Employing the popular Don't Know Much About® style, with its familiar question-and-answer format, DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT MYTHOLOGY will explore the myths of the world, their impact on history, and their continuing role in our lives. It will offer listeners a wide-ranging, comprehensive, entertaining and listenable survey of the great myths of world civilizations, how they came to be, what they meant to the people who created them, how they influenced society, literature and art through history, and how they still speak to us today. Mythology is alive today in our art, literature, theatre, dreams, psychology--and certainly our language. "Pandora's Box," "Golden Fleece," "Labor of Hercules," and "Wheel of Fortune" are just a few of the words and phrases that come from a world of mythology and still color our speech. Using humor, contemporary references, and anecdotal material from mythology, extensive research based on recent archaeology which often reveals the history behind mythology and surprising information that breaks down conventional wisdom, DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT MYTHOLOGY will ultimately be about stories--the great and timeless tales that have fascinated people around the planet for several millennia.
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"Dewey 291.13One is hard pressed to understand the history and modern culture of a country or area without understanding their societal myths. History of myth is the history of civilization. This is a nice overview of world myths, many of which are not found in the average mythology tomes. "
— travelerblue (4 out of 5 stars)
" I know plenty about certain mythologies, put picked up Ken Davis' book to learn about Hindu, Buddhist, North and South American cultures. Davis is very sympathetic to cultures damaged by imperialiasm; Guns, Germs and Steel is cited at least ten times in the narrative alone, far more than any other resource on any part of the subject. It's still a very well-researched book, and each section is a solid introduction to the characters, stories and anthropological theories for the various mythologies. This is by no means a full explanation of any mythology, but each section points to several other places where you can continue your studies (did you really think he'd tell you "Everything You Need To Know?"). Having read so much Greek, Egyptian and Norse mythology, I got a sense of Davis' limitations in describing them, which carries over. He summarizes epics in paragraphs, and while he references the power of those stories, he scarcely makes you feel it. His biggest tool in expressing the gravity of mythologies is to compare them to Jewish and Christian traditions, presuming most of his readers are of or know of those religions. Thus the bitter skeptic is not going to be well-served here, but if you don't value any spiritual teachings in any way, though, why are you reading this? "
— John, 2/18/2014" My time would have been better spent reading actual myths. "
— Susan, 2/16/2014" This book was a little too in depth for what I was looking for. I was looking for the highlights of mythology, but this is a full study. It was interesting... just a bit too much for me. "
— Carolyn, 2/5/2014" I love this book. If you are interested in this type of book or learing the origins of the history of the "gods", you will love it. I am also learning the origins of phrases which I will list when the book is done. It is fascinating. "
— Marylu, 1/31/2014" Nice primer/review of world mythology. Well-written and wide-ranging. "
— Sean, 1/18/2014" needed a refresher for near eastern myth,, but enjoyed it all "
— Felicia, 1/10/2014" Got a little preachy towards the end, especially when talking about Native American mythologies. "
— Phil, 1/8/2014" Uninspiring. And Excalibur was NOT the sword in the stone, Excalibur came from the lady of the lake!! "
— Kathryn, 1/8/2014" I couldn't finish this one. The title was more interesting than the information in the book. "
— Leanne, 11/10/2013" Makes you question alot of what you were taught "
— Michelle, 10/5/2013" not the most exciting book I have read but it nicely fills in the gaps in my education. "
— Brian, 9/26/2013" Very interesting. Not sure if I will remember all of it but enjoyed learning some new things. The Greek and Roman gods get very confusing in all their relationships. "
— Wanda, 8/11/2013" not davis' topic, really; dull and ill-informed "
— Kaethe, 7/30/2013" It sucks but, I like to learn. "
— Ashley, 7/8/2013" This book answers a lot of questions. It is so packed with information that I actually learned something new about the mythologies I'm familiar with, which is really saying something. "
— Heather, 5/30/2013" This book is a fast review of creation myths, gods, and tricksters from around the world. It is about as entertaining as reading the dictionary. "
— Brian, 2/8/2013" Ok, while this is a good book with interesting stories I would like to know more about, I have to be honest, it didn't hold my attention. It may be better if I just skip ahead a bit... "
— Emily, 12/8/2012" I really only read the section on Greek myths, but wow. What a fun book. It's hilarious and informative all wrapped up together - my absolute favorite type of reading. "
— Nicole, 7/12/2012" It`s amazing how much we have in common with each other. I think everyone in the world should read this book and get a grip on reality. "
— Crystal, 6/11/2012" It was interesting and I learned a lot, but it was fairly repetitive and I didn't like how it was organized. "
— Brent, 3/21/2012" This book helped me a lot through one of my courses in school but not really something to just sit down and read. "
— Danna, 10/11/2011" I'm enjoying this book a lot... Now I know how Ganesha got his elephant head! "
— Neal, 8/16/2011" Not a fan. Too full of personal anecdotes that are meant to be witty but can be actually quite rude. "
— Diana, 6/1/2011" pengenalanan tentang mitos dunia dan kisah-kisah dalam kelambu. "
— Mohd, 5/18/2011" A good book for novices to Mythology this briefly touches most cultural background mythologies. If you are wanting to know information about a certain pantheon or cultural myth you should pick up something directly related to that area. "
— Justin, 1/21/2011" not the most exciting book I have read but it nicely fills in the gaps in my education. "
— Brian, 11/30/2010" A great way to study the evolution of human though and perception of the world. "
— Thomas, 4/26/2010" Another book that I couldn't quite finish in time for the deadline. <br/> <br/>BUT what a great listen! I enjoyed hearing a bunch of mythology that wasn't Roman/Greek. Wonderfully narrated. "
— Loricious, 1/26/2010" Enjoyable, and fascinating subject material, but the book's odd blend of specifics and broad overviews made the flow rather choppy. "
— Amy, 1/17/2010" It was interesting and I learned a lot, but it was fairly repetitive and I didn't like how it was organized. "
— Brent, 11/26/2009" A good exploration of the various creation myths from around the world and each culture's pantheon of gods and goddesses. Emphasis is placed on those that contributed most to "Western Civilization" but a fun read nonetheless. "
— Patty, 10/25/2009Kenneth C. Davis is an American popular historian and the author of the Don’t Know Much About® series with more than four million copies in print worldwide. He is a frequent media guest on national television and radio, has written for the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, and has been a commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered.
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.
Lorna Raver, named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year, has received numerous Audie Award nominations and many AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has appeared on stage in New York, Los Angeles, and regional theaters around the country. Among her many television credits are NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, Boston Legal, ER, and Star Trek. She starred in director Sam Raimi’s film Drag Me to Hell.