The Everything Classical Mythology Book: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters from Ares to Zeus (Everything (Reference)) [Paperback]

Lesley Bolton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158062653X
• ISBN-13: 978-1580626538
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lesley Bolton is a freelance writer and publishing professional with over six years of publishing experience. She is also the author of The Complete Book of Baby Names, The Everything Guide to Writing Children's Books, and The Everything Psychology Book. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent book for beginners., May 2, 2004

By 

Marcy Gomez (Kansas City, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Everything Classical Mythology Book: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters from Ares to Zeus (Everything (Reference)) (Paperback)

This "Everything" guide is a good book for younger readers and those who are only starting to get into mythology. At over 290 pages, it covers the major players and who's who of Roman and Greek mythology (as in Jupiter/Zeus, Venus/Aphrodite, the Trojan War, Odysseus, et al).

However, more serious and 'seasoned' fans and scholars will likely prefer THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY by Kevin Osborn. We're not idiots, of course, but this book is meatier and has more background information on the various gods/goddesses, heroes and stories. At over 350 pages, it is 60 pages thicker than the "Everything" book and has smaller text and less white space. For instance, an entire chapter is devoted to the Trojan War hero Achilles while the "Everything" book only has a few pages, at the most.

Fans who want more than classical mythology will want to explore MYTHOLOGY FOR DUMMIES by Christopher Blackwell. This book also delves into the Arthurian legend, Norse myths, Beowulf, as well as world mythology in general (Chinese, Jewish, Hindu, etc).

These 3 books are all excellent. The choice lies on the readers' level of interests. I would recommend the "Everything" book to younger readers (middle or high schoolers, for instance) and those who just want the basics on classical mythology.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars HELP! Editors needed!, December 22, 2005

By 

BagHag (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Everything Classical Mythology Book: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters from Ares to Zeus (Everything (Reference)) (Paperback)

While this reference is quite basic, it is easy to follow the lineage and obtain a working knowledge of classical mythology from this book. HOWEVER, beware that there are several misprints that will confuse the reader, as well as references in the index to characters that do not appear on the mentioned page. Thus, the book is in dire need of a decent editor.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It does the job., September 7, 2008

By 

Eugene J. Brady "Senior Student" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Everything Classical Mythology Book: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters from Ares to Zeus (Everything (Reference)) (Paperback)

I wanted a book that gave an overview of Greek and Roman mythology. and also provided lists of various gods and their counterparts, i.e., the Greek god is ------ and the counterpart Roman god is ------.

This book gives me what I wanted.