Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is only a partial reference book for fans of myth. For some myth it is hard to keep all the names and relationships in order and this book does a nice of that. Nice graphics and logical flow. The only issue I have is that this book tip toes around the christian, jewish, and islamic myths without proper recognition of the characters and events. Maybe the authors assumed readers would already be familiar with the characters in the bible and koran or the publisher wanted to save paper. In any case it would have been a nice addition making this truely a complete encyclopedia of mythology.

This is a delightful book. I can honestly say that this is one of the best whim purchases that I've made. Do you want to know about Annwn, Visnu, Ebisu or even Hades? This is a great book for north eastern hemisphere mythology. It has your standard myths of Greece and Rome and Egypt. It also has Celtic, Norse, South / Central and Eastern Asia. Norse mythology covers the Slavic and Germanic mythology. Celtic covers the British Isles mythology. South and Central Asia cover Buddhism, Hinduism and other mythology from the area in and around India. Eastern Asia cover Japan, China and the various mythologies from the Orient. Egyptian mythology is covered under Eypt and West Asia, which includes Sumeria, Arabia, Mesopotamia and more. This is a well rounded book of mythology.

Originally this was published in two volumes (The Encyclopedia of Mythology and The Encyclopedia of Eastern Mythology), the editors have complied on fabulous book. The preface give you a brief overall introduction and the author's view on why we have myths. Each section starts with an introduction to that particular area. Each myth (the Greek and Roman section starts with Achilles) is listed alphabetically in it section with cross reference (in italics) to other myths in that section. The only thing that is missing is a pronunciation of the myth. The book is rich with pictures showing each myth. The entries are brief, but they are still detailed enough. Each entry has a picture. There are also pictorial features that highlight certain things that the authors thought were important to each of the mythologies. Greek and Rome have Lovers of Zeus, Heroes and more. The Myths of East Asia have Yin & Yang, Chinese Dragons and more. This book is a treasure.

Not very "ultimate" if there are no references to any African (except Egypt),Austrailian, nor North and South American mythology. The book however gets high marks for the other areas that it covers and for the beautiful illustrations

This is one of the best sources on mythology I've found. While it may not go into depth on the myths surrounding each of the gods, it gives a nice detailed summary of who the diety was, what they stood for and the major myths surrounding them. In addition it mentions dieties you don't normally hear about, such as those originating with the Canaanites. The pictures are gorgeous, the family trees are very helpful for keeping track of whose who.

If you have any interest in mythology, I'd highly reccomend picking this up.

A hardcover book of over 500 pages FULL of information about legends and tales from the ancient world. Over 1,000 images, most in color covering fifteen centuries of art. Data on mythical figures, mythical themes, symbols central to the culture. The book ITSELF is beautiful and has a easy to use index. There is even Family Trees in the back, so you can figure out who is related to who (a must for the Greek Gods- you know Zeus). If you can get a used copy, go for it!

I am so impressed with this book. It covers European (Roman, Greek, Celtic) mythology as well as Native American, Egyptian and mythology of the Orient.Rather than focusing on the millions of stories, they focused on the Gods andGoddesses and deities of the myths. You'll find the lineage listings and great pictures of ruins and arts. This book is huge and a wealth of knowledge.

This beautifully illustrated tome on world mythologies now possesses pride of place upon our coffee table. I would call it the "Nearly Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology" because it does not include Australian, African, South American, or North American mythology. Most of the rest of the world is covered, however, and covered rather well. The book is divided into large sections, one on each of the major world traditions (e.g. "The Myths of East Asia"). Within each section you will find encyclopedic coverage of that tradition, including very fine artwork. I give the book the highest rating, despite the omissions, because it is truly an excellent mythology resource (and treats the "major" world traditions in mythology).

If you like Bullfinch's, but would like something more pleasing to look at, this book is for you. It's captivating, and fun to peruse.

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology is not really complete in that it doesn't cover the African, Australian, and North and South American mythology, but other than that it does a good job of covering the rest of the world's mythology. The myths covered include Greece & Rome, the Celtic world, the Nordic lands, Egypt and West Asia, South and Central Asia, and East Asia. Each section or geographical area is lavishly illustrated and well-researched.It makes for an interesting read for those who are fascinated by world mythology, and also serves as a valuable research tool into the myths of ancient cultures.

Since the dawn of time mankind has been fascinated with myth & mythology because there were so many mysteries,in so many fundamental, unanswered questions.
Where does the sun go each night? Why is it able to reappear every morning? What is the strange force which permeates the living world in spring, bringing forth green shoots from the earth and blossom from the bare branches? Why does the sea become so angry as a large wave that it then seems to stop and fall back asleep?
Before the days of scientific enquiry we filled in the gaps our knowledge with all sorts stories of natural spirits, tree nymphs and water sprites. We worshipped the heavens with gods and goddesses who would hurl bolts of lightning at each other and make the sky quake with thunderous blows. Zeus was the almighty battling daily with monsters about him. Succumb to your imagination and venture into a realm where everything around you isn't quite as what it seems and live out of your dreams in a world schrouded with magic and myth of fantasy in which this books takes you readers into different worlds full of mythical beings with magic all around them and travel in your imaginative head through the legends of the ancient worlds, from Greece, Rome, Egypt to the Norse and Celtic lands, through Persia and India to China and the far East. This book is a comprehensive A to Z of the classic stories of gods and goddesses, heroes and mythical beasts, wizards and warriors. Ancient mythologies brought to life in the most comprehensive coverage. Amazing pictures depict the myth in true reality of colour that abounds crossing with every culture, reaching in every myth, in which it serves anyone as their main mythological reference point of view for reading. An invaluable resource book that's in the end packed with photos and illustrations of bringing back to life the ancient world again of mythology which is both a blessing and a curse to the people in countrys around the world.

Beautifully presented, full of photos and color illustrations, this book overwhelm at first contact. The fact that the theme sounds interesting for almost everyone (young people included), can't deny is an ancient topic. There lies the importance of the viewing factor. The information, sometimes too short, sometimes too detailed, guide the reader to search by himself, but more important, do not bore to the point of leaving the original idea: enjoy the experience!