Select Bibliography of Sources in Classical Mythology
Subject Guide Series No. 36
Compiled by Demetrios Ioannides
Compiled by Demetrios Ioannides
Peradotto, John. Classical Mythology: An Annotated Bibliographical Survey. Urbana, IL: American Philological Association, 1973.
SSHR Z7836 .P4
The structure of this bibliography is rather unusual, yet very suitable for the purpose it's meant to serve. Each section contains the citations to the various sources followed by a brief discussion of the content of each source. The discussion contains a letter rating of the works according to their usefulness in the instruction of mythology at the undergraduate level. In spite of its rather narrow scope, it can be very useful to anyone trying to find books on classical mythology.
Bell, Robert E. Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1991.
SSHR BL 715 .G68
Concentrates only on the female mythological characters. It Provides References everywhere. There is a vey useful index of the men in their lives.
Grant, Michael and John Hazel. Gods and Mortals in Classical Mythology. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam, 1973.
BL 715 .G67 1973
A mythological dictionary, not as good as Grimal's, but rich in illustrations. The pictures include classical vase paintings, sculptures and wallpaintings as well as Renaissance paintings and engravings. There are also maps and genealogical tables as well as a list of classical authors referred to in the dictionary. There is no index.
Grimal, Pierre. Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986.
SSHR BL 715 .G713 1986
This is the English translation of Grimal's popular mythological dictionary. It covers most of the myths in articles which are neither too brief nor too long. In the back, there is a list of references to the original sources used for each entry as well as a table of the sources used specifying the edition used. There is also a section with detailed genealogical tables. The index is detailed and under each proper name it contains references to entries in which that proper name is mentioned together with another proper name. There are a few illustrations.
Oxford Classical Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970
SSHR DE5 .O9 1970
This dictionary, which of course does not cover only mythological subjects, is the best general classical dictionary of its kind available. The entries are brief but informative. There are references to primary and secondary sources and there is usually a short list of major sources at the bottom of each entry.
Roscher, W. H. Ausfuhrliches Lexikon der Griechischen und Romischen Mythologie. Leibzig: Teubner, 1916-1924.
SSHR BL715 .R7 1889
This six-volume set is the most thorough mythological dictionary
ever compiled. It is arranged alphabetically and it contains numerous
references and quotations from Greek texts.
Tripp, Edward. Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology. New York: Crowell, 1970.
SSHR BL303 .T75
A mythological dictionary containing most myths with their various versions. Most entries cite the original sources used. Some entries have genealogical tables but there is no section with a collection of genealogical tables. There is a key to the pronunciation of the names but there is no index.
Zimmermann, J. E. Dictionary of Classical Mythology. New York: Harper & Row, 1964.
BL 715 .Z5
A small dictionary with very short entries. Its only merit is the fact that it's handy and allows the user to find brief basic entries very quickly.
Bell, Robert E. Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Symbols, Attributes & Associations. Oxford: ABC CLIO, 1982.
SSHR BL 715 .B44
FINE ARTS BL 715 .B44
This dictionary stands out not because of the detail of its entries but rather because of its arrangement by topic. It is perhaps the best of the very few topical dictionaries available. Each topic entry contains in alphabetical order short entries for each proper name. Many entries cite the original source of the myth. There are also some cross references.
Bell, Robert E. PlaceNames in Classical Mythology: Greece. Santa Barbara, CA: ABCCLIO, 1989.
MAPS DF 16 .B45 1989
A very useful dictionary arranged alphabetically by geographical location. Very conveniently the dictionary mentions the modern names of the various locations and includes an index by modern names too. There is also an index by mythological character as well as a bibliography.
Preston, Percy. A Dictionary of Pictorial Subjects from Classical Literature: A Guide to their Identification in Works of Art. New York: Scribners, 1983.
FINE ARTS N 7760 .P68 1983
Arranged alphabetically by pictorial subject this work is a very helpful tool for finding myths by topic. Of course it only covers pictorial subjects and it does not concentrate on mythology.
Room, Adrian. Room's Classical Dictionary: The Origins of the Names of Characters in Classical Mythology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982.
SSHR BL727 .R58 1983
As the title suggests, this dictionary attempts to provide the etymology of each mythological name. It contains some very interesting appendices. Appendix I contains common elements in Greek mythological names with their translations. Appendix II-V contain epithets of Aphrodite, Apollo, Athena, and Zeus with their translations. Unfortunately it does not give references.
