Rating: 
Summary: Edith Hamilton's Mythology covers a wide variety of myths...
Review: Everytime someone asks me for a book on greek mythology (which used to be a lot, since I worked in a bookstore), I pointed them directly to this book. This is a must-have for anyone remotely interested in Ancient Greece, although this book is enjoyable even if you aren't.
Hamilton hits on all the basics of Greek mythology, including theogony, heroic epics, and (my favorite) the love stories. Most books concerning Greek mythology only deal with certain things, or have less-than desirable synopses. Not to mention it's compiled in a small, cheap paperback (history books aren't cheap anymore, they're almost all published in hardcover and trade paperback).
One of my favorite things about this book- if I'm bored, i can just flip to one of my favorite stories. ALthough the book is in a type of chronological order, most of the stories can be read without reading the previous ones (although I highly recommend it, since they're all really good stories).
So if you've ever been interested in the historical version of The Trojan War (you aren't going to get it from the movies), if Pygmalion really fell in love with a statue, or all about Zeus' philandering and his wife's clever trickery to catch him in the act, buy this book :)
Rating: 
Summary: When the sun goes down...
Review: Fill your imagination. Understand the history and the rich meanings of the stories written in the stars. When I look into the starry heavens I see the majesty of the cellestial dome and the starry night is full of marvels. For 1000's and 10 of 1000's of years men have wondered of the stars and Edith Hamilton as put them together in a beautiful easily read and fascinating book. Impress your wife and your friends, inspire your children to wonder and dream. Read and grow. I highly recommend any of Efith Hamilton's books but specifically this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book for entertainment or education
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfaithful to the sources
Review: Hamilton's writings on Classical mythology are very easy to read, and give the general reader an intoductory view of the different myths. However, she was NOT faithful to the sources, and quotes them with many mistakes. While the book may serve as an easy and pleasant introduction, whoever wants to read about the subject and have the correct information, should NOT read this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Compendium on Greek Mythology
Review: 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
Rating: 
Summary: Well...
Review: I had to read this for my AP English class and I probably wouldn't have continued to read it after the first couple of pages if it hadn't been required.While this is a very well written book, conducted in an entertaining but also informative method, it tended to be a bit boring. The names of the Gods and Goddesses seemed to be innumberable and impossible to pronounce unless you've had some previous learning of the Greeks or Romans. Furthermore, since it was difficult to find out how to say their names, it made it difficult to remember them! However, a few of the stories were fun to read, and other were humorous. Also, the stories were written with simplicity; it would be feasible for a middle-schooler to read just as it would be for high-school and beyond. As far as mythology goes, and to it's inherent barrier of excitement, Hamilton did well.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Reading Experience!
Review: I have been interested in Mythology for quite some time now, and when one of my teachers mentioned a voluntary summer class on mythology with no credit offerred I was quite interested. She said that our primary book would be MYTHOLOGY by Edith Hamilton, a book I was yet to read. I have now completed this book, twice. It is the most complete volume of mythology, greek, roman, and a little bit of norse, that I have ever read. It starts off with a brief description of each of the gods, titans, etc. It discusses at least one story from each of the gods, and most of the lesser gods. It also talks about the creation of the earth, and many other significant events and at the very end of the book there are several charts describing the ancestry of the gods, titans and heroes. Adequate for a textbook, yet I believe this book is much more like a novel. It reads quite quickly and interestingly, yet is quite educational. I was amazed at all the real-life applications that I was able to make from the stories. I plan on reading it several more times, and I hope you will read it as well. A must to understanding some of the significance of names and especially European cities, not to mention a great read. Also recommended: THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: A must read. Couldn't put it down.
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. It gives a very accurate description of Greek mythology. Anyone who loves mythology should own this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I was looking for...
Review: I was looking for a book that detailed all of the stories of Greek Mythology. This book attempts to but gets lost with too much jumping around from one story to another and between Greek and Roman Mythology. I felt that this book was difficult to follow and didn't really keep you interested enough to try.
|
