Don't Know Much About Mythology Everyt... by Kenneth C. Davis

Don't Know Much About

by Kenneth C. Davis

Everything you need to know about the greatest stories in human history but never learned

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, History, Reference, Religion, Audiobook, Historical

545 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Don't Know Much About® series of books and audios for adults and children. Don't Know Much About® History, the first title in the series, became a New York Times bestseller in 1991 and remained on the paperback list for 35 consecutive weeks. It has since been revised several times and now has more than 1.6 million copies in print. The 30th anniversary edition of the book was published with a new preface, "From an Era of Broken Trust to an Era of Broken Democracy."

Davis is, according to Publishers Weekly, "a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis."

AMERICA'S HIDDEN HISTORY also became a New York Times bestseller. A NATION RISING also uses dramatic narratives to tell the "stories your textbooks left out." His book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR (May 5, 2015) was called "searing" analysis by Publishers Weekly.

Kenneth C. Davis’s success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. Davis’s approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight, and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word.

His IN THE SHADOW OF LIBERTY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF SLAVERY, FOUR PRESIDENTS, AND FIVE BLACK LIVES looks at the lives of five people enslaved by four of America's most famous Presidents and the role of slavery in American history and the presidency. In May 2018, MORE DEADLY THAN WAR: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War was published.

STRONGMAN: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy was published by Holt. It was named among the best books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and the Washington Post.

In November 2022 GREAT SHORT BOOKS: A Year of Reading--Briefly was published by SCribner. A compendium of 58 great short works Davis read during the pandemic lock down, it is a joyous celebration of reading.

Coming in October 2024 is THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 WORKS OF GREAT SHORT NONFICTION. It is an accessible and comprehensive guide to some of the most influential and important works of nonfiction, from the earliest days of writing to contemporary times. Each entry includes information about the writers behind these consequential books and the time in which they lived.

Reviews

[Laura Leaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a grand summary of world mythology. Kenneth Davis puts it altogether in one coherent, incredibly readable book. Sure, he leaves quite a bit out - and he omits pedantic scholarly digressions as well - but the whole of it is very helpful and ultimately proves why mythology still matters.

Did you know that the ancient Mesopotamians "invented the seven-day week, beer, and astrology"? Neither did I! Every time I lift my stein, I will say a big thank you to the people between the Tigris and the Euphrates; may Marduk bless you.

One flaw, at least for me, is that the book is still just a "summary." Davis does not go into some of the more interesting complexities of each god/goddess, (but I don't think that was his intent). For instance, major deities get short shrift - Isis, Osiris, Zeus, Athena, etcetera. So the reader knows WHO they are, but not what they mean for the religious worshipper or the student of world cultures. Because I love Greek mythology so much, that was the section that was the most disappointing for me - but still, this is a good book for an overview.

The author has an amazing ability to synthesize huge segments of time, culture, and story into one global history of human belief. And, he does it with humor and a fondness for the gossipy tidbits that makes history so fun.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps Kenneth C. Davis’ text might well get a bit better, more interesting and less ridiculously annoying after his introduction to Don't Know Much About® Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned.

But honestly, so much of the latter (so much of said introduction) has been a pretty well horrible combination and mish-mash of major reading annoyance and frustration for me, and yes, to such an extent that I ended up getting massively bored and have therefore decided to stop reading Don't Know Much About® Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned after the introduction and to consider this as yet another DNF.

For really and truly, there is just too much of an emphasis in the introduction to Don't Know Much About® Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned on movies, on films, and indeed with Kenneth C. Davis’ words feeling overly exaggerated and like the author is trying to majorly insinuate that for the majority if not even for all of us, interest in mythology has been created and piqued primarily due to moving pictures, but well, this has simply not at all, not ever been the case for me. Because yes indeed, I have never been a huge movie goer (and watcher) and my own interest in especially Greek and Roman mythology was actually and in fact sparked by having it introduced in grade seven and eight English (along with the King James Bible), and I have also enjoyed Germanic and Norse mythology ever since I read Gustav Schwab’s renditions for children as a child (in German), all of which heightened my interest in global mythology (and in world religions) much more thoroughly and lastingly than any movie ever could.

