The Handy Mythology Answer Book

Leeming (emeritus, myth, religion, and literature, Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs) explains in his introduction that this volume includes myths that he has assessed to be part of "some of the most revelatory mythic traditions." Coverage is global in scope and spans centuries. After an opening chapter that offers a brief discussion of prehistoric myth, the sections that follow each take on a specific geographic area, such as the Middle East, Asia, or the Americas. While the individual regions are given separate treatment, the volume also addresses modern myth and aims to identify and present "larger patterns" related to "cultural traditions" and the "great myths." Black-and-white photos are included in every chapter. A glossary, bibliography, list of mythological characters, and an index round out the volume, as well as an intriguing appendix listing broad mythological themes, each of which is paired with a list of myths that represent it. The material is quite readable, but its brevity may mean that a collection of more focused works (including, for example, titles by the same author such as 2009's Creation Myths of the World) could be of more use to academic libraries. Similarly, those libraries subscribing to Gale's Virtual Reference Library may find their needs already met by included content such as UXL's Encyclopedia of Mythology.