Customer Reviews

The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Penguin Dictionary)

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

 

 

I think P. Grimal's dictionary(hardcovered one) is the best among many encyclopedias or dictionaries of Greek and Roman Mythology . But I can not say this translation is the best , because there are many mistakes and some omitted entries. If you can read French , I recommend to read the original "DICTIONNAIRE DE LA MYTHOLOGIE GREQUE ET ROMAINE" written by P. Grimal himself. Although English-version has these weak points, as far as I know , only this book and William Smith's old "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography & Mythology" are worth to read with Greek alphabet spelling of proper noun et sourses of Classical texts.

This dictionary on Classical Mythology, i.e. Greek and Roman, is incredibly accessible to any level of reader. The information is presented clearly with just enough detail for clarity. A reader does not need to be well versed on a given character or story to gain great insight from this text.

The only reason give this book 4 stars is not because of the material presented, but the materials used to produce the book. Like most books of this type, they are value priced. As a result, the materials can be sub-par. In the copy that I have, the pages are overly thin and the print bled through in some places.