Treasury of Classical Mythology

by Robert Hope Moncrieff

Timeless in their appeal, the Greek myths have fascinated generations. This superb collection is an abridged and illustrated edition of A.R. Hope Moncrieff's Classic Myths and Legends, including such well-known tales as Theseus and the Minotaur, Perseus and Andromemnon.

For the ancient Greeks the sun rose and set because Phoebus-Apollo drove his dazzling chariot daily across the sky. Winter came in those months of the year when Persephone, daughter of the earth goddess Demeter, descended into the under-world. Helped or hindered by the gods, human heroes were also the subjects of legendary tales, many of them representing a particular quality: the cunning of Odysseus, for example, the beauty of Helen or the courage of Antigone. These ancient myths are brought to life with a vast array of fascinating illustrations, showing the diverse ways in which the classic heroes have been portrayed over the centuries. The wealth of images spans over 3500 years, from the ancient "Mask of Agamemnon," to the surreal "Metamorphosis of Narcissus" by Salvador Dali. Over 200 images have been drawn from a range of sources; ancient architecture, sculpture and vase painting, the works of the Old Masters and the Pre-Raphaelites, and the early illustrated editions of the epic poems of Homer and Ovid.

A Treasury of Classical Mythology is a book for every member of the family, from the art historian to the student of literature and legend. It is a source book of the tales of ancient Greece and also offers a panorama of the visual masterpieces they have inspired.

Genres: Mythology, Reference, Classics, History, Art, Nonfiction, Ancient

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Robert Hope Moncrieff (1846 – 1927) was a prolific Scottish author of children's fiction and of Black's Guides. He wrote under the names Ascott R. Hope and A.R. Hope Moncrieff.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read. I am a sucker for Greek mythology. Plus the book had fascinating pictures of drawings, paintings, and sculptures that made it better and easier to enjoy and understand the stories. I did not care for the language, which this book was written and while I enjoyed learning new things that were not covered in other books of the same myths, there were also things in this book that was not mentioned or properly explained. Considering this book is not long though, I can understand that. A great, fast read!

[Veronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this book even when I like the greek & roman mythology. This is a bunch of stories very detailed and complete about gods, demigods, nature and everything related and, maybe, that is the reason why this is a non-easy to read book.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written and researched. This book took me a long time to read, mainly due to the book's size. Bits were also boring and the name's hard to pronounce. If you love History and Legends this is the book for you.

[LuisJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I'd been after. A book that re-tells the stories of classical Greek mythology in an engaging way and without sounding like a textbook.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

After realizing my knowledge of classic Greco-Roman myths and legends had grown rusty I decided to seek a book that would refresh my memory without omitting important details. This book did just that, with a concise introduction of all the major and minor gods and goddesses, demi-gods, heroes and some stuff by Plato. Both the Greek and Roman names for the deities were given and a brief history of how the gods came to be and whom they begat.
A sort of abridged collection of all the myths are presented in the book, which is good since it contained the whole Helen of Troy story and the Odyssey. However I felt that basically abridging and compacting the stories stripped away all the beauty and poetry of the tales. The re-writes of the myths were clumsy and cold. I figure if I want a decent re-telling of the tale of Persephone and Hades then it’s probably worth reading the full and heavy Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, it wasn't bad. It has a handful of myths--a lot of them are the well-known ones--and includes illustrations from famous paintings based on mythological stories or architecture in Greece. The thing is, since there weren't that many stories, it felt like the text of the book is anything I could have gotten anywhere else (and have). The paintings and photographs are nice, but there weren't really all that many, at least, not really enough to warrant a new book. The book wasn't bad, but I'm not sure it's worth *owning*: maybe check out from the library, or find a book specifically about the art.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so much better going back to read these when you don't "have to"...

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork to go with the stories.