Rating: 
Summary: easy to read over-view of greek and roman mythology
Review: I'm actually reviewing the 1969 edition of this, which was a very well organized and informative introduction to most of the characters of greek/roman mythology. Broken into easy parts to read and interestingly written accounts of their tales
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good Introduction to Classical Mythology
Review: 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...
Rating:
Summary: Great Overview of Greek Mythology
Review: In my opinion, mythology is a very interesting subject that helps us better understand past cultures' lifestyles and many of the stories are extremely enjoyable. Edith Hamilton's Mythology is a great overview of the Greek classics and it describes how the Greeks were the first mass culture to deify in their own image, have gods that acted very human, and could directly interact with their subjects. The book is set-up very well with sections on the Olympian gods, lesser gods, classic tales of heroes and villains, and much more. Hamilton is a great writer and she really makes you "relive" many of the stories. I also appreciated how Hamilton gave adequate background on historians such as Homer, Ovid, Virgil, etc. Many of the stories contained here most people have heard of, but not in the way that Hamilton tells them. Hercules, Theseus, the Trojan War, even the Calydonian Boar Hunt, are retold in a maserful and enjoyable manner. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the great classics that have remained a part of our culture for many many centuries. My only gripe with the book is that it does not contain much on other mythologies such as the Egyptian, Sumerian, and Norse (Roman myth is heavily related to Greek and is discussed), but there are plenty of works on those.
Rating:
Summary: Great Overview of Greek Mythology
Review: In my opinion, mythology is a very interesting subject that helps us better understand past cultures' lifestyles and many of the stories are extremely enjoyable. Edith Hamilton's Mythology is a great overview of the Greek classics and it describes how the Greeks were the first mass culture to deify in their own image, have gods that acted very human, and could directly interact with their subjects. The book is set-up very well with sections on the Olympian gods, lesser gods, classic tales of heroes and villains, and much more. Hamilton is a great writer and she really makes you "relive" many of the stories. I also appreciated how Hamilton gave adequate background on historians such as Homer, Ovid, Virgil, etc. Many of the stories contained here most people have heard of, but not in the way that Hamilton tells them. Hercules, Theseus, the Trojan War, even the Calydonian Boar Hunt, are retold in a maserful and enjoyable manner. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the great classics that have remained a part of our culture for many many centuries. My only gripe with the book is that it does not contain much on other mythologies such as the Egyptian, Sumerian, and Norse (Roman myth is heavily related to Greek and is discussed), but there are plenty of works on those.
Rating:
Summary: Editorial on Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Review: Marlon Gunn
2/2002
Amazon.com---review of Edith Hamilton's book Mythology Basically, I'm a new reader of this book and I love it already. Greek mythology is one of my favorite types of books to read, except for horror books, however. Anyway, what Edith Hamilton does with this book is simply amazing. She has such an uncanny style that separates her from other various writers. She explains the Gods and their purposes in life like she knew them, as if they were real people. I sense that she had a true "knack" for Greek mythology.
Mythology, especially ancient Greek, is at the utmost, my favorite types of adventure-like books. To me, I consider Greek myths adventurous. When I learn something new, about something that I've already read about, I can somehow picture the different deities fighting in battles and sorts. Edith Hamilton makes this come to mind when you read her books. Therefore, buy the book Mythology, or any other books that she's the author of---you won't be disappointed. 2/2002 (20)
Rating:
Summary: Night---based on the time of the holocaust
Review: Marlon Gunn
4/2002
Amazon.com review of Night the book by Elie Wiesel This account explains the horrors that the Polish, Czechs, and the Jews all struggled against during the 1940's and 50's. This book explains graphic details in regards to their hardships. This book isn't based on a general view of what the Polish, Czechs, and the Jews saw and experienced--it's actually based on a certain Jewish family who just heard news of a possible invasion by the Germans. It's a very good book to read. It's short, which is the only problem; I personally wanted it to be longer. Even though it's a short book, it doesn't take away from the excellence of the book. It's well crafted, almost in a sense where you're there---minus the pain, the heartache, and drama. The suffering that these people went through almost reminds me of what the Americanized-Africans went through--- minus the lengthy amount of time. (400 years) This book reminds me of The Diary of Anne Frank, and just as personal. The author himself experienced the horror of Nazi death camps as a teenager, and had to witness the death of his family in front of his face. To me, this book is more poetry than an account of a amazingly true story. The way Elie Wiesel puts this into account is amazing. This book excellent to read as an assignment, or for leisure, an all around good book.
