The Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell

By: Joseph Campbell

Narrated by: Arthur Morey, John Lee, Susan Denaker

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Since its release in 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces has influenced millions of readers by combining the insights of modern psychology with Joseph Campbell's revolutionary understanding of comparative mythology. In this book, Campbell outlines the Hero's Journey, a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world's mythic traditions. He also explores the Cosmogonic Cycle, the mythic pattern of world creation and destruction.

As relevant today as when it was first published, The Hero with a Thousand Faces continues to find new audiences in fields ranging from religion and anthropology to literature and film studies. The book has also profoundly influenced creative artists - including authors, songwriters, game designers, and filmmakers - and continues to inspire all those interested in the inherent human need to tell stories.

©2008 The Joseph Campbell Foundation (jcf.org). Third edition (with revisions) / 1968 by Princeton University Press. Second edition (with revisions) / 1949 by Bollingen Foundation and published by Pantheon Books. (Original edition), year 2008 (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Arthur Morey, John Lee, and Susan Denaker are an adept and experienced performance team. The way they trade voices adds texture to the complex compendium of stories." ( AudioFile)

An amazing and enlightening experience

I finished the audio book in a day and a half. It was a read that articulated my own hypotheses and journey through mythology in a manner so succinct and enthralling that I simply could not put it down. I wish I had read it at a younger age, as it posited the very answer I strove so long to achieve. Having experienced this enriching tale, I leave now with a clearer understanding and articulation of the adventure, trials and tribulations each of us undergo as we undertake our own destinies. Thank you for putting this audible book together!

Epic subject, epic work.

I read this to increase my understanding of story writing and to make sure I wasn't missing any crucial basic beats, but it also holds poignant comments on everyday life.

More than a the hero’s journey

This book has more to do with the depth of what it means to be human than about telling stories about heroes. Lots to think about and consider in this book.

Amazing Experience!

Fantastic read and I personally found it very enlightening. A great read for any artist or whoever is interested in related topics of mythology.

Excellent read of a hard book

Excellent book, now I need to read it in paper so I can take proper notes. The narrators give it a new voice and dimension to the text, but it's not a book to absorb in one go.

World changing

I’m a song writer, this book has changed my approach and understanding of all creative works. Powerful read.

Tedious work

Quite a complex piece, difficult to follow. The work doesn't convincingly marry the myths & logic, like it had set out to do

Brilliant reading of a classic.

Great narrators perform a great classic. Nine more words are required by amazon, so there.

It’s interesting if you’re into the history of lit

This wasn’t what I was expecting. I like myths and the history behind them is intriguing, but I did not expect such a clinical professor like take on it. It was drier than I expected, but I wasn’t fully aware of what I was getting myself into when I started.

the story that started it all.

third time listening to it and every time i learned more and applied it to my own story.