And while Kenneth C. Davis’ introductory words might well work and represent the truth for many, for me personally, I have felt rather kind of like a major geek and that my lack of discovering mythology through movies is actually kind of taken to be rather as a shortcoming by the author, that me discovering and learning to love diverse global mythologies through academics, through education and reading is somehow not as good as discovering this all visually through movies. So yes, even though I seriously doubt that my above mentioned bones of contention have been a deliberate slight by Kenneth C. Davis, I still cannot help but feeling more than a bit personally criticised in the introduction regarding how I have come to be interested in mythology, and also to stop reading Don't Know Much About® Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned and to find a book on general mythology more to my tastes and interest (and my decision to stop reading is also because there is a for me totally inappropriate authorial attitude presented in the introduction, that if you are of German background and happen to enjoy the music of Richard Wagner, you must according to Kenneth C. Davis automatically be tainted by Nazism just because Adolf Hitler et al had made Wagner the composer of the Third Reich).

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up I read a lot of books about mythology, mostly Greek. Hercules in particular held my fascination not only because he accomplished so many insane feats of strength but because he was also an Avenger, fighting along side other 80's luminaries such as Namor the Submariner, the Black Knight, and She-Hulk. I felt that it gave him extra gravitas that he'd been around "forever." It was with this vague childhood memory that I cracked this book open.

I certainly got a serving of Hercules and the Greek Mythologic experience with "Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History" but I got much more. As much sociological as historical, this book provides excellent context not just for where mythology comes from but where most of the world's religion's come from as well. Depending on your level of security in this will depend on how much you enjoy these aspects.

Davis illustrates where many Biblical stories got their start, but also does a great job of laying the foundation for Buddhism, Hindu, Judaism, and more.

Long story short, you can follow history back until you get to religion. Then you can follow religion back until you get to myth. Then you follow myth back into the mists of time where little is certain. But isn't that the fun of it?

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is pretty much what the title says it is. It's not a scholarly mess of whatnot, but a really great breakdown of most major culture's mythological history. I am pretty convinced that no one really has any idea about specifics of Japanese mythology because I can never find a book on it (only art relating to the mythology) but it is still pretty amazing to see how every culture has similar themes going through etc etc. It's still pretty nerdly reading, but easy to understand just for funsies.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

5hrs 40mins. Read by John Lee

Totally accesible for the beginner, comfort fodder for those in the know, and simply perfect as a refresher for those whose memory is becoming somewhat spotty.

TBR Busting #10

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've found several statements that makes me think the author of this book "don't know much about" mythology himself... Still, interesting so far.

[The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good tour through Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis. It's not going to make anyone a Mythological genius just by reading it. However, it does give a good overview with depth into many of the worlds mythologies. Some of the stories are different than what I had learned through other sources, but I have no reason to doubt Mr. Davis.

I especially appreciate the skill and care Davis took to make sure the myths of Sub-Saharan Africa and were treated with the same respect and dignity as myths from Asian and European communities. I also like that he takes the time to explain what happened to each civilization as things change and shift in the course of history.

This is not an attack on Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. It does become clear that Davis is either an atheist or has a unique perspective on modern religions. he talks often about how many christian stories are borrowed from earlier religions and how these things are man's way of explaining everything in nature and life that he comes across. It shouldn't seen as offensive, and, there are some that no matter how carefully it's worded will not mistake the subtle aligning of facts that questions the tenants of modern faith. I'm not sure every person of faith will be able to accept everything in here. Though, as carefully as it is worded in what I believe is an honest attempt to talk about ancient myths and legends and not focus on modern religion, some conservatives will take issue with it.

I liked this book, and, as the author himself warns, it will not make you the next prodigy in ancient legends, nor would this be the volume that Indiana Jones takes with him on his next adventure. Still, if you know little or nothing,or just want to brush up on things world wide, then this is a fantastic over view and introduction to worlds of myth, legend, faith and fantasy.

