In 1826 Lady Hestia Evans gave a copy of Mythology, a book she had written, to her friend John Oro. John was on his way to Greece, and Lady Hestia asked him to find antiquities for a gentleman starting a museum there. With the book in hand, John traveled around the country, making notes in the margins, stuffing its pages with mementoes, and even finding some treasures – among them, an obol, a coin used to pay the ferryman who rowed the dead across the River Styx, a gold death mask from Mycenae, and even a wisp of the famed golden fleece. Unfortunately, as he traveled, he became increasingly greedy, and with impatience and haste, he begged Zeus to give him the gift he gave to Midas, the king in a myth he apparently hadn’t finished reading. Zeus complied, and all too soon, John realized the nature of his godly gift.
This story provides the frame for a rich introduction to Greek mythology. As the reader follows John Oro’s journeys, he or she is introduced to the Greek gods, their history, their power, their quirks and their failures. While some readers will wish to read this delightful tome from beginning to end, others will dip into it, reading short pieces that attract their eye. It’s a book to browse, to pore over, a book to come back to time and again. Beautifully designed to resemble an antique student’s text, the borders on the pages are friezes depicting some of the ancient stories, and the cover is studded with “gems.” Games, booklets, a fold-out map and genealogical chart, and even a Pandora’s box to open will keep young readers delightfully occupied.
— Review by Barbara Scotto.
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