Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Vol. 1

by Timothy Gantz

Selected by Choice Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title Early Greek Myth is a much-needed handbook for scholars and others interested in the literary and artistic sources of archaic Greek myths—and the only one of its kind available in English. Timothy Gantz traces the development of each myth in narrative form and summarizes the written and visual evidence in which the specific details of the story appear.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Classics, Greek Mythology, History, Reference, Paganism

584 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

Reviews

[Baelor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A definitive academic resource to Greek mythology, particularly to literary and artistic works of the Archaic/early Classic periods.

Gantz is thorough and it shows. Extensive references and footnotes make this work a great gateway into primary sources of interest. He basically exhausts the mythological figures.

It is surprisingly accessible, but Gantz makes no effort to retell the myths, only to summarize them and catalog their variants. For a given figure or story, he generally lists the different appearances (most often in rough chronological order) and explains major questions raised by each text or art: were aspects of the myth innovated? Are there any notable textual concerns or ambiguities? etc.

Top-notch resource!

[StrangeBedfellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great resource for people seeking detailed information about Greek myths. The book is highly informative -- even too informative from time to time. The best feature is the way the author compares different sources on given topics, determining who said what first, best, differently, etc. Take care, though, because this is definitely not a book for casual or introductory-level readers of Greek mythology.

[Sarah Kauthen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No classicist or serious student of mythography should be without this book.

[Jesse Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book certainly has some value from a scholarly perspective if you are interested in the genetic origins of each myth and how they evolve over time and space. Graves' "The Greek Myths" provides a similar amount of detail and is actually a much better read.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

volume two

[Michael Selvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top book on Greek mythology.