A Short Guide to Classical Mythology [Paperback]

Gordon MacDonald Kirkwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 086516309X | ISBN-13: 978-0865163096 | Edition: New edition

A Short Guide to Classical Mythology is a concise, user-friendly, quick reference for general readers, students and teachers. Kirkwood's treatment of the characters, settings and stories of ancient mythology emphasizes their importance in Western literature. The entries are ordered alphabetically, vary in length according to their significance and include bold and italic typefaces to draw the reader's attention to important terms and cross references.

Kirkwood's text provides a user-friendly, quick reference guide for teachers, students, and general readers. It is an excellent, interdisciplinary resource beneficial in the study of classics, literature, and history.

Special Features

* Complete reference list with pronunciations
* Variable entry lengths
* Principal stories of classical mythology
* Emphasis on literary importance of Greek myths
* References to English and European literature

Also available:

Classical Mythology & More: A Reader Workbook - ISBN 0865165734
Greek and Latin in English Today - ISBN 0865162417

For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books.

Some of the areas we publish in include:

Selections From The Aeneid
Latin Grammar & Pronunciation
Greek Grammar & Pronunciation
Texts Supporting Wheelock's Latin
Classical author workbooks: Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Catullus, Cicero
Vocabulary Cards For AP Selections: Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Horace
Greek Mythology
Greek Lexicon
Slovak Culture And History

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Short Guide To Classical Mythology features a text that is user-friendly, a quick reference guide for teachers, students, and general readers. It is an excellent, interdisciplinary resource that is beneficial in the study of classics, literature, and history. A Short Guide To Classical Mythology provides a complete reference list with pronunciations, variable entry lengths, principal stories of classical mythology, an emphasis on the literary importance of Greek myths, and references to English and European literature. A Short Guide To Classical Mythology is a highly recommended acquisition for personal, academic, and community libraries. -- Midwest Book Review

A Short Guide To Classical Mythology features a text that is user-friendly, a quick reference guide for teachers, students, and general readers. It is an excellent, interdisciplinary resource that is beneficial in the study of classics, literature, and history. A Short Guide To Classical Mythology provides a complete reference list with pronunciations, variable entry lengths, principal stories of classical mythology, an emphasis on the literary importance of Greek myths, and references to English and European literature. A Short Guide To Classical Mythology is a highly recommended acquisition for personal, academic, and community libraries. --Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

Kirkwood's A Short Guide to Classical Mythology is an excellent interdisciplinary resource for the study of literature, classics, history, and comparative religions. This corrected reprint of the 1959 Holt, Rinehart and Winston edition is an attractive, affordable and portable edition. It includes: - A Foreword on How to Read This Book - A Complete reference list with pronunciation key and variable length entries according to literary importance of the Greek myths - References to English and European literature - Bibliographic references --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 109 pages
• Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers; New edition edition (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086516309X
• ISBN-13: 978-0865163096
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference, July 23, 2003

By 

"wumouse" (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Short Guide to Classical Mythology (Paperback)

Kirkwood's "A Short Guide to Classical Mythology" is exactly what it claims to be. Dictionary-like without being dry, the guide is an alphabetical list of people, places, and events in Greco-Roman mythology. Some entries are short, referring the reader to a longer one. The long entries are summaries of important epics or stories.

While the format of the book makes it clearly a reference book instead of an exploration of mythology, this makes it a convenient and quick tool for students or teachers studying Classics, or simply for anyone unfamiliar with Classical Mythology. As seen by the numerous references to more modern authors and poets such as Voltaire and Dante, mythological references are everywhere in literature, and those who may not have been steeped in this tradition in class would find this book extremely helpful. Unlike other mythology books, such as Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" or D'Aulaires' "Book of Greek Myths," this book is truly a "short guide" that does not require the reader to look up a person in the index and then read all the way through a story to find out about them. Already alphabetical, Kirkwood's book gives a short description of the person, and anyone who wishes to read more can go to the story referenced. This book is a great guide for readers with any level of interest in mythology.

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST OF ALL GUIDES TO CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY, BAR NONE, March 13, 2009

By 

Eric Larsen "Eric Larsen" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Short Guide to Classical Mythology (Paperback)

This little tiny book, barely over a hundred pages long, is the one single book out of all reference books on classical mythology that I'd recommend over any and all others. I began using it when I got to college in 1959, and I used it heavily through the next ten or fifteen years, when I began teaching literature courses and had to learn the classical texts as I went along, often hardly a step ahead of the students. I use it still, from time to time, but back then, Kirkwood saw me through difficult times, again and again and again. The entries in his book are clear and concise, and the cross-referencing is superb. From this little book, a person can gradually--especially if using it in conjunction with the actual reading of ancient texts--become easily and naturally familiar with the great and seemingly complicated myths underlying Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Kirkwood makes all clear, all accessible, and all useful, and he does it without the least bit of unnecessary simplifying or taking of shortcuts. You get the real stuff and in the real way, all in barely a hundred pages. This little book should be as famous for what IT does as The Elements of Style is for what IT does.

Eric Larsen, Emeritus Professor of English at John Jay College, CUNY, and author of the novels "An American Memory," "I Am Zoe Handke," "The End of the 19th Century," and of the nonfiction "A Nation Gone Blind: America in an Age of Simplification and Deceit."