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Summary: Mythology: by Edith Hamilton
Review: Marlon Gunn
Edith Hamilton Review on the book: Mythology Basically, I'm just beginning to read this book, Mythology. I find it an excellent book to read if Greek or Roman mythology is your "bag." I've actually examined many different books about ancient myths like Dulaire's Book of Greek Mythology, and this book, compared to others, is the best one yet. It has almost thorough research in what the Gods' positions were, powers, control, weaknesses, et cetera. This book will most definitely broaden your knowledge, if you want to know more about ancient Greek life and religion. 2/2002 (14)
Rating:
Summary: Best overview out there
Review: Marvelous! This is, quite simply, the best book on ancient mythology available today. It has everything you could ask for; It's readable, erudite scholars tome this is not; it's comprehensive, covering every major myth you'll find allusions too in modern literature; it's not analytical, it presents the stories as they should be, beautiful in their simplicity, not awash in modern symbolism; and, most important of all, the book sparks an passion for mythology. After reading this book, instead of feeling like you know all there is to know about the ancients religion, you'll want to actually read Hamilton's original sources. It actually makes you want to read Hesiod, Homer, Herodotus, Euridpides, Sophocles, Virgil, and all the others in the great classical cannon. Truly, I can't recommend this book enough.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Refresher on Greek and Roman Mythology
Review: Ms. Hamilton's book, rightly considered a classic in its own right, is a quick, minimal no-nonsense retelling of Greek and Roman myths. I was surprised to see a small section at the end on Norse mythology; I thought it was entirely too brief to do the subject justice. Ms. Hamilton's greatest contribution in this work is her grouping of the myths in more-or-less logical sections -- for example, "The Gods, the Creation and the Earliest Heroes," "Stories of Love and Adventure," "The Great Heroes of the Trojan War," and so on. She attempts to provide a framework for the myths to enable the reader to understand them in the context they were understood during their own time, and she does this very well. Another benefit Ms. Hamilton attempts to provide her readers is a clipping service of sorts, pulling her stories from a multitude of sources. While I found the constant switching between Greek and Roman names annoying, Ms. Hamilton remained true to her methodology of identifying the gods, goddesses and heroes based on the majority author from which she drew for a particular tale. I could have done without her editorializing on the readability of the authors from whom she drew, but that is a minor quibble. This book is most useful for someone for whom many years has passed since he or she has read their Greek and Roman mythology. It might also serve as an adequate primer for someone about to undertake a first reading of the subject as well. By itself, however, it loses much of the romance and excitement the fully developed stories themselves impart in the hands of a skilled storyteller. I was fortunate in that, even though I read most of my mythology before the age of ten, I had a wonderful resource at my disposal -- a 1930 edition of the Grolier Society's The Book of Knowledge, a twenty volume encyclopedia that undertook to impart a broad range of knowledge to its readers in an accessible and enjoyable manner. Having not read mythology since that time, Hamilton's brief retelling of the tales brought back many of them and the context she provided even enhanced my appreciation for some and cleared up misconceptions about others. One complaint, admittedly minute in importance: I found three typographical errors in the edition I read (Warner Books, 1999). While these in no way detracted from the work, it is nonetheless surprising to find such errors in a work that's been in print for sixty years.
Rating:
Summary: napa high millionwordproject
Review: Mythology by Edith Hamilton is a wonderful book for anyone who loves the stories of gods and heroes as much as I do. After not studying the Greek and Roman myths for about two years in school, I thought I had lost my love for the stories. But, when I read this book about the stories of myth and ledged, my mind is once again filled with awe and wonder. Reading about how people in ancient Greece and Rome explained how things happened, such as with Hera and Argus and how the peacock got it's eyes, and with Demeter and Hades and how the seasons began, is a truly wonderful reading experience. However, there are so many different stories in this book, it starts to become hard to tell one from the other. That is one thing I disliked about the book Mythology. True, they were separated and placed into categories, but I felt like there were to many stories/legends crammed into one book. However, over all it was a truly wonderful book.
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