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Book Review of Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends

Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends
jjares avatar reviewed on + 3294 more book reviews


Its embarrassing to admit how many times Ive read the Greek Myths and how little Ive retained over the years. However, this particular volume is a great resource for these important tales of the ancient Greeks.

The secrets to this books success are both the illustrations and the Whos Who in the Greek Myths. Although the Greek gods stories are told briefly, the Whos Who is where I turn for the succinct info I need:

- The family from which this god/goddess comes;
- His/her personality and appearance;
- His/her magical powers;
- Associations: Places, things or ideas linked with the character (For example: Artemis is linked with the woodland; she protects women expecting babies).

This book is only 64 pages, but a lot of info is packed within its covers. I found the myths to be a bit too short to be fully explanatory; they have enough detail to firmly plant them in the scheme of the myths.

When Im looking for a crossword answer, I tend to head first to the Whos Who , pages 50 63.