A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology

A guide to the legends, themes, and characters of classical mythology also features summaries of epic and dramatic works based on specific Greek or Roman myths

YA The standard sources (Tripp's The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology NAL, 1974 and Hammond and Scullard's The Oxford Classical Dictionary Oxford University Pr, 1970) not only suffice but either give more information for each entry or have entries where Stapleton is silent. The one feature that this book offers that the many older books on this subject don't is synopses of the epics and tragedies which were based on the myths. But, while there is little new here and its references are leaner, leanness may be just what is needed by high-school students encountering myth for the first time, students who might be confused by the longer and more detailed references. The writing here is clean and straightforward, the illustrations attractive, wisely chosen, and well captioned. And so while Stapleton's book is not destined to displace any other dictionary of mythology in a university library, it will be well used in high-school libraries. Tom Bonnell, Episcopal High School, Bellaire
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.