Mythology The Gods, Heroes, and Monsters of Ancient Greece (Ologies) Hardcover – August 28, 2007

I don’t know how I have never seen this book series but my daughter got one for a friend for Christmas and showed it to me and I was completely enamored with it, to the point we bought 2 of the books in the series right then and there, and plan on collecting the entire series! These will basically be our coffee table books. They look like a cross between a reference book and a scrapbook, with lots of fictional and non-fictional information, pullouts, envelopes with surprises inside, games, etc. The covers are absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to have the whole collection! Hard cover is a must! They are worth every penny, trust me! The one my daughter showed me first was Dragonology. I’m not even into dragons and I was completely taken by that book! They will make a great gift for any book lover I think, kids and adults alike. I’m 45 and these are literally the coolest books I’ve ever seen, and there are no others like them!

My first grader has recently become interested in mythology after listening to the story of the winged horse, Pegasus. Seeing that this was offered at a great price here on Amazon, I promptly purchased it, and it has been such a joy to peruse the pages of this wonderful book with my daughter. The book itself is attractively bound, and has a lovely aquamarine color with embellishments on the front, and depicts Hercules killing the Hydra.Written in the form of a mystery, the book purports to be a facsimile of a book that was used by a certain John Oro to contact the Greek Gods for his own benefit, and which results in ill-fated consequences. Lavishly illustrated, the book begins with an introduction to mythology and contains short stories of well-known Greek myths such as the story of King Midas and his Golden Touch, an excellent antique-looking map of ancient Greece, together with a genealogical table of the gods, monsters, and heroes of ancient Greece.This is followed by pages on the creation of the gods; monsters and mythical beasts (contains a little insert which depicts the various serpents, as well as a specimen of the Golden Fleece); the origins of mankind (a pop-up of Pandora's box is included here); Zeus and Hera (with an insert containing 'sacred' oak leaves that can be used as an oracle); Poseidon and the sea (with a really abbreviated version of The Odyssey); Hades and the underworld (with a replica of an ancient obol); Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus (with a golden replica of a death mask imprint); Apollo, Hermes, and Dionysus (with knowledge cards of the Gods of Olympus); Athena, Artemis, and Hestia (has lovely illustrations of the three Goddesses); Heracles and the Greek Heroes (and large illustration of the Cretan Labyrinth); and, the Trojan Horse.At the back of the book there are some note paper to take notes on, as well as a feather quill ballpoint pen. This is an excellent value for a young child eager to learn about the vast stories contained in Greek mythology and makes an excellent introduction to the subject.

The pictures were awesome and the text informative

I was one of those kids who was unusually enchanted with the Dragonology book in the early aughts. So, I was looking for a book to get my 7 year old to try and experience that same enchantment together with him. And as a longtime fan of greek mythology -- this is it!! It breaks down myths in kid friendly ways but still maintains that sense of wonder and ethereal possibility as the other -ology books. We've had an awesome time looking though the breathtaking art and the usual fun and interactive activities and tactile portions as well.

"Mythology" was a title I expected to see almost as soon as I realized that "Dragonology" and "Egyptology" were the start of a series, and not merely one-off titles. "Mythology", a 19th century textbook written by Lady Hestia Evans, introduces readers to the Greek and Roman myths of gods and heroes. The textbook was designed so that enterprising students could take many notes in the page margins, and one reader, named John Oro, did just that. As the pages catalog the deities, monsters, and heroes of the ancient world, a secondary story is told in the margins, as John Oro journals his expedition through Greece on a quest for treasure while using the textbook as his guide. But Oro discovers more than merely vases and ancient coins as he visits the old temples of the gods...This is a great introduction to the myths. There are many illustrations, ranging from simple pen sketches to lush watercolors and reproductions of original Greek and Roman works of art. Each page spread introduces something new, like the origins of the Titans and Olympians, or the powers and personalities of the major gods and goddesses. Some tales have been sanitized for a younger audience. For example, the paragraph about Zeus closes with these words: “Although most myths say that Zeus was the husband of Hera, he also had other marriages...Although Zeus always married Hera again afterwards, she usually had some reason to be angry with her husband.” Certainly, Zeus had many affairs with many women, but I'm quite sure Hera was his only <b>wife</b>. But as this is a book written in 1825 for a young audience, a proper woman like Lady Hestia no doubt felt the need to fudge the old tales a bit.The fictional Lady Hestia Evans is no doubt meant to be a descendant or relation of real-life archaeologists John and Arthur Evans. Sir John was a trustee of the British Museum while his son Arthur excavated at Knossos and “discovered” Minoan civilization. It's a cute wink to the readers, as is the name John Oro – those familiar with mythology may well guess the man's fate before it is revealed at the end of the book based on the clue in his surname.Like all "Ologies" books, there are many interactive panels and mini-booklets scattered throughout the book. In one pocket there are paper “oracle leaves” for communication with the gods, while in the other “knowledge cards” help readers test each other with trivia about the Olympian gods. A specimen of “golden fleece” is found on a page that discusses the mythological beasts like sphinxes and dragons. There's even a highly condensed version of The Odyssey to introduce children to the adventures of Odysseus.I found it a little strange that Lord Byron is mentioned several times in the book's margins and in some of the extra notes. Sure, he's an interesting historical figure, but nothing really ties him to the main body of the text on mythology, or even to John Oro's side adventure save that Byron's death in Greece was fairly recent at the time of Oro's travels. (Perhaps a more astute reader can point out the connection I'm missing.) But overall this was a minor distraction from another fine addition to the "Ologies" line.

Beautiful book to add to my other Mythology book collection. I had to reorder the Dragonology book as well because I used to have it as a kid. I recommend it to older kids in middle school or high school! Because I tried to show it to my son 8 Years old and he was not interested because of the many fictional facts and writing.. but I looved it in high school and I love it now!