It does everything it intends, being the perfect primer, before delving into the primary text of Greek Mythology. I picked up some info somewhere in the edition I'm reading, and finally realized that in the climactic section of the play the Furies are rebranded by Athena into the Eumenides - a name that means Kindly Ones - thus changing them from a group seeking revenge and retribution (the old way that humans responded to murder) to a group which provides a higher moral choice to human kind, through the institution of justice. Her prose is clear and reasonably accessible - slightly dated, but largely unburdened by archaic language or academic jargon. This book taught me that Troy was a city and Brad Pitt's name in the movie should have been Achilles. This is a summary, a boiling-down, a sugar-coating of a topic that frankly could have been presented in a much more academic, dry manner.

I have this now on Kindle, I come across this book constantly referenced in other books, so got my own copy. I based the comparative evaluation on three main general criteria - readability, accuracy, and scope (breadth and depth of coverage); I also looked at how each book handled two particular examples -- the life of Hercules and the story of Philomela and Procne.

The commentary I felt was very insightful to understand the Greek's perspective of these stories and just some interesting observations, overall. At Books2Door, we believe that reading is a fundamental skill that every child should have to help improve their vocabulary, grammar, and critical thinking skills.

And I am one of those people who will flip back to the family tree or index pages to refresh my memory - which is probably one of the many reasons why it took me so long to read this. It looks really cool and considering the other reviews my book wasn’t damaged at all and arrived it excellent shape! It's time to ask why Hamilton was so extraordinarily thorough with Greek myth (and Roman, while aware that Roman stories are nearly all renamed versions of the Greek tales), and yet she left out so many other myths so much older and so much more important, for example The Epic of Gilgamesh, perhaps the oldest written story on Earth, which relates the story of the historical King of Uruk from Ancient Sumeria (2750-2500 BCE) originally on 12 clay tablets in cunieform script. Well, most of his problem was with those bite-sized little rundowns of the myths, which is what I liked about it.This 75th anniversary edition of a classic bestseller is stunningly illustrated and designed to enchant fans of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology at all ages. Sometimes she berates the lesser attempts and I appreciated the balance, especially since she explains her critique. Hamilton proves herself extremely knowledgeable, not only with regard to the Greek Myths but, about the times in which they were composed as well. Hamilton's brilliant writing, the cover, the layout, the printing, the illustrations, and everything else are done in an excellent manner. Secondly, it begins with a brief commentary talking about the sources, her views, and some interesting observations then the retelling occurs and within retelling, there will be some commentary but mostly that story, which this cycle repeats quite often.

Doutora honoris causa de várias universidades e devota dos ideais clássicos, Hamilton tornou-se, aos noventa anos de idade, cidadã honorária da cidade de Atenas. You actually finish the book with a pretty good idea of who all the major authors of Greek and Roman Mythology were and some of their storytelling traits. All her knowledge came from classic literature; she has never been to Greece, and never participated in archaeology.

And we recognize reference points for countless works of art, literature, and cultural inquiry--from Freud's Oedipus complex to Wagner's Ring Cycle of operas to Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra. To sum up the points in its favor: Hamilton does well on the three basic criteria (accessibility, credibility, extent of coverage) the writing is clear, she is commendably rigorous about sourcing, and there are no glaring gaps in the extent of coverage. I know most of my real life friends read this in the 10th grade, but my class read The Odyssey only and I've always meant to get to this book but didn't until now.