Helen A. Guerber. Classical Mythology. 1893; Fall River, 2018.

Classical Mythology is an abridged version of the author’s Myths of Greece and Rome, a classic compilation of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. This can be a useful tool to get a decent background to these myths.

A former student took an art history class in college. She had studied Ancient Classics in one of my classes. Our school also had required Bible classes, so she knew a lot of the Bible also. Between her background in the classical myths and the Bible. she was the only person in her art history class who knew most of the stories pictured in old master paintings and sculptures. For anyone taking art history who needs some background, a book like this is worth pursuing.

The class that I teach uses Edith Hamilton’s Mythology for its secondary source. It has more historical background than this work and perhaps is a little more detailed. Hamilton may have used Guerber, though, the same way that Guerber may have referred to Bulfinch. Unlike either Hamilton and Bulfinch, Classical Mythology just carries tales from the Greek and Roman myths. Hamilton refers to Norse mythology as well. Bulfinch includes that plus Welsh myths and King Arthur stories.

Classical Mythology tells its stories in a direct, unembellished manner. Compared to Ovid’s Metamorphoses or Hawthorne’s A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, it is drier. Some might treat it as much as a reference as a story book.

This book does include interpretations of a few of the stories. While the story of Proserpina helps explain the seasons, Guerber believes that the later version of the Adonis myth in which Adonis is permitted to return from the Underworld for a time each year also explains the seasons.

This particular edition contains many color plates of works of art from the early Renaissance to the Victorian era that enhance the stories. There are also many quotations from poets from classical times to the twentieth century, but in most cases the sources are not given. While the documentation could have been clearer, the book shows the influence and effect these stories have had on our culture from the time of Homer and Hesiod to the present. For background, it can be a good place to start.