Customer Reviews

The Illustrated Bulfinch's Mythology: In Three Volumes

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

 

 

The stories in this book, first published in 1855, are wonderful. All of the famous Olympian heroes and gods are here in well-told stories, written in fine prose at a level simple enough for small children. The back cover says that the book contains, "Evocative myths of Greece and Rome; Action-packed tales of the Norse gods; Original text, untouched and unabridged; First full-color illustrated edition of a timeless classic." All true.

However, what the back cover also says is that the book contains, "Specially created illustrations and maps by a world-renowned artist." Very misleading. Don't let the "world-renowned artist" phrase fool you. Treat it like the throw-away phrase, "critics rave" applied to movies in the daily newspaper.

My first issue is with the artist's drawing ability. His is on the same level as those who draw the cheap superhero cartoons on Nickoleon on Saturday morning. Not really a problem in itself, it's just disappointing that such well-crafted stories should be coupled with such bad "art."

The other, much bigger, problem is the way the people are posed and the way their features are presented. I do not object to nudity per se; I am very familiar with Greek, Roman, and Christian high art. But Giovanni Caselli's drawings are not the tastefully done nudes of antiquity. They are more like the drawings seen in men's magazines. They are not classically beautiful, not even romantically seductive. They are just cheaply sexual. There are dozens of these inappropriate drawings, spread liberally throughout the book. They will be very distracting to your child and -- if you have any culture at all -- distressing to you.

Just because something is childish does not mean it is fit for children. Unless you are looking to introduce your children to poor art and soft porn, I would recommend you skip this book. The good Christian, Jewish, Heathen, Asatru, etc., parent who wants to raise a classically educated child should get the original stories without these illustrations.

This amazingly illustrated book(s) is so enjoyable. The read is quite fun and the pictures make it look spectacular. It keeps you interested at every piont, with the amazing stories of ancient mythologies. The Age of Fable is the best on information for world mythologies, though mainly that of Greece and Rome. Still there are stories I have never read before of the all-powerful gods of these old religions. There are three volumes altogether, and they are all very fun to read and the pictures help you imagine what things might have looked like.