Customer Reviews

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Hamilton's mythology deserves its place with Bulfinch's mythology as one of the primary anthologies of classical mythology. Although the book covers Greek/Roman myths thoroughly, the Norse myths are touched upon only briefly, which is why I have given the book four stars rather than five. Nonetheless, the quality of the book is excellent, and it is useful as a volume to be read for entertainment, and as a classroom primer (I myself have taught a Mythology class using it as the primary textbook). Hamilton's retellings are engaging, and her scholasticism is evident throughout--a small example is her use of the less popular Roman names for the primary gods (Jupiter, Juno, Mars, etc.) when they are found in myths of Roman origin. Hamilton also includes information at the beginning of most chapters about the source of the myth and its author, which is very helpful. She synthesizes the longer myths, such as the Trojan War (found in the Iliad) and the quest for the golden fleece in such a way as to highlight their major events and give the reader a flavor of their content. Overall, I have not encountered a better survey of classical mythology in one volume. Incidentally, if the reader desires more information on the Norse Myths, I recommend Kevin Crossley-Holland's Norse Myths, which is also an excellent volume.

"Mythology" covers all the major and most minor Greek, Norse and Roman gods, goddesses, stories and locales. Edith Hamilton makes no pretenses that this is all there is to say on mythology, but she gives a reader a fine start.

Hamilton puts them into sensible structures so beginners can learn in a context which are easy to understand. She provides major section titles helping readers get straight to the required story, like "Stories of Love and Adventure" You'll find "Cupid and Psyche" as a chapter.

Chapters are named mostly by story like, "The Trojan War."

She quotes from the sources, so the reader knows how it is she got her information.

Character-driven in format, readers can look up a name, find the subtitle with that name, and read why that character matters. She writes narratively, sounding a little like "Cliff's Notes." This is a good thing, because the poetry from which these myths are drawn can be overwhelming.

Nicely organized is the geneological table section. It looks like a family tree, in a English royalty kind of way.

As a writer, I use it for a quick reference guide. I usually only need a few nuggets of information, and she gives me plenty. I first acquired it high school, using it to get out of those tough jams when I did not understand books like "The Odyssey," by Homer.

More than mere reference, "Mythology" is good reading for no other purpose than serendipitous curiosity.

I fully recommend it.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

I have been trying to find a good book to tell the great stories of ancient mythology and this did it. It was a wonderful book for anyone. Even if you are not really into mythology this would be and interesting book since it is part of history. After reading this book, it enhanced my love for mythology and I am now on a mythology binge, reading Homer's Odessey and Iliad. It is a definate must read

Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" tell the "Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" of classical mythology and this volume, first written in 1942, is now a timeless classic itself. This was the first book of mythology that I ever read and it is still the best. When Hamilton retells the love story of Cupid and Psyche or the tragedy of Agamemnon and his children, she does so with a full sense of what it meant when first told by Apuleius or Aeschylus. These are not children's tales, but the heroic legends and religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks. Furthermore, the illustrations by Steele Savage have the elegance of wood block prints, which, for all I know, is exactly what they are. I appreciate Hamilton's choice to avoid relying on Ovid, for while the "Metamorphoses" is the most comprehensive ancient text dealing with the classical myths, Ovid is an unbeliever. For Hamilton the writings of Homer, Hesiod and Pindar are more abbreviated in terms of providing details for the myths, but at least they take the tales seriously.

Another strength of the book is how she organizes the myths in her seven parts: (1) Covers the complete pantheon of deities, including the lesser gods of Olympus and Earth and the later Roman additions, as well as the earliest heroes. (2) Retells the various tales of love, between mortals and the gods or each other, along with the Quest for the Golden Fleece and other early heroic adventures. (3) Focuses specifically on the greatest heroes, Perseus, Theseus and Hercules, with Atalanta thrown in the mix in a curious but understandable editorial decision by Hamilton. (4) Puts together Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid into a giant epic stretching from the Judgment of Paris to the founding of Roman, with the Odyssey and the tragedies of Euripides. (5) Tells about the great mythological families, namely the House of Atreus (Agamemnon), the Royal House of Thebes (Oedipus and Antigone), and the Royal House of Athens. (6) Covers all of the lesser myths, most notably Midas. (7) Goes off in a new direction, providing a very brief introduction to Norse mythology that seems woefully inadequate given the comprehensive compilation of classical mythology that precedes it.

I looked over other possibilities as a basic textbook for an introductory mythology course, but I keep coming back to this one. If you want analysis of these myths, then you certainly want to look elsewhere. But if you want a solid retelling of virtually every tale of classical mythology, then Edith Hamilton's volume is still at the top of the list.

This book offers an excellent introduction to Greek mythology, which I found accessible and engaging. Hamilton surveys a wide breadth of the most important and classic stories from both Greek and Roman Mythology. I find myself referring back to the book from time to time, to understand a passing reference to mythology.

In her introduction, Hamilton demonstrates her grasp of the essential characteristics of Greek Mythology. She notes that the Greeks told stories that romanticized human life, rather than showing a grim or haunted Universe, as other early civilizations chose.