4 stars.

[M.A. Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't what I expected or was looking for. I'm giving it three stars, because it's not a bad book, just not what I was looking for nor do I think the content reflected what the book was marketed to be about.

I would say it's more about the history of the cultures that created the myths than the myths themselves. I went into the book expecting what the description said it was--a basic rundown of the major myths--but it spends more time explaining the cultures than sharing the myths they believed. Granted, I knew I would get a comprehensive list of the myths, but there just wasn't much more than very brief descriptions of the myths, and it felt like they were used more to illustrate the conjectures the author made about the cultures.

That's not to say that it wasn't interesting to a degree. If you're interested more in archeology and anthropology, this is a great book for you. I, on the other hand, was looking for a springboard into the myths of the cultures I'm not familiar with (which is basically other than Greek and Roman).

I gave up the on the book. It wasn't what I was looking for, and while there were moments of interest, it just didn't do it for me.

I will say on a minor note that I didn't care for the author's treatment of religious beliefs. I get that he's a scholar and was taking a scholarly approach to this topic (meaning a secular approach), but I was expecting a book that gave an explanation about what the myths and religious beliefs are, not a commentary and judgment of the validity of those beliefs. There were just times where it felt like the author was mocking the beliefs (some of which are still held today). It wasn't a huge part of the book, but I just felt it unnecessary.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the abridged audio CD. I'm grateful it was abridged. I had a hard time sticking with this book. I can't imagine reading all 560 pages. At times, the book was repetitive, boring, and full of sexual themes. The author loved to quote Freud and refer to any mythic imagery relating to sex or fertility. The title is misleading. I expected this to be a rundown of the classic Greek/Roman mythological stories. This was an ancient world history with occassional references to religious beliefs and stories. The abridgement was heavily weighted in Egyptian and Mesopotamian history. Having studied both of these cultures before, the historical review was nice. I also enjoyed the biblical links to the ancient myths.

[melydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book is long. I mean, it's interesting, but there's so much information covering so vast a scope that reading it is like running a marathon. Each section covers a geographical region such as Africa or Western Europe, with the countries boasting the most well-documented mythologies getting the most treatment, such as Egypt, India, and Greece/Rome. Each section includes a timeline, a "who's who" of gods and goddesses, relevant quotes, and answers to common questions like "was there really a Trojan War?" Though many comparisons are made, there is no separate section for Judeo-Christian mythology, having covered it in depth in his other book, Don't Know Much About the Bible. Davis holds nothing back, describing a representative sample of each culture's myths in (often hilarious) detail. For example, I was surprised (and kind of disgusted) by how many creation myths involved excrement and other bodily fluids of the gods, and laughed at the tales of the trickster god's magical penis. The little asides and pop culture references were also often amusing. Though admittedly not meant to be a thorough compendium of mythology (and I would have loved for the "New World" section to have been much longer), it is certainly an excellent start. The writing is very accessible and has made me want to read more of the original myths, particularly the Norse and Egyptian tales. A word of warning, though: once you read the section on Egypt, you will never see the Washington Monument the same way ever again.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 the world being discussed (ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Americas, Pacific islands, and more) and then follows with information on the myths of each in a question-and-answer format, including a "who's who" of gods and goddesses for each region. Sprinkled throughout each section are "mythic voices", brief segments from sources as varied as the Bible, Egypt's Book of the Dead, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung that serve to renforce the primary text. Overall a fascinating book, it really is a bit too much to read in a short period of time. We listened to the audio version while driving in the car--it was well read by John Lee, though at times his British accent and slightly different pronunciations got to be a bit distracting--over about three months. Definitely recommended, though it is not for young children, as quite a bit of awkward explanations would be needed. Ancient myths are not at all G-rated!