Barthell, Edward E. Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. Coral Gables, FL: University of Miami Press, 1971.
BL 782 .B36
Concentrating on the Gods and not covering all myths, but ideal for genealogical studies, being abundant in genealogical tables and providing the names of all children of gods by mortal women.
Bulfinch, Thomas. Myths of Greece and Rome. New York: Penguin, 1981.
BL 721 .B84 1981
An illustrated and somehow modified edition of Bulfinch's nineteenth century classic "Age of Fable". Although not very helpful as a reference work, it makes a very pleasant reading. The illustrations, some of which are in color, are abundant and they are also indexed. Even if this work may not be the source to refer to for details on the myths, the richness of the pictures, (primarily Renaissance paintings) makes it very helpful as a mythological theme art book.
Gantz, Timothy. Early Greek Myth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
SSHR BL 782 .G34 1993
This comprehensive handbook goes beyond the simple narration of the myths. It includes numerous references and makes a very good attempt to identify the earliest literary sources for every myth. There are three appendices. A. Some "Deviant" Cosmologies, B. Editions of Ancient Texts Cited, C. Catalogue of Artistic Representations. D. Genealogic Tables. Includes notes and an index.
Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981.
BL 782 .G65 1981
A work which in spite of its delightful narrative has been criticized a lot because of its inaccuracies and unfounded conjectures.
Morford, Mark P. O. and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology. New York: Longman, 1985.
BL 722 .M67 1985
Rose, H. J. A Handbook of Greek Mythology. New York: Penguin, 1991, c1959.
BL 781 .R65 1991
One of the most reliable sources paraphrasing classical myths. The myths are presented in a continuous narrative with a lot of notes providing references to primary sources. There is an index.
Schwab, Gustav Gods an Heroes: Myths and Epics of Ancient Greece. Transl. by Olga Marx and Ernst Morwitz. {New York}: Pantheon, 1946.
BL 725 .S313
A translation of Gustav Schwab's Die Sagen des Klassischen Altertums. Comprehensive and pleasant to read, but unfortunately it does not provide any references to the original sources. It has indexes and some illustrations. In two volumes.
Cavendish, Richard ed. Mythology: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York: Rizzoli, 1980.
SSHR folio BL311 .M95
Contains very little on classical mythology. There are three chapters: "Greece", "Rome", and "The Mystery Religions". May be helpful in finding pictures not found elsewhere.
Cotterell, Arthur. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Myths & Legends. London: Cassell, 1989.
SSHR ON ORDER
A very basic source with very brief enties covering all major cultures. It certainly does not cover everything but it has nice illustrations.
Man, Myth & Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion and the Unknown. New York: Cavendish, 1971.
Special Collections folio BF1411 .M25
The subject matter of this encyclopedia ranges from the major religions to the minor cults of various cultures, attempting to cover everything from the organized faiths to common superstitions and popular mysteries. Rather weak on classical mythology, but the fact that references to classical myths are made while discussing other myths may be interesting. Some articles are better than others. There are four pages on Heracles but only a few lines on Helen. There are plenty of illustrations. One really needs to use the index for this source.
Mercatante, Anthony S. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend. New York: Facts on File, 1988.
SSHR folio BL303 .M45 1988
Its entries on classical subjects may not be as detailed as in the classical dictionaries but it is an interesting work covering all major cultures. It includes bibliographies and an index.
Pears Encyclopaedia of Myths and Legends. Ancient Near and Middle East, Ancient Near and Middle East, Ancient Greece and Rome. London: Pelham, 1976.
BL311 .S24 1976 C.1
The second part of the first volume of this fourvolume set is dedicated to classical mythology. The narrative consists of numbered paragraphs which are referred to in the index. Some entries in the index have narrative. There is also a brief bibliography. Although this work covers the mythologies of various cultures, it treats each mythology individually and it is not ideal for comparative study.
The Mythology of All Races. Vol. 1. Greek and Roman. Boston: Marshall Jones, 1916.
SSHR BL25 .M8
BL25 .M8
A major work on mythology in 12 volumes. The first volume is on Greek and Roman Mythology. The index, a 13th volume, is very helpful. Checking under a classical subject, one is also referred to other volumes covering the mythology of other cultures. This work is very suitable for comparative study. The first volume is arranged in chapters covering groups of related myths. In some cases the arrangement is geographical. Since the arrangement is not alphabetical, the table of contents and index have to be used. There is a bibliography, which of course is outdated.
