The Library of Greek Mythology

While I did appreciate the Library as a good summary of important Greek myths, I wouldn't recommend for those who only have a passing interest. There are a lot of lists of names and begats. In fact, there's one entire section just naming off Heracles' children. And one part of one section that lists of Penelope's suitors. None of the information seems vital, either. Most of these characters either die off immediately or are never mentioned by name again. So, if you're looking for something scholarly, this is a great choice. If you just want summaries of important myths, this is good, too. If you're interested in the family lines of Greek heroes, even better. If you're just looking for some good stories or don't much care for lists, I'd give it a pass.

As a reference book ( I suppose as the title would suggest it should be used) for anyone studying or just generally interested in Ancient Greek mythology this is useful but it’s not a ‘novel’. Useful to have on your bookcase.

It was good to read right through, but I had to gloss over a couple of the longer genealogies. As far as I am aware, this is the best source for the story of Herakles, which is why I bought it, but it also contains summaries of every other Greek myth too. It is not a replacement for Homer and the Latin greats like Ovid and Virgil because they give a depth of experience that this does not, but its worth lies in its thoroughness. I am sure that I shall return to this many times for reference. Ample footnotes are at the back.

This in parts can be very heavy going, luckily the introduction fills in a lot. Heavy on the detail, this is certainly not the action packed tales of Greek mythology we're spoon fed as kids, but, it's worth ploughing through it.

Its great

Finally I found a source that gives essentially ALL the characters of classical mythology! The other standard references, such as the Oxford Classical Dictionary and Edith Hamilton's Mythology, include the most important characters, but are of no use when trying to look up a reference on the multitude of minor characters who often are mentioned in literature and art. Oxford is good for learning how the significance of major characters changed over time and in various places, and Hamilton is superior for bringing together into coherent narratives those principal characters, but as a general reference for finding names one comes across in reading, Apollodorus is far superior.

Loved it, it was like reading a classical Greco-Roman version of "The enquire" or some other celebrity magazine. With the who slept with who. And the curse and How land became founded. I couldn't but it down...until I finished the book.

One of the all time great books. The stories are short, most have amazing plots and almost all of them end with a good moral. Apollodorus tells myths in a straightforward sparknotes kinds of way. it is really helpful. some of the stories explore the various versions of a myth. it is interesting that some myths have more than one version, such as helen of troy.

The World's Classics sereies has presented a fine new translation of the Mythology Library of "Apollodorus" (a name of convenience for an author we know nothing about). Translator and editor Hard cleanly presents the writer's exhaustive compilation of Greek mythology, and through careful division and labelling of the sections, reveals some of the author's meticulous categorization. For hard-core mythology nuts, this is an indispensible reference: the Greek myths straight from a collector of antiquity, and our only glimpse at some important lost works. But a word of warning to the layman: Apollodorus is possible the most dull writer of the ancient world, and he make no attempts to create an entertaining or even readable work. It's all dry and dense -- nothing a translator can really do about that! If you're looking for a more entertaining ancient compliation of mythology, try Ovid's delightful METAMORPHOSES.

Bought as a gift for a relative. Beautiful illustrations.

Brief and easy coverage for Greek myths. If you are looking for extensive details, this book is not exactly what you are looking for. If you want to just accrue in the general knowledge of the myths, then this is the right book for you. Also, this book references towards topics that it does not cover in the book, and probably has a different story to explain the relevance of that topic, much like Teutonic myths.

The stories translated here from the ancients are clearer, more descriptive, and more enjoyable than any other translations I have come across, Oxford continues to offer the very best to anyone embarking on serious study of classic mythology without diminishing the enjoyment that study should offer.

I'm a second year Coassical Studies student at uni and love this book. Really easy to read. Set out really well in chronological order. Easy to find what you are looking for thanks to clear headings and sub headings. Bits that some may find confusing are explained in the back. Also includes helpful family trees. Could rave all day about how fantastic this book is.