[Edy Gies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the mythology fascinating and reading about it made me want to study this topic more. What I didn't appreciate was the way Mr. Davis gave his own opinion on "Christian" beliefs while embracing every other belief system. I am a Christian. I stand for God's word believe what he says. This is what I choose to believe. I tell others but I don't force it on them. According to his tone, this makes me both naive and stupid. I disagree. He is entitled to his opinion, but he should state it as that and not fact.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you really don’t know much about mythology, this is a great introduction to it. I teach a world mythology class, so almost all of this was a review for me, but I still enjoyed reading about how ancient mythology intersects. Some of that was new to me.

[Taylor Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really into myths and just wanted to listen to some stories. Thanks

[Thiago d'Evecque · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um resumo das mitologias do mundo em formato de prosa, com linguagem informal e comentários do autor. Como era de se esperar, há um foco maior na cultura grega e deixa a desejar em outras.

O formato não é muito agradável para buscas e referências, mas o índice exaustivo no final do livro remedia esse problema. As comparações entre os mitos de culturas diferentes e as várias divagações tornaram o livro mais longo do que já seria sem elas, além de um tanto repetitivo e arrastado, em partes.

[Julei · Rating 5 out of 5]

.. this is kinda amazing… gathering the world’s mythologies into one volume.. with timelines for key antiquity milestones.. thank you! Finally I found an anchor to start to diving deeper... and the commonalities of all these stories.. across geography and time … I got goosebumps reading this.

[Joseph R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I ran across too many points where the author got things wrong, so I quit a long time ago, I'm just cleaning house a bit on the queue.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a hit and miss for me. Not terrible but not great either. I have found that some of Ken Davis’ works have that same rapport with me. I either love it (Don’t Know much about History, Civil War) or I find myself quickly bored and confused and wanting to put it down (Bible, Literature). Thankfully I’ve finished them all because I feel I will learn something.

I’ve considered myself already knowledgeable in the subject of Greco/Roman mythology and was curious to see what else this book might have to teach me. While Davis does a great job in many of the chapters (trying to explain basically all the most popular myths of the world in less than 600 pages is not easy task) some chapters just fall flat and don’t measure up the standards of the other chapters.

The first part of the book which covers the myths of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece/Roman do a pretty thorough job explain the cultural impact of myths in these ancient societies. But it goes downhill from there.

For example, Celtic and Norse myths are tied together in their own chapter. (Oh and Germanic myths are thrown in as well) Davis writes how important myths were to the people during this time of this developing age. Then we spend a majority of the chapter recapping the Irish legends, and then just briefly pass over Norse myths and barely touch the Germanic myths. I don’t understand why it was mentioned how important these myths where to people of the region and then barely explain them. We spend a lot of time on Ireland, which (no disrespect) is only a small island with different myths and cultures from the rest of the citizens of the British Isles, the Vikings, and the Germanic tribes. I would have expected more information about these myths since they encompassed so much of the population of that era.

Similar problems of a “balance of information” plague us in later chapters. We go through a quick summary of Indian myths and deities and then we have to spend paragraph after paragraph talking about archeologist find bones used in Chinese future telling and divining rituals, and how deep the cuts in the bones are, and how that might suggested…etc. I just don’t think we need all this information about small details. Couldn’t it been summed up in one sentence so we could have more text devoted to talking about the myth and the role they played on Chinese cultural. At this point the book became far more of an anthropology lesson inside of an explanation of myths.

Overall I’m glad I finished it. I did learn many new things. I will just have to rely on my new-found curiosity to discover the answers to my questions.

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for anyone who wants a foundation in myths from all around the world. Although some sections are fairly short and lacking in a comprehensive guide to everything about that specific mythology, it's a bit understandable since there are so many variations and much of some myths have been lost throughout time. I found it very informative nonetheless, and I learned a lot.

It goes quite in-depth about Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Greek myths, then starts to fizzle out. There’s not much on Celtic and Norse myths (however I found it a bit ironic that, although he stated not much was known about Celtic myths, there was more info about those than Norse...), and the Indian, Chinese, and Japanese myths were more of a basic overview than an combined overview and talk about some of the more obscure stories of the mythology. The African and American mythology sections were fairly comprehensive however, seeing as there are many, many different tribal mythologies in both continents. The Pacific Islands are breezed over (with only two question/answers), but each of the three South/Central American religions (Inca, Maya, Aztec) are covered quite well, as are Native Americans.

