Excellent source for reference! Also, this 75th Anniversary Edition is a beautifully crafted book from the dust cover, to the art to the fonts - it has been a joy to read! ( )

Before Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan, there was Edith Hamilton's version of the myths. This book was meant to be an introduction to the myths - of Roman, Greek, and Norse. This book was part of my high school English class. Required reading to be discussed and tested and I was happy to have this book.

This book was my first introduction to myths. I had not read anything about them in the past as I held no interest in them. They held no interest and certainly were not needed in the three years of high school. This book was placed in my hands during one-afternoon class and told that this would be the subject for the next six weeks.

You know from previous entries that I do not play well when I am told that I have to read a book and that has always held true even in high school. In high school, I fell in love with not only history but with the mythology of all cultures and religions. This book was meant to be an introduction to these worlds, a reference, and short stories packaged nicely into a book.

This is the book that introduced me to one of my favorite myths - Hades and Persephone.

This book has since opened doors to other more detailed books on myths and their stories. Because of this book, I am thankful for it. I am thankful that I did not write this book off as something forced but something to enjoy. I will keep coming back to this book each time I want just a little nostalgia. ( )

Scholarly in a way that most retellings of the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths are not. A discussion of the originals of many of the stories, with commentary. Quotations from translations of the poets. A discussion of the purpose and meaning of the myths and what place they have in our cultural heritage.

The illustrations by Steele Savage seem rather arbitrarily chosen. I found the color illustrations by Jim Tierney in the 25th anniversary edition unappealing, but the decorations were fine and the book itself is pleasantly bulky. Both editions have quite a few family trees. ( )

A refresher in the Greek and Roman gods, in preparation for reading some classic literature later in the year. ( )

I read this as a child and was instantly fascinated and taken away by it. Since then I have read much more and heavier books on the subject. None of them take away from Hamilton's. This is a good read that will point you in the direction of similar subject matter. What makes this volume nice is the lesser known stories that take Mythology out of the box. ( )