Mythology

By: Edith Hamilton

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Since its original publication by Little, Brown and Company, in 1942, Edith Hamilton's Mythology has sold millions of copies throughout the world and established itself as a perennial best-seller in its various available formats. Mythology succeeds like no other audiobook in bringing to life for the modern listener the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths and legends that are the keystone of Western culture - the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©1969 Dorian Fielding Reid (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Actually Greek with Roman versions and a few Norse

This is an old book, published around 75 years ago, but still rates as one of the best on its topic. If you want to better understand the stories you’ve heard of Narcissus, Hercules, Poseidon, Cupid, and much more, then this is a good book to read. Since we’re talking about stories from a few thousand years ago, it’s not surprising that there is more than one version of the story and often there’s a Roman one adapted from the original Greek one. The author tells the stories from the most reliable sources, talks about the family relationships of the gods in the pantheon, and gives some of the context of the stories. By reading the myths, you can better understand the people and culture that produced them. However, you’ll also find how much our own stories are based on those of the Greek gods or sometimes their Roman versions. 

And that points out the main weakness of the book. It makes it seems that myths are solely the product of Greece and Rome, with a few thrown in from Norse mythology. And, the section on the Norse gods is very brief and seems to be just tacked on as an afterthought. So, the book title is a bit misleading in that it doesn’t let you know that we’re really only talking about those that had the most influence on western culture. Of course, those are the ones that its target audience would likely be most interested in, especially considering when the book was published. And, a book that broadened out to even a few of the other major cultural traditions would encompass much more than one volume. Still, the title should state what it is really covering. 

That doesn’t detract from the content, however. It is well-researched and interesting to read. It is written for a general audience, not for scholars, and doesn’t get bogged down in detail or boring analysis. It’s for us.  

Great insight on Greek and Roman--barely any Norse

I really enjoyed this book, quite thoroughly. Only complaint is it billed Norse mythology as being included but the truth is that it was covered in the last 40 minutes of a 14.5 hour long book.
Edith Hamilton writes with the air of a consummate educator, and Suzanne Toren's voice feels like the perfect match. I could easily imagine her in a lecture hall. Hamilton saves the audience quite a bit of time by taking the perspective of multiple authors and either blending for a cohesive story or contrasting their views when appropriate. She gives insight into the writing styles of ancient writers, whether they are separated by time or culture. As mentioned, the Norse selection is incredibly brief but, as with the rest of the text, insightful by going beyond merely repeating the stories.

Good information

I knew very little about mythology and decided to get this book. It’s not one cohesive story as you may imagine but many stories broken into sections and parts. Focus is on Greek and Roman with a touch of Norse. I learned quite a bit and so this book served its purpose well.

The definitive work on Greek Mythology for casual fans.

This is a classic for a reason. If you are looking for an introduction to Greek mythology, this is your best option. Edith Hamilton was a very well regarded classicist in her day, and she did a fantastic job of making the myths easily digestible while remaining true to the source material.

I listen over and over

Mythology by Edith Hamilton, will last you a lifetime. Every story carefully recorded and beautifully narrated.

Great classic of myths retold in English

I was enchanted by the stories in this book as a teenager, but a little less so as an adult. The narration style can get a little monotonous.

Reads like the Resource Material that it is

I was excited for this, I have a hard copy and use it for reference when the need arises, yet I have never found the time to sit and read the entire product. The narration is dry, it reads like the resource material that it has become.

Mythology Highlights

Hamilton does a phenomenal job of telling the stories in a beautiful and enchanting way. She quotes from Ovid, Euripidies, and other classics sifting through the thousands of pages to provide Highlight reel of Mythology.

Tedious

The never ending litany of the names of the gods and those who serve them becomes mind numbing. Names with so little information to attach to them soon melt away. I'm sure the author knows her stuff but never gave me a glimpse of it. The narrator is very good if bland.

A journey down the history of stories

Mythology gave story telling an enduring foundation that lingers on endlessly. Wherever & whenever stories are told, the influence of these ageless stories can simply not be avoided. It always feels like there has always been one long continuious story. Edith Hamilton has done a wonderful job of collecting these timeless stories.