This book is apart of a series by this author that writes about different topic of things to inform the reader more. It is nonfiction and mostly about history. This specific book is about the myths of the world and their implications for art, science, religion and culture throughout history. ( )

This book was very detailed so it's an investment of time. However, I thought the history of the cultures mixed in with various myths was worth reading. I love how Davis explored all cultures equally, not just focus on the traditional Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. I would have loved more of the myths to be included, but that would have made it an even more lengthy time investment so I understand edits had to be made. ( )

A nice primer to world mythology, perfunctory in places but that's to be expected. Nice to read in tandem with all the Joseph Campbell stuff. ( )

This was an audiobook and the reader was just shy of terrible. Every word he could butcher, he did. The worst was when he pronounced the same word multiple ways (eg. shaman: shah-mən, shah-man, shay-mən).

The book itself was really fascinating. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I go out of my way to read about mythology, but I must admit there are many mythologies that I'm just not very familiar with.

A critique on the book itself - the author really should have stuck with discussing the myths themselves and tried to get involved in modern controversial topics (which he did significantly with Native Americans and their myths). ( )

This book is an intersting blend of history and mythology--and really does prove that most of us don't know much about either! Each section of the book starts with a timeline of events for the part of the world being discussed (ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Americas, Pacific islands, and more) and then follows with information on the myths of each in a question-and-answer format, including a "who's who" of gods and goddesses for each region. Sprinkled throughout each section are "mythic voices", brief segments from sources as varied as the Bible, Egypt's Book of the Dead, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung that serve to renforce the primary text. Overall a fascinating book, it really is a bit too much to read in a short period of time. We listened to the audio version while driving in the car--it was well read by John Lee, though at times his British accent and slightly different pronunciations got to be a bit distracting--over about three months. Definitely recommended, though it is not for young children, as quite a bit of awkward explanations would be needed. Ancient myths are not at all G-rated! ( )

Very comprehensive, but very dense. Will require several readings to get familiar with the range of myths covered. ( )

Wow, this book is long. I mean, it's interesting, but there's so much information covering so vast a scope that reading it is like running a marathon. Each section covers a geographical region such as Africa or Western Europe, with the countries boasting the most well-documented mythologies getting the most treatment, such as Egypt, India, and Greece/Rome. Each section includes a timeline, a "who's who" of gods and goddesses, relevant quotes, and answers to common questions like "was there really a Trojan War?" Though many comparisons are made, there is no separate section for Judeo-Christian mythology, having covered it in depth in his other book, Don't Know Much About the Bible. Davis holds nothing back, describing a representative sample of each culture's myths in (often hilarious) detail. For example, I was surprised (and kind of disgusted) by how many creation myths involved excrement and other bodily fluids of the gods, and laughed at the tales of the trickster god's magical penis. The little asides and pop culture references were also often amusing. Though admittedly not meant to be a thorough compendium of mythology (and I would have loved for the "New World" section to have been much longer), it is certainly an excellent start. The writing is very accessible and has made me want to read more of the original myths, particularly the Norse and Egyptian tales. A word of warning, though: once you read the section on Egypt, you will never see the Washington Monument the same way ever again. ( )

Imagine having a guy working with fine china while wearing boxing gloves. Davis knows his subject well but does serious damage to the product while he handles it. He seems much too confident that he knows why people believed like they did. He maintains a modern skeptical view of the existence of God. He can't seem to accept the possibility that there might be a real God and that some myths may be saying something about that. ( )

Davis has put together a fairly entertaining book of world mythology, presented in a more engaging way than a typical school text. The entire globe is covered, but it's a bit thin in some areas (e.g. Asia and Africa). I was amused but unsurprised that some currently practiced religions are treated as myth here (e.g. Hindu), but no mention is made of Christianity or Islam, whose verity could be considered equally suspect. Still, educational and well worth reading. ( )

The first chapter is basically an introduction to what mythology is. Okay, great, I don't care, put that in the introduction where it belongs. I know what mythology is, and it didn't say anything I didn't already infer. The actual chapters on mythology didn't go into enough detail for me to actually be interested. I had to skim through 3/4 of the chapters because I just couldn't get into it. In the end, I think I only thoroughly read the chapters about stuff that I already knew. 1.5/5 wasted hours I could have spent reading about mythology on the internet instead of picking apart a book. ( )

A really good introduction to the myths and religions of a wide variety of cultures. I found this book to be easy to read and understand with terminology explained in a way that should be clear to most lay readers. My one complaint was that Davis over relies on making parallels with the Christian Bible, but I understand why he chose this strategy. ( )

not davis' topic, really; dull and ill-informed

This book goes beyond the basics or Roman gods and goddesses. It looks at many cultures, their myths, what they meant to the people, and how they influenced behavior. A good overview of mythology. Like the rest of the Don't Know Much About books, this is a good introduction to the topic of world myths. ( )