Good books for basic mythology

[TheReaper]

Does anyone have some recommendations? Maybe a particular book or a specific author? I am interested in all different types of mythology so it doesn't have to pinpoint any one branch.

 

[Nadai]

I am particularly in love with Ovid. I think his translations are absolutely amazing. He wrote a book called Metamorphosis; it is a series of poems beginning from the beginning of time and going all the way to his time at around 40 B.C. He is a poetic genius in my case. I've heard people say that Shakespear was a better poet than Ovid, but I'd curl up with Amores before Romeo and Juliet any day. I think if you can't stomach poetry though you could try Mythology by Edith Hamilton. It's a book of most greek myths and even goes into some Celtic mythology. That was the first book of mythology I ever read and it actually helped me to understand some of Ovid's more criptic poems.

 

[Daniel Binet]

I think it depends on what you have read so far. I like the path that starts off D'aulaire, Edith Hamilton, Bulfinch. Then read Campbell's "Hero with a thousand faces". Then you will be armed with the basic stories and a framework for further exploration. Maybe to Frazer's classic Golden Bough or some other source that leaves all of the good stuff in that Hamilton and Bulfinch cleaned up.

 

[Old World American]

Bulfinch's Mythology is a tried and true source for both classical and Norse myths. It's not the most colorful but it is very informative and comprehensive. However, if you're looking for data rather than stories, I highly recommend the Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion.

 

[Rhonda Tharp]

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, Trickster Makes This World by Hyde, Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara Walker is a good start.