This would definitely be a good supplemental/side read for high school students taking World Cultures, World History, or World Literature. Since their myths were a strong foundation of many decisions and literary works, this may answer many questions that students may have as they're reading through their course, or if they just want to expand their knowledge about specific cultures they’re learning about.

[Tanj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Kenneth Davis's books. Although I am a huge nerd when it comes to history, he presents his information in a way that isn't boring and doesn't make your eyes glaze over so that you read the same sentence over and over again. The great thing about Don't Know Much About Mythology, is that he goes beyond the general "This is what this culture believed", and gives the reader a pretty thorough history of the people whose Mythology he's about to share with you. Another great thing about this book is that you could pick it up as a reference book, flip to the chapter on Mesopotamia, and put it back on the shelf and be done with it. While the book flows nicely from beginning to end, it's still written in such a way that you don't have to read the entire thing to get the information that you need. If only all history/mythology books were this easy to read.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded this ebook as a free offering from Barnes and Noble Nook book.

I liked that this book gave me an opportunity to read the mythologies from some cultures I was not familiar; and at the same time, I disliked when Davis often lumped together too many cultures simply because they were on the same continent. I disliked the digressions made to show similarities with other cultures for the digressions slowed the pace of the narrative to the point this reader lost interest. I did not like when he classified former religions as mythologies for his tone became condensending, and maybe disresctful.

I recommend this book for its bibliography.

[David Kirschner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book on mythology. Ever wanted to know the myths of just about any culture in the world ever? Here you go. Spends more time on stuff we're already more familiar with, but impressively covers myths of the Aztecs, Native Americans, Polynesians, various peoples in Africa, and on and on. I'd like to know more about the lesser known peoples, and other areas that don't get covered like much of Asia (aside from China and Japan), but it is still pretty damn comprehensive. There are some cool *bonus* myths at the end of the audio book that are presented in a storytelling fashion instead of the more general audience tone of the rest of the book.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of world mythology. There are enough basics in it to excite and inform the new arrival to the mythological scene, while presenting enough new ideas to entice the well-read to continue on. And the fact that each chapter is only a page or two makes it an incrediablly fast read.

I should note that their is a bias toward Egyptian, Mesopatamian and European mythology. The cultures of the far east get little page time.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great primer and starting point if you're interested in any kind of mythology and/or religion. Davis is very articulate, explicit, and objective. I really like how easy it is for the reader, when reading about all these together, to make clear connections between "disparate" mythologies. I am really intrigued about a lot of what I read here and would definitely like to read more myths and more about myths.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read!! I agree with other reviewers that this is basically only an introduction to the history and mythology of the world's earliest civilizations. Each could have merited its own book!

As I mainly wanted to learn about the basics, this book was perfect for me. I now have a greater understanding of world history and a greater appreciation of literary references to the gods and goddesses of long ago!

[Marisela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am on disc 4 of this audio book and unfortunately, I am bored out of my mind. For starters, it is hard to understand the reader. His accent is very hard to hear and does not do the book any favors.

The subject is interesting, however, this author has repeated some of the subjects over and over in just the first 4 discs. I can't imagine reading the rest of the book (CD).

[Kipahni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this as a quick reference for egyptian myth, but I couldn't put it down after that. I desired to know more about the other mythology. I enjoy the way that Davis writes. Simple, orderly, and interesting. A great reference book that contains a general over veiw of the cultures cosmology, significant events and a who's who in each chapter. I think I will try another of his books

[Danna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book helped me a lot through one of my courses in school but not really something to just sit down and read.

[Diana (Bever) Barber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan. Too full of personal anecdotes that are meant to be witty but can be actually quite rude.

[Patrick Aleph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book and great for first time myth readers. Read this BEFORE reading Campbell or Jung