The Everything Classical Mythology Book: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters from Ares to Zeus

I wanted a book that gave an overview of Greek and Roman mythology. and also provided lists of various gods and their counterparts, i.e., the Greek god is ------ and the counterpart Roman god is ------. This book gives me what I wanted.

This "Everything" guide is a good book for younger readers and those who are only starting to get into mythology. At over 290 pages, it covers the major players and who's who of Roman and Greek mythology (as in Jupiter/Zeus, Venus/Aphrodite, the Trojan War, Odysseus, et al).However, more serious and 'seasoned' fans and scholars will likely prefer THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY by Kevin Osborn. We're not idiots, of course, but this book is meatier and has more background information on the various gods/goddesses, heroes and stories. At over 350 pages, it is 60 pages thicker than the "Everything" book and has smaller text and less white space. For instance, an entire chapter is devoted to the Trojan War hero Achilles while the "Everything" book only has a few pages, at the most.Fans who want more than classical mythology will want to explore MYTHOLOGY FOR DUMMIES by Christopher Blackwell. This book also delves into the Arthurian legend, Norse myths, Beowulf, as well as world mythology in general (Chinese, Jewish, Hindu, etc).These 3 books are all excellent. The choice lies on the readers' level of interests. I would recommend the "Everything" book to younger readers (middle or high schoolers, for instance) and those who just want the basics on classical mythology.

I relly enjoy reading this book. If you are interest in greek mythology, this is a must read book. It explains, all the gods, the goddesses, the monsters, the minor gods in detail. It tells everything about them, their parents, sons, love affairs, talents and the myths they participate in. If you rally whant to learn about greek mythology, read this book!!!!