She also astutely captures how humanized their stories were: "In Greece alone in the ancient world people were preoccupied with the visible; they were finding the satisfaction of their desires in what was actually in the world around them. The sculptor watched the athletes contending in the games and he felt that nothing he could imagine would be as beautiful as those strong young bodies. So he made his statue of Apollo. [...] They had no wish to create some fantasy shaped in their own minds. All the art and all the thought of Greece centered in human beings."

Indeed! And the fruits of their labor are timeless stories that enrapture us.

Here is an inexpenive paperback that will give you a wonderful intro to the Greek Myths...the stories are weel presented and Hamilton tries to preserve the flavor of each individual Greek source...thus some stories here are more detailed, even gory; others read more like fairy tales...the author does have a strong bias towards using Roman sources which she finds overblown; thus she always steers the reader in the direction of the aesthetic simplicity of original Greek sources...I believe Bulfinch is a good alternate read if you want some of the Roman versions...but for the majority of us who don't have time to gather all the original but want to broaden our knowledge on Greek mythology, I can think of no better volume than this one...it is also an enjoyable read in of it's own

I originally read Edith Hamilton's book for a high school literature class. I've loved reading Greco-Roman mythology since childhood. The lives of the major Greco-Roman Gods and Goddesses were better than soap operas to me.

When I began reading Edith Hamilton's book back in high school, I thought I'd enjoy reading this text. Although she conducts an excellent scholarly study of GrecoRoman myths, I didn't care for Edith Hamilton's writing style which starved much of the life, warmth, and beauty out of the original tales. She makes the myths sound like more like a comparative literary study than actual stories. It was a huge disappointment: Hamilton's style made GrecoRoman mythology feel like slow torture.

I still own my original high school copy of Hamilton's Book. Even though I've finished college and am nearing the completion of grad school, my feelings regarding Edith Hamilton's book haven't changed one iota. Even after re-reading the text several times, it still reads as the same bland, boring, pretentious piece of drivel I read as a freshman in high school. I still, however, use her book as a supplemental reference text.

This past week, I decided to pick up and read the alternative to Hamilton's work -- Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable when I began my private study of mythology after reading Joseph Campbell's "Pathways to Bliss" and "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." So far, I love Bulfinch's work and am enjoying it immensely. Bulfinch manages to infuse GrecoRoman myths with life and he manages to make the characters come alive with his storytelling. Bulfinch even include references to Greco Roman mythology in poetic citations. In addition, he even includes pronunciations of Greek/Roman names. Like Hamilton, he also includes alternative versions of myths in his text, but does it with a slight sense of humor. Bulfinch's book is a huge -- much bigger than Hamilton -- but, it's engrossing, interesting, and lively -- I've barely been able to put it down since starting it.
Bulfinch's work has made me want to search for other alternative books as well to continue reading about GrecoRoman mythology.

If you're looking for a short introductory comparative study of GrecoRoman mythology, then Edith Hamilton's work is for you. But, there are better studies out there in my opinion -- and I urge you to look for alternatives. If you want a text that's not dry, boring, and pendantic then it's hard to beat Bulfinch's Mythology's "The Age of Fable."

Edith Hamilton's Mythology provides a large survey of almost every myth imaginable, but this is also where the text is lacking. Many of the tales are so abbreviated that they tend to read more like reference pieces than actual stories. As a high school English teacher, I found that my students found Hamilton's book challenging. They often did not understand the myth due to the lack of detail (the abbreviation) or due to the diction she chose in order to express the myth. Hamilton's Mythology is an excellent source and I will continue to use it, but if you're looking for a relatively easy read of Greek myths in story form, I would recommend Bernard Evslin's Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths. My students had no problem with this novel and I found it an extremely enjoyable read.

I've done quite a bit of reading about greek (and roman) mythology and I still enjoyed this book. They way the myths are writen is so good that I could almost feel myself back in ancient Greece, observing the scenes. I also enjoyed the quotes from the original source where the myth was told (e.g. The Odyssey, The Illiad, etc). Overall this is a good basic classical mythology book. Even people who already know these myths should read this book if only for the delightful manner in which they are told. For someone who cannot match a roman god to his greek conterpart this might require flipping back to the first chapter. If you pay attention the first time you read it you shouldn't have any trouble with this.

Near the end of the book there are a couple norse myths. That's it. If your looking for a book that has myths from more than just Greece/Rome you'll be disappointed. However if you looked at the table of contents and noticed the lack of other cultural myths (and still wanted to read the book) you should be extremely satisfied. I know i was...

This extremely handy reference book is ideal for browsing, or for using as a tool to assist in your academic readings. Hamilton goes through all of the great Greek mythological figures and tales, and explains them, using an unusual, but very entertaining, mixture of prose and excerpts. The book is masterful because a complete layman can start reading it, and yet get a flavor for the actual original texts. At the same time, someone who's reading a more involved text can turn to the appropriate section in the book to get a clear grasp of any particular story quickly, and to figure out who an individual is. My 1953 edition has some very nice illustrations by Steele Savage that capture the flavor of ancient greek carvings, but with a simplicity and flair that can be found in the best comic books. There's no wonder that this book has survived for so long in a field that has as many authors as students; for it's purpose, it is simply too good to be improved upon.