Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned

Kenneth C. Davis

Harper Collins, Dec 29, 2009 - Reference - 560 pages

The latest installment in the New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About® series -- a magical journey into the timeless world of mythology

It has been fifteen years since Kenneth C. Davis first dazzled audiences with his instant classic Don't Know Much About® History, vividly bringing the past to life and proving that Americans don't hate history, they just hate the dull, textbook version they were fed in school. With humor, wit, and a knack for storytelling, Davis has been bringing readers of all ages up to speed on history, geography, and science ever since. Now, in the classic traditions of Edith Hamilton and Joseph Campbell, he turns his talents to the world of myth.

Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In his irreverent and popular question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous. In a single volume, he tackles Mesopotamia's Gilgamesh, the first hero in world mythology; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Thor, the Nordic god of thunder; Chinese oracle bones; the use of peyote in ancient Native American rites; and the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha.

Ever familiar and instructive, Davis shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes -- from Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, from ancient Rome to the icy land of the Norse -- continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music. For mythology novices and buffs alike, and for anyone who loves a good story, Don't Know Much About® Mythology is a lively and insightful look into the greatest stories ever told.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - benuathanasia - LibraryThing

This was an audiobook and the reader was just shy of terrible. Every word he could butcher, he did. The worst was when he pronounced the same word multiple ways (eg. shaman: shah-mən, shah-man, shay ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - beckymmoe - LibraryThing

This book is an intersting blend of history and mythology--and really does prove that most of us don't know much about either! Each section of the book starts with a timeline of events for the part of ...

Contents

• INTRODUCTION: 3
• Gift of the Nile: 51
• CHAPTER 3: 89
• By the Rivers of Babylon: 115
• CHAPTER 4: 146
• The Greek Miracle: 171
• The Myths of the Celts and Norse: 263
• Bridge to the East: 309
• Everywhere Under Heaven: 353
• Ancient People New Worlds: 393
• CHAPTER 9: 401
• Sacred Hoops: 431
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 507
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: 521

About the author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of A Nation Rising; America's Hidden History; and Don't Know Much About® History, which spent thirty-five consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 1.6 million copies, and gave rise to his phenomenal Don't Know Much About® series for adults and children. A resident of New York City and Dorset, Vermont, Davis frequently appears on national television and radio and has been a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. He blogs regularly at www.dontknowmuch.com.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned; Don't Know Much About Series
• Author: Kenneth C. Davis
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2009
• ISBN: 0061925756, 9780061925757
• Length: 560 pages
• Subjects: Reference / General; Religion / General