Mythic Worlds

In 1927, as a twenty-three-year-old postgraduate scholar in Paris, Joseph Campbell first encountered James Joyce’s Ulysses. Known for being praised and for kicking up controversy (including an obscenity trial in the United States in 1920), the novel left Campbell both intrigued and confused, as it had many others. Because he was in Paris, he was able to visit the Shakespeare & Company bookstore - the outpost of the original publisher of Ulysses, Sylvia Beach. She gave him “clues” for reading Ulysses, and that, Campbell attested, changed his career.

This work presents twelve eclectic, far-ranging, and brilliant essays exploring myth in all its dimensions: its history; its influence on art, literature, and culture; and its role in everyday life. This second volume of Campbell’s essays (following The Flight of the Wild Gander) brings together his uncollected writings from 1959 to 1987. Written at the height of Campbell’s career - and showcasing the lively intelligence that made him the twentieth century’s premier writer on mythology - these essays investigate links between myth, the individual, and societies ancient and contemporary.

For nearly three thousand years, Homer’s Odyssey has captivated audiences with its tale of Odysseus’s perilous return journey after the Trojan War. In The Wisdom of the Odyssey, mythologist Phil Cousineau distills the epic into twenty-four chapters that mirror Homer’s original books and connect their lessons to our own lives. Listeners follow Odysseus through his ordeals and changes of heart, as he’s sustained not only by cunning and grit but by love for his wife, Penelope; his son, Telemachus; and his homeland, the island of Ithaka.

Sam Keen, best-selling author of Fire in the Belly, and Anne Valley-Fox combine their talents to help today's men and women rediscover the mythic dimension in their own daily lives.

Step into immersive mythology and epic fantasy where ancient gods battle for power, love, and the fate of humanity. Perfect for your evening wind-down or a daily commute, these vivid tales transport you to Greek mountains and Nordic snows. Experience the atmospheric wonder and tragic romance of...

This is the tale of the coming of the Irish to Ireland, and of the men and women who made that emerald isle their own.

For Malcom McKnight, her life has been entrenched in a protective web of secrets and lies, but when she discovers soul-shattering truths about her family, she finds herself thrust into an entirely different world, and falling headfirst into the comforting arms of a stranger. But she has no time to rest. A nightmarish creature of unbridled rage threatens her new life—the result of a secret that has plagued her family for centuries.

Witness the epic clash of ancient empires and discover the dramatic birth of democracy in this immersive history journey. Transform your daily commute into a time-traveling adventure across the rugged Aegean landscape. Stand on the frontlines of hoplite warfare and listen to the fierce debates...

DISCOVER WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HERO IN THIS MAJOR NEW SERIES FULL OF DEMIGODS, MONSTERS AND MYTHOLOGY, SET IN THE BESTSELLING WORLD OF PERCY JACKSON. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood! The legendary secret sanctuary where demigod kids – the children of Greek gods and mortals – can discover their...

Before Rome. Before Persia. Before Egypt's pyramids were old. One man invented empire. Around 2334 BCE, a cupbearer of mysterious origins seized the throne of Kish and built something the world had never seen: a single state governing multiple peoples, languages, and gods across thousands of miles of Mesopotamian heartland. His name was Sargon. His dynasty would last five generations. His experiment would shape every empire that followed.

The Origins of Shintoism is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history and culture of Japan, as well as for those interested in the development and evolution of religions around the world.

Enter an immersive fantasy mythology where ancient gods, heroes, and tricksters shape a brand new world. Perfect for unwinding during a relaxing evening or escaping on a long commute, this calming, atmospheric collection invites you to sit at a timeless storyteller’s fire. What begins as...