Boswell, Jeanetta. Past Ruined Ilion: A Bibliography of English and American Literature Based on GrecoRoman Mythology. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1982.
SSHR PR149.M95 Z9 B6 1982
References to eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century English and American literature works written in classical mythological themes. The references are arranged by author and most of them are references to poems. There are no extensive direct quotations from the works but each reference is accompanied by a brief description of the context. All entries are numbered. There is also an Appendix with additional references without a description of the context. The total number of references is 2254. There is a subject index referring to various entries.
Mayerson, Philip. Classical Mythology in Literature, Art, and Music. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1971.
FINE ARTS NX650.M9 M38
A work designed to "give the reader a working frame of reference in Greek and Roman mythology and to make more meaningful and enjoyable the vast number of works that have come under the influence of these ancient tales". It can also be used as "an introduction to those scholarly works which presuppose a background in the classics".
Smith, Eric. A Dictionary of Classical Reference in English Poetry. Cambridge: Brewer, 1984.
SSHR PR508.C68 S63 1984
Arranged alphabetically by classical topic entry. It covers more than just mythological subjects. Each entry, (usually a proper name) has a brief discussion followed by the references to the English poems. There is an index of poems, poets and references.
Bremmer, Jan ed. Interpretations of Greek Mythology. Totowa, NJ: Barnes & Noble Books, 1986.
BL782 .I58 1987
This book contains the contributions of many scholars. Its subject is mythology in general, but some chapters are on some major myths. The last chapter is a select bibliography of works on classical mythology. There is also an index.
Gordon, R. L. ed. Myth, Religion, and Society: Structuralist Essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.
BL790 .M95
Translations of French essays on Greek Mythology.
Kirk, G. S. The Nature of Greek Myths. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974.
BL782 .K57
A work attempting a "systematic investication of the complex nature of myths as a whole". Complements Kirk's Myth, its Meaning and Functions in Ancient and Other Cultures (BL311 .K55 1973)
Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Trans. by John Raffan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985.
LB1025 .B95
Farnell, Lewis Richard. The Cults of the Greek States. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1896-1909.
BL781 .F4
A five volume set on Greek religion. A long discussion of the Greek cults based more on literature than archaeology. Farnell tries to make a clear distinction between religion and mythology. Every few chapters are followed by a section with detailed references containing quotations in Greek.
Nilsson, Martin P. A History of Greek Religion. Trans. F. J. Fielden. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949.
BL781 .N513 1949
A very good introduction to the origins of Greek religion. As Nilsson says in the introduction to the second edition, "a full documentation and discussion [of the views expressed in this book] will be found in Geschichte der Griechischen Religion."
Nilsson, Martin P. Geschichte der Griechischen Religion. Munchen: Beck, 1955-.
BL781 .N535 1955
A classic in the field of Greek religion.
Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. Zurich: Artemis, 19811988.
FINE ARTS NX650.M9 L48
A major work still in progress attempting to include pictutres of every form of Ancient Greek and Roman art on mythological subjects. It is arranged alphabetically by subject. Up to now eight volumes have been published, covering the subjects from Aara to Theseus. Each volume consists of two parts, the first one containing a discussion on each picture and the second containing the pictures. The discussion is mostly in German, but some entries are written in French, English or Italian.
L' Année Philologique: Bibliographie Critique et Analytique de l'Antiquité Greco-Latine. Paris: Societé de l'edition "Les Belles Lettres", 1929-
SSHR Indexes Z7016.M35
This international bibliographic survey of books, articles, dissertations, conference papers and other publications is published annually and it is an indispensable research tool. Each volume has additional references to previous years.
Humanities Index. New York: H.W. Wilson. 1974 to present. Quarterly with annual cumulations.
SSHR Indexes AI3 .H8
Continues the Social Sciences and Humanities Index and International Index which date back to 1907. A subject and author index to over a hundred major scholarly journals in the humanities. Subjects include classical studies, language and literature, philosophy, religion and theatre arts. It does not cover the number of classical journals covered by L'Année Philologique but it covers those most likely to be owned by smaller libraries.
Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. Irvine, Ca.: University of California.
Please ask at desk.
Full text database of almost all extant Greek texts from 750 BC to 600 AD (about 8,000 to this point).
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Michigan State University Libraries Subject Guide Series No. 36 Classical Mythology URL: http://www.lib.msu.edu/publ_ser/di/mytholog.htm Last updated: August 13, 1995 Page editor: Demetrios Ioannides 20676LLM@MSU.EDU |