lewelma Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I'm looking for something readable and enjoyable. I've found these and was wondering if anyone had an opinion. Thanks! Ruth in NZ Bulfinch's Mythology (Modern Library Paperback Edition, 2004)Mythology by Edith Hamilton (originally published in 1942; Back Bay Books edition of 1998)The Greek Myths by Robert Graves (Penguin Books combined edition, 1992)Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece by Gustav Schwab (Pantheon Books, copyright 1946) (translated from German)Don't Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis (Harper Collins, 2005)Myths of the Ancient Greeks by Richard P. Martin (New American Library, 2003) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I have Bulfinch and Edith Hamilton. Hamilton is more readable, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I'm looking for something readable and enjoyable. I've found these and was wondering if anyone had an opinion. Thanks! Ruth in NZ Bulfinch's Mythology (Modern Library Paperback Edition, 2004) Mythology by Edith Hamilton (originally published in 1942; Back Bay Books edition of 1998) The Greek Myths by Robert Graves (Penguin Books combined edition, 1992) Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece by Gustav Schwab (Pantheon Books, copyright 1946) (translated from German) Don't Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis (Harper Collins, 2005) Myths of the Ancient Greeks by Richard P. Martin (New American Library, 2003) What do you want to accomplish? Do you just want to know what the myths are? Or do you want to get intimate with them? :D Do you want only retellings or do you want to read the sources where those retellings came from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 My resident myth nut says go with an illustrated Bulfinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 What do you want to accomplish? Do you just want to know what the myths are? Or do you want to get intimate with them? :D Do you want only retellings or do you want to read the sources where those retellings came from? Just familiarity and joy. :001_smile: Beautiful, evocative language would be nice. Clarity in the relationships between the characters would also be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 We use the compiled three volumes of Bulfinch. It is comprehensive and highly readable. The only drawback is that it can be a bit overwhelming at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I read Hamilton as a kid and liked it. It has excepts from the original epics or plays. It does a good job of presenting the stories, especially those that form the basis of tragedy. Padraic Column is also quite good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I think Bulfinch is a little boring. It's comprehensive, yes, but very matter-of-fact. We enjoyed other versions of the myths by Evlsin or Hamilton more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 It's not high school level, but Percy Jackson's Greek Gods is worth buying for any Rick Riordan fan. It's only $15 in the states; I don't know if it's readily available other places. My 9th-grader plowed through the entire book quickly and loved it. It's great for familiarity and fun, and can be followed up by picking and choosing certain myths to read again in a different book. If you don't like Percy Jackson, you might try the same thing with Oh My Gods, which is a modern retelling of the myths. edited b/c it should be gods, not heroes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 We own the Gustav Schwab in Dutch, DH used it in Highschool. To today standerds it isn't a cosy, enjoyable reading. We have better retellings in Dutch now. I think Schwab used to be a 'classic' in these areas. I should ask dh if you need further details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepatica Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Just bumping this up to see if there are any more thoughts on Ruth's initial list. I am thinking about a combined English/Ancient History for my 10th grader next year. I think classical mythology would be great for her, but she is dyslexic, so I need texts she can get through in a reasonable amount of time. Readability is key (or audio versions). I see Lukeion uses this anthology, but I wonder if it might be too dense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 The National Mythology Exam uses Guerber for high school level: Guerber, H. A. The Myths of Greece and Rome, New York, Dover Publications, Inc., 1993 And here are some recommendations from the Medusa Mythology Exam: Bulfinch, Thomas, Greek and Roman MythologyD’Aulaire, Ingri, and D’Aulaire, Edgar, Book of Greek MythsGrant, Michael, and Hazel, John, Who’s Who In Classical MythologyHamilton, Edith, Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and HeroesGrimal, Pierre, The Penguin Dictionary of Classical MythologyMorford, Mark, and Lenardon, Robert J., Classical MythologyOxford Classical DictonaryTripp, Edward, Handbook of Classical Mythology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 It's not high school level, but Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes is worth buying for any Rick Riordan fan. It's only $15 in the states; I don't know if it's readily available other places. My 9th-grader plowed through the entire book quickly and loved it. It's great for familiarity and fun, and can be followed up by picking and choosing certain myths to read again in a different book. If you don't like Percy Jackson, you might try the same thing with Oh My Gods, which is a modern retelling of the myths. Where did you buy this? I read online that the date of publication is Percy's birthday in Aug 2015! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 We own the Gustav Schwab in Dutch, DH used it in Highschool. To today standerds it isn't a cosy, enjoyable reading. We have better retellings in Dutch now. I think Schwab used to be a 'classic' in these areas. According to Ester Maria Schwab used to be *the* standard for teaching Greek mythology in European schools. I remember reading it in high school, not assigned by school, but just because I was interested, but it was't a very exciting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Where did you buy this? I read online that the date of publication is Percy's birthday in Aug 2015! Oh, shoot, I'm sorry, I meant to type Greek Gods, not heroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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