The Encyclopedia of Mythology: Classical Celtic Norse - Hardcover

Cotterell, Arthur

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0831773243 ISBN 13: 9780831773243

Publisher: Smithmark Pub, 1996

Synopsis

Explores mythical themes basic to the Greek, Roman, Norse, and Celtic cultures in addition to profiling more than 500 key mythological figures

About this title

About the Author:

Arthur Cotterell has lectured and written widely on the mythologies and ancient civilizations of the world. He is Principal of KingstonCollege in London, and author of the best-selling Dictionary of World Mythology, as well as a number of books on the civilizations of East Asia.

From Booklist:

This work covers three great traditions of European mythology: classical (Greco-Roman), Celtic (including Welsh), and Norse (including Slavic). Each section has a brief introduction giving a broad overview of the historical setting of the tradition, including a map of the territories where the myths were believed. The sections are in dictionary format with extensive cross-references. There are also two-page spreads on such special topics as "Voyagers" and "Heroes" in the classical section, "Sagas and Seers" and "Single Combat" in the Celtic, and "Treasures and Talismans" and "Tragic Lovers" in the Norse.

The text is lavishly illustrated with everything from photographs of ancient artifacts to contemporary watercolors, most in full color. The Pre-Raphaelites, Aubrey Beardsley, and Arthur Rackham are heavily represented. The book is designed so that the illustrations enhance rather than obstruct the text. The caption for the illustration of Lif and Lifthrasir in the Norse section does not agree with the entry as to who is male and who is female. A pronunciation guide for Gaelic, Welsh, and Slavic names would have been helpful. Librarians and students who are not sure to which tradition a mythological character belongs will find a detailed name index at the end.

School and public libraries with limited budgets that need to add a European mythology reference will do well to consider this one.

About this edition

• Publisher: Smithmark Pub
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0831773243
• ISBN 13: 9780831773243
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 256