome. The emphasis is Greece, naturally, since the Romans based so much of their beliefs on the Greeks. No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. But the book is not some simple entry level exposition, like some freshman texts.

Instead, Morford goes into a fair amount of detail about what we know. He refers and quotes liberally from surviving manuscripts. So that, even though these are given in English, we get some flavour of looking thru a distant lens at how others saw their gods. Plus, he has kept up with the latest archeological discoveries and their interpretations. Reminding the reader that our knowledge of those times is still incomplete and changing.

The many photos and illustrations also help in giving flesh to the text. Some are of the European perceptions from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Several colour plates are quite lovely. We are looking at the subject through at least two viewpoints. Ours and those.

Very interesting and well thought out book on Classical Mythology. Provides a scientific discussion on mythology that really helps breakdown the meaning behind many of the myths.

Morford and Lenardon set out to write a pretty comprehensive mythology text for those just starting a study of the subject and I think they've done a fantastic job. The most recent edition features tons of artwork and brings recent research in classical mythology and archaeology into the discussion. Also, the book is written in a highly engaging style that draws the reader in. You tend to forget you're reading a textbook. My only complaint was that I didn't feel some gods and goddesses were really covered. However, they were usually minor characters in Greek myth, so don't let that deter you from this book. It's worth the price!

this is a decent textbook on the subject of Classical Myth. The myths of ancient Greece and to a lesser extent, Rome are covered.

There are a good deal of excerpts from the sources such as Homer, Hesiod, Ovid and so forth. The problem with this book, as i see it, is that is assumes too much of the reader. If often dives into the myths without giving a good framework of the myth itself first, an overview. This is a good textbook as long as one either already knows a little or as long as one uses a more basic source along side this one.

This was a textbook assigned to me in my Classical Mythology course in college. I very much enjoyed working my way through it. It talked about everything in extensive detail and is pretty much what you'd expect of a textbook on Classical Mythology. Rather, I would like to explain why it didn't get five stars. When the authors quote the translations they did of classical works like the Homeric Poems or Greek tragedies, they certainly took poetic license with some of the lines. It was a very mediocre job of translation and you can see a few lines of modern day slang thrown in here and there (ex. "decked out like a corpse"). Decked out? This isn't 2003, this is thousands of years ago for goodness sakes. The other problem is that every once in a while, the authors will slip in their opinions of Christianity and how it is rediculous, though they don't say that in so many words. This is a book about a dead religion, it is NOT about the origins of Christianity and I wish the authors would have remembered that. The comments that they make at the end of certain chapters can be very offensive to the religious Christian. If you can look past these flaws it is certainly a good overview of everything Classical Mythology.

The book was very helpful in my mythology class and arrived the next day. I am very pleased with the timeliness of this arrival