 | The King Must Die: A Novel by Mary Renault
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $0.01 Mary Renault expertly succeeds in bringing ancient Greece to life. If you want to see a convincing picture of life in Dark Age Greece, this is the book for you. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Bull from the Sea by Mary Renault
Buy new: $11.48 / Used from: $3.45 In her sequel to The King Must Die, Mary Renault brings even more depth to her excellent characters. If you loved the first book, you will love this one as well. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Once and Future King by Terence Hanbury White
Buy new: $13.60 / Used from: $3.99 T.H. White's masterpiece is one of my favorite adaptations of the Arthurian legends. Putting a modern spin on many of the legend's elements, White tells a tale relevant to our day and age. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | I, Claudius : From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International) by Robert Graves
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $0.90 If you wish to read excellent historical fiction, which literally places you into ancient Rome, this is the book for you. In Rome men can become gods. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Religion, Literature & Art by Rh Value Publishing
Buy used from: $0.18 This book is currently out of print, but it's the BEST resource I've found for disseminating Greek and Roman culture. Typically books lump the two cultures together, when there were distinctive differences. Expertly researched and detailed, this book does not fall into that trap. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Middle Ages by Morris Bishop
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $3.79 The BEST resource I've found for an overview of the Middle Ages, covers many facets of Medieval society. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Iliad (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Homer
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $4.49 If you are a first-timer, this translation of the ILIAD is the absolute best. Fagles brings the characters and action alive. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Odyssey by Homer
Buy new: $11.05 / Used from: $3.97 If you are a first-timer, this translation of the ODYSSEY is the absolute best. Fagles brings the characters and action alive. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Virgil
Buy new: $10.40 / Used from: $6.70 If you are a first-timer, this translation of the AENEID is the absolute best. Fagles brings the characters and action alive. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Metamorphoses by Ovid
Buy used from: $0.01 This remains my favorite translation of the METAMORPHOSES. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | Tales from Ovid: 24 Passages from the Metamorphoses by Ted Hughes
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $2.99 Poet Ted Hughes breathes new lyrical life into several of Ovid's tales--definitely worth a look. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | Republic by Plato
Buy new: $9.31 / Used from: $4.00 Philosophy and Mythology may be separate entities, but if you want to read the most famous work of one of Greece's most famous philosopher, this is the translation for you. Placing the dialogues in a conversational style and utilizing a script format are two of this book's strong points. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Name of the Rose (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Umberto Eco
Buy new: $16.50 / Used from: $15.98 This piece of historical fiction places you smack dab in the midst of a medieval monastery. A vital tool in understanding the medieval mind. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | I Am Mordred: A Tale of Camelot by Nancy Springer
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Written for young adults, this novel still has the power to entertain adults. A must-read for fans of King Arthur. (4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | Goddess of Yesterday: A Tale of Troy by Caroline B. Cooney
Buy new: $6.50 / Used from: $0.01 Written for young adults, this novel tells the story of Troy from a fresh perspective. (4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (Hinges of History) by Thomas Cahill
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $2.75 If you're looking for a quick, conversational analysis of Greek culture and how it has shaped the Western world, this is the book for you. A good starting point for those interested in ancient Greece. (4.5 OUT OF 5)
|
 | Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis
Buy new: $10.08 / Used from: $3.47 C.S. Lewis, a life-longer lover of myth, retells the tale of Cupid and Psyche in a real-world fashion. While this novel's plot is not quickly placed, it's a very interesting analysis of beauty, jealousy, and love. (4 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (Myths, The) by Margaret Atwood
Buy new: $9.36 / Used from: $2.49 Often funny (and at times a bit disturbing) this novel is worth a look. (4 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Oxford World's Classics) by Mark Twain
Buy new: $8.95 / Used from: $4.97 It's interesting to see how Mark Twain, everyone's favorite old grouch, skewers the Arthurian legends. Toward the end, the novel gets a bit dark. There are momentary flashes of brilliance though, which are definitely worth checking out. (3.5 out of 5 STARS)
|
 | The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Buy new: $21.60 / Used from: $10.74 Perhaps one of the most overrated Arthurian re-tellings, MISTS OF AVALON contains an interesting plot but abuses it by adding little character depth and smothering it in pointless detail. (2 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Buy new: $13.22 / Used from: $0.11 THE FIREBRAND is seriously flawed. The plot, characters, and pacing all suffer under Bradley's blatant agenda. The story does have a few redeeming qualities. It is interesting to see how Bradley accounts for the mythical elements of the ILIAD, especially her theory on the origin of the centaur legend. (1.5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
 | Trickle Down, Olympus: Mythology Through Readers Theatre by Zachary Hamby
Buy new: $29.95 / Used from: $17.99 A bit of shameless promotion: in my book of Reader's Theater plays I have converted some of the most popular myths from Greco-Roman mythology and Arthurian legend into a student-friendly format. If you are a teacher or a teacher of mythology, this might be the sourcebook for you.
|
 | No-Man's Lands: One Man's Odyssey Through The Odyssey by Scott Huler
Buy new: $21.33 / Used from: $1.25 An excellent re-tracing of Odysseus' steps, full of wit and wisdom. (5 OUT OF 5 STARS)
|
Listmania!
