The Book of Beginnings

by Time-Life Books

Presents tales and examines beliefs about the beginnings of the enchanted world.

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Folklore, Art, Science Fiction Fantasy, Reference

143 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautifully illustrated and told collection from Time-Life Books' Enchanted World Series. This anthology of creation myths includes something from virtually every culture you can think of. The re-tellings are respectful and reflect the adept understanding of universal theology while maintaining the uniqueness of each culture's lens. One of the finest comparative mythology books I have read in a long time, this is a great intro for world mythology, enjoyable to read, magical and erudite, and ultimately edifying.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course none of the books in this series claims or even tries to be complete. They are a collection of myths from all over the world: this one exploring how the Earth, Sun, Moon, and stars came to be, where people, animals, and plants come from and how they got their individual characteristics. The fanciful telling of the stories coupled with lovely and colorful illustrations made this book a joy to read.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gorgeous entry into "The Enchanted World" series. The stories are varied and beautifully told, and the artwork and imagery in the book is resplendent. Just about every picture is a feast for the eyes that makes this collection of stories come to life as you read them.

[Boxwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories are interesting and well-written overall, and the illustrations are beautiful.

[Keri-Ann Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one so far has been one of my favorites. A collection of stories and myths from around the world and various cultures about the origins of the world and beyond. Beautiful illustrations!

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing look at origins stories from around the world. This book sets itself apart from many of its ilk, simply by incorporating so many cultures under this banner and then demonstrating the similarity between them all. Like Joyce’s term, the monomyth, this book strives to show the similarity between all forms of tales, yet still retain a sense of cultural identity. I was quite happy to see more than just a look at Norse and Greek myths - they are included, but not more represented than any other culture. Thus this book contains many myths of which I hadn’t read before.

Chapter One - “Out of Chaos” focuses on those stories which - if you can’t guess - deal with the creation of the world. Most of the tales have the same elements, an area of chaos is tamed by the will of a shaper deity; water is somehow fundamental to the beginning of life, and well as the monsters of the world being tamed by the Gods for mankind to exist. Chapter Two - “Celestial Lore” - deals with the various legends surrounding the creation of the firmament - the moon, the stars, and the sun. Unlike the previous chapter, there are incredible differences from story to story. Very imaginative material here, ripe for the plucking. Chapter Three - “The Dance of Life” - handles the creation stories that detail how a specific animal or plant was created. How the animals got their tails, how the violet was created, how frogs were born, etc. These are a little more predictable, as each creature is usually created by some pissed off deity.

[Amber Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The variation in art styles across the illustrations were very appealing. Loved the fabric binding on the cover along with the gold gilded inlay. The vocabulary and density of the text implies that this is meant more for adults to read aloud to children or it is for older-closer to 12yrs-children to read. The tales are all mythos regarding the beginning of life itself from around the globe and is perhaps the best I have ever seen in terms of rare and more obscure tales presented. My only complaint, a personal one, is that this includes the Noah's Ark tale at the very end. It technically isn't a creation tale but rather one about near destruction. It made it feel like the author was trying too hard to forcibly include something Christian at the end to sort of "one up" the religion on the reader at the end or to make it okay for Christian extremists that don't let their kids have anything about other beliefs unless theirs is also represented. If they had chosen a different story that actually is about creation-like Adam and Eve- or put it in the middle and not the end, it would have not felt that way.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step into a world of enchanting stories and what may be fantasy versus fact in a wonderful book by the go-to publishers for beautiful and interesting books.

[Adrian Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in a series. Review at completion.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a book with some First Nations mythology to it! I had never heard many of these stories, especially the story about the Devil sneaking on to Noah's Ark in the form of a mouse.

[Nico Thielen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beruhigende und entdeckungsreiche Lektüre internationaler Sagen und Geschichten!

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review for all of these books in this series is the same.

Time-Life has once again done an outstanding job putting together a series. From cover to cover they are thoughtful, beautiful books. I'm starting to sound generic, but it's true.
I'm a DK fan, I like white backgrounds and side notes with clear sections for every subject. This series has none of that. What they do have is an old book feel. Timeless artwork, thoroughness, and very well written makes these a must on my occult/paranormal bookshelf at home. I've been collecting the series slowly over several years and still have a few books to go. I refuse to go on amazon and buy them. It's all in the hunt for me. There is no subject they have left untouched. I highly recommend them.

[Jason Prodoehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I enjoy the writing, pictures, and stories of this series, this was my least favorite of the series so far. Though it did have a fine dose of Greek and Native American mythology and folklore.

[Michael P Glasgow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of origin-myths from around the world with great illustrations and full page paintings.