Customer Reviews

The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology

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If you are interested in mythology in general, and don't know where to start, look no further. This book details stuff a lot of mythology information from the Greeks, Persians to the Indians. This book relates all the mythologies, bringing about why a particular tale came about, what happened in that tale, and what was its consequence in the tale and to the people in the real world.....A MUST BUY even if you are remotely interested in Mythology

This book has been on my "must recommend" list for years. While any encyclopedia must limit the information it includes, the LaRousse Encyclopedia of Mythology is an extremely good overview of mythologies from many cultures. The late Robert Graves, who edited this version, was also the author of "The White Goddess", a study in poetic myth, as well as the editor of a two-colume set on the Greek Myths.

This encyclopedic and handsomely-illustrated book has been an indispensible reference for me for sixteen years. Its only major shortcoming is that it does not, perforce, cover the major living religions, or covers them in only a cursory way.

Unfortunately, the binding of the perfect-bound paperback edition is not strong, and I cannot recommend it in a book that will receive continual use like 'Larousse Encyclopaedia of Mythology'. The cover came off mine in under a year.