Mythologica: An encyclopedia of gods, monsters and mortals from ancient Greek

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I was gonna have to comment on this sooner or later, but what is with the artwork? I won't say that it's bad, because it's not. But it is so out there that it definitely isn't to my tastes. It's also the last thing that I would ever expect to depict the characters of Greek mythology. The style of it all just doesn't match. This is not an art style befitting of these stories. It doesn't fit and I don't care for it. This book gives a good, brief introduction to Greek Mythology, which is important to know about, when reading Western literature, which borrows heavily from the mythology. Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for granting my wish for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Mythologica’, written by Dr. Stephen P. Kershaw and illustrated by Victoria Topping, in exchange for an honest review. Natale Conti's Mythologiae libri decem (" The Ten Books of Mythology"), first published in Venice in 1567, served as a reference book throughout Europe for more than two centuries. Students, artists, poets, opera librettists, doctors, philosophers and the literate public of sixteenth- to eighteenth-century Europe drew from them an encyclopaedic knowledge of the cults and beliefs of antiquity.

The stories are explained and illustrated in marvellous detail. The Odyssey, Jason and the Argonauts – it’s all here. I did have some problems with the writing. This is considered a children's book, but the writing felt a bit complicated at times, - the words used, the descriptions.. I think it should be more a teenager-age book. The king of them all is Zeus, and the author doesn’t mince words about his colourful history – married to his sister, children with many other women – quite the player! Tell me he doesn’t look a bit like a bikie gang-leader here!Let us know by leaving your comments in the box below or tweeting us @BookTrust using the hashtag #WhatToReadAfter. The infomation and descriptions are presented alphabetically and are accompanied by absolutely stunning artwork. The artwork is modern, vibrant and diverse and will appeal to this book's target audience of those in their tweens/early teens. The information is brief but enough to summarise the main highlights of each of the featured entries. I was sad to see that my girl Medusa has been done wrong again though. Can we just admit that Athena and Poseidon were the bad guys in that situation please?

I feel like sometimes I wanted more in moments, however this is a wonderful book that just captures what you need to know about about the gods of the period and would be a perfect gift for anyone fascinated in the topic, especially with such great art. While the writing content itself is quite good, the reality is that children will infer more from art and look than they will the actual words. It's just like how if you give a person the word 'green' in red type and ask them to read the word they will tell you it says red. Even though inherently their brain knows the word is green; humans almost always default to the look and feel before they read words. We chose this book for a Literary Leaf as it links beautifully to any studies on Greek Myths as part of a topic, theme or historical study of Ancient Greece. Greek names can be really difficult, and there are lots of different ways of spelling them in English. Achilles is really Akhilleus in Greek; Clytemnestra is actually Klytaimnestra; and Oedipus is called Oidipous. Sometimes the Greek gods and heroes are given Roman names too, so Odysseus becomes Ulysses, and Zeus becomes Jupiter or Jove! So we’ve chosen the most familiar spellings, but given you their names in real Greek too!” Comme le montre l’abondance des monuments, des œuvres d’art et toute la tradition littéraire qui va d’Homère aux travaux des mythographes modernes, la mythologie grecque est l’une des plus riches qui soient.Unexamenrapide de ses informations diverses peut laisser croire que ces légendes plus ou moins merveilleuses se présentent comme un tout cohérent, qui aurait été codifié et ordonné par le temps pour être facilement compréhensible pour un esprit moderne et figé une fois pour toute. And, at the end of the day, I just don't see this as a book meant for adult readers. There are far better and more informative texts out there to satisfy that curiosity. Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. In painful times, books can be the greatest comfort": Anne Fine on how reading can help children cope with feelings of grief

I requested this book because my daughter is very into Greek mythology right now and I thought this book had the potential of being a good Christmas gift for her. 🎄 And it definitely is that. 🙌 It’s truly a visual feast: illustrator Topping fuses technology with traditional techniques to capture the otherworldliness of her mythical subjects, employing intense colours and a hint of the surreal’. - When I started high school one of the lessons on my timetable was Classics. A lesson dedicated to studying Greek Mythology. Set aside from being covered in my usual history lessons, Classics lessons offered me the chance to delve deeper into the world of ancient Greece. Covering the gods and goddesses, the monsters and the mortals that made up that era. I'd personally find any other gorgeous Greek mythology book to gift a child. This one is just confusing and feels completely mistargeted. For me it's not a stereotype of art if we have proof that it's a classic artistic time period.Artist Victoria Topping’s artwork is a blend of modern and traditional techniques and the result is quite stunning. Each character has a unique and colorful visual portrayal which has added a unique dimension to the book. Overall, this is an absolutely gorgeous book on legendary characters and creatures from Greek mythology. The book is both exciting and informative and it will make you want to learn more about Greek Mythology. I held off on this eARC to see a print copy as I feel like these 'coffee table' books require tangible touch to really feel their value. Sadly this one didn't do it for me. Not only was it an awkward large size (even for a book of this type it was odd); but the art in it is not engaging for children at all. I'm not sure why anyone would think that a modern, deco look would appeal to a child.

Overall, it was a little repetitive in places, but a good attempt at summarising the Greek myths. Especially of stories such as the Odyssey. I would definitely recommend this book as a coffee book, or for a child who's into mythology! I myself love mythology and was aware of a lot of these stories already, but still learnt a thing or two. I think this book is also a great introduction to Greek mythology to newbies too! You wouldn't change Van Gogh's art to look like Thomas Kinkade; so why change Ancient Greek style to like anything other than what it is. Mythologica’ provides an excellent introduction to Greek mythology for young readers with beautiful and inspiring art.De nombreux mythes grecs racontent l’histoire des héros qui étaient souvent semi-divins, comme Persée, ou des rois, comme Agamemnon. Listed alphabetically, each boldly designed spread presents a figure from the myths, including their name in Greek, their defining attributes and a summary of their story, along with multiple sidelights that provide additional facts. Interspersed with the profiles are summaries of famous mythological tales and historical events, like the Odyssey, the Trojan War and the story of the Argonauts.