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The great myths of the world create meaning out of the fundamental events of human existence: birth, death, conflict, loss, reconciliation, the cycle of the seasons. They speak to us of life itself in voices still intelligible, yet compellingly strange and distant. World Mythology offers readers an authoritative and wide-ranging guide to these enduring mythological traditions, combining the pure narrative of the myths themselves with the backtground necessary for more complete understanding.Here, noted mythology expert Roy Willis, brings together a team of nineteen leading scholars navigate a clear path through the complexities of myth as they distill the essence of each regional tradition and focus on the most significant figures and the most enthralling stories. All aspects of the world's key mythologies are covered, from tales of warring deities and demons to stories of revenge and metamorphosis; from accounts of lustful gods and star-crossed human lovers to journeys in the underworld. All are told at length and are accompanied by illuminating and readable introductory text. Also included are summaries of important theories about the origins and meaning of myth, and an examination of themes that recur across a range of civilizations.Beautifully illustrated with more than 500 color photographs, works of art, charts, and maps, World Mythology offers readers the most accessible guide yet to the heritage of the world's imagination.   This book is second hand, and while you may not get the same publication/version/reprint/edition shown in the picture it will be the same author and title. Removing existing stickers from a second hand book may damage it, so we refrain from doing so. Even if the picture shows no price stickers on the book they may be there on the copy you receive. All of our books are in very good condition. Please be aware that there will be a sticker with an identifying number on the spine of this book.

Twenty-eight intimate and unconventional autobiographies of the nation/state, told by historians from their respective countries. Global histories tend to be written from the narrow viewpoint of a single author and a single perspective, with the inevitable bias that it entails. But in this thought-provoking collection, twenty-eight writers and scholars give engaging, often passionate accounts of their own nation's history. The countries have been selected to represent every continent and every type of state: large and small; mature democracies and religious autocracies; states that have existed for thousands of years and those born as recently as the twentieth century. Together they contain two-thirds of the world's population. In the United States, for example, the myth of the nation's "historylessness" remains strong, but in China history is seen to play a crucial role in legitimizing three thousand years of imperial authority. "History wars" over the content of textbooks rage in countries as diverse as Australia, Russia, and Japan. Some countries, such as Iran or Egypt, are blessed-or cursed-with a glorious ancient history that the present cannot equal; others, such as Germany, must find ways of approaching and reconciling the pain of the recent past.     This book is second hand, and while you may not get the same publication/version/reprint/edition shown in the picture it will be the same author and title. Removing existing stickers from a second hand book may damage it, so we refrain from doing so. Even if the picture shows no price stickers on the book they may be there on the copy you receive. All of our books are in very good condition. Please be aware that there will be a sticker with an identifying number on the spine of this book.