Publisher's Synopsis
Bulfinch's Mythology has introduced generations of readers to the great myths of Greece and Rome, as well as time-honored legends of Norse mythology, medieval, and chivalric tales, Oriental fables, and more. The skill with which he wove various versions of a tale into a coherent whole, the vigor of his storytelling, and his abundant cross-references to poetry and painting, demonstrating the relationship of literature and art. The myths and legends so vividly retold in this volume underlie much of the art, literature, and culture of Western civilization. As Bulfinch put it, "Without a knowledge of mythology, much of the elegant literature of our own language cannot be understood and appreciated."Thomas Bulfinch was an American writer born in Newton, Massachusetts, belonging to a well-educated Bostonian merchant family of modest means. His father was Charles Bulfinch, the architect of the Massachusetts State House in Boston and parts of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.. Bulfinch supported himself through his position at the Merchants' Bank of Boston. Although he reorganized Psalms to illustrate the history of the Hebrews, he is best known as the author of Bulfinch's Mythology, a compilation of three of his previous mythology works.
