Mythologies [Hardcover]

Yves Bonnefoy (Editor), Wendy Doniger (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 1991 | ISBN-10: 0226064530 | ISBN-13: 978-0226064536 | Edition: 1

"The appearance of this monumental work in a beautifully produced and richly illustrated English edition is a publishing event of considerable significance."—Mark C. Taylor, New York Times Book Review

"The almost 100 contributors combine, with characteristic precision and elan, the arts of science and poetry, of analysis and translation. The result is a treasury of information, brilliant guesswork, witty asides, and revealing digressions. This is a work of genuine and enduring excitement."—Thomas D'Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This collection of 395 articles was compiled by Bonnefoy (comparative poetics, College de France). Although it looks like an encyclopedia, it is not. Instead, as translator Doniger says in the introduction, it is "a collection of essays on some aspects of some mythologies written by a group of brilliant and philosophically complex French scholars and is highly opinionated and original." It is also highly inconsistent in coverage, having little to say about Judaism or Islam and offering only two essays on Buddhism. It often seems to be more about methodology than mythology. These criticisms, however, should not obscure the fact that this is a fascinatingly original if somewhat quirky and idiosyncratic collection of essays. As a reference book it leaves much to be desired. As a unique contribution to the study of mythology, it should be in every library with special interest in the field.
- C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1306 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (April 23, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226064530
• ISBN-13: 978-0226064536
• Product Dimensions: 14.8 x 9.5 x 3.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,541,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource on world beliefs and mythologies, March 26, 2011

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Derek Murphy - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mythologies (Hardcover)

This is a massive project; any student or academic working in comparative mythology or world history and literature should have a copy of this on their shelf.