This book was really neat. I LOVED the illustrations.
I just wish the author would have included the Roman names along with the Green names.
It was a point touched on at the beginning, that the Gods had different names, it would have been very informative to have included this information.

a great book for a lover of Greek mythology looking to introduce it to a younger reader.

Dèi, semidei, mostri della mitologia greca, presentati in brevi, efficaci schede - e sopratutto ritratti in un trionfo di colori, con rappresentazioni di eccezionale efficacia e originalità.
Pensavo che dal punto di vista grafico niente potesse superare le Favole degli Dèi di Paolo Barbieri, ma mi sono dovuta ricredere: trovo questo volume ancora più bello, e i testi (punto debole dell'opera di Barbieri) nettamente superiori.

If Steve is the cake in this book, then Victoria is definitely the Topping. The text is great, but the artwork will blow your socks off. In fact I still haven't found mine, and I'm seriously considering billing the artist for a new pair.

I asked myself, when beginning to read this, what it can bring to the table that couldn't be served equally well by a quick reference to Wikipedia. The answer quickly became obvious. This book has pizazz, which no one could ever accuse Wikipedia of! It's not dry and technical, but lively, exciting, and has roots you can follow all the way back to Tartarus. Unlike those annoying Rick Riordan books which brutally-wrenched the mythology from its native Greece and inexplicably transplanted it to the USA with nary a με την άδειά σας (which is Greek for 'by-your-leave'), like only the USA matters and alas who cares about Hellas anyway, this book keeps everything where it originated and tells the complete story in pithy paragraphs that skip none of the weird details which is what makes these tales so engrossing.

The book runs to some fifty pages of text and illustration, and covers Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, Dionysius, Hades, Demeter, Persephone, Ares, Gaia, Prometheus, Pan, Eros, Penelope, Narcissus, Oedipus, Pandora, Icarus, Midas, Cassandra, Orpheus, Helen, Achilles, Hector, Jason, Medea, Cyclops, Argos, Typhon, Chimaera, Medusa, Cerberus, Talos, Pegasus, the Muses, the Fates, the Amazons, the Argonauts, the Hydra, the Centaurs, The Griffin, the Giants, the Hundred Handers, The Minotaur, the Sirens, the Harpies, the Phoenix. In short, it has everything in one convenient place.

The text alone would have made this a worthy read, but add to that the artwork (and especially its diversity) and it takes it to a whole other place. I was repeatedly struck by how much of the Bible's mythology was taken directly from the earlier Greek stories. This is a wonderful book with much to entice, and I commend it as a worthy and educational read.

This book is the ideal companion for mythology enthusiasts (like me). The text is organized and easy to follow.

This is an amazingly illustrated book, which head shots of the major Greek gods, with all their symbolism in the illustration.

At first, I was going into this book thinking, ho-hum, another book about Greek gods. But from the first page I was captivated.

Each description gives the Greek spelling of the name of the god, as well as background to explain why each was drawn the way they were.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/mythilogical3.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5323" />

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/mythilogical2.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5322" />

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/mythilogical.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5321" />

This book gives a good, brief introduction to Greek Mythology, which is important to know about, when reading Western literature, which borrows heavily from the mythology.

I would love to see this treatment done to other mythologies from around the world.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Mythologica is a gorgeous book that gives detailed information on 50 different Greek gods and goddesses. The images in this book are bold, bright and stunning. I had to be sure to take my time reading because I was drawn to the images over and over. In a pop art style that takes the old gods and gives them a new age twist.

I love mythology and this book was no different it was informative in an easy to read style that flowed beautifully on the pages.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an absolutely gorgeous who's who of the Gods of Olympus and legendary characters and creatures from Greek mythology and ancient literature.

The infomation and descriptions are presented alphabetically and are accompanied by absolutely stunning artwork. The artwork is modern, vibrant and diverse and will appeal to this book's target audience of those in their tweens/early teens. The information is brief but enough to summarise the main highlights of each of the featured entries. I was sad to see that my girl Medusa has been done wrong again though. Can we just admit that Athena and Poseidon were the bad guys in that situation please?

This is an exciting book with a unique visual take on Greek mythology. I for one will be adding the hardback to my collection.

I absolutely loved this beautifully and daintily illustrated Greek Mythology encyclopedia for kids. The illustrations are original and striking and the text perfect. A delight to read this book and to rediscover the stories and myths that are part of our culture (and which are revisited in so many works of art including literature, painting, drama, and so on). What I loved most about this new encyclopedia is that it is so lively and engaging.
I highly recommend it to children and teachers alike!
I thank NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for this lovely book ! #Mythologica #NetGalleyFrance

What a beautiful book! The pictures have a vaguely Indian influence, crammed with colour and detail; even after a few minutes on each I'm sure I missed details. I'll really enjoy seeing this one in person to pick up on everything. The stories are nicely told, just the right level of detail. A wonderful package all around.

I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Vivid illustrations bring the Ancient Greek Gods, Goddesses and other beings to life. The 80's vibe pops and the author provides brief descriptions as to why each is drawn in this manner.
Short blurbs provide anecdotes and facts to bring the person/creature to life for readers. Kershaw provides succinct information about each. Interesting to see the Greek name written along with the more familiar ones.
This book is an easy to read first look at these gods, goddesses and creatures for middle grade and older readers.

My son and I just loved this book. The pictures are wonderfully different, bright and vibrant, they really captured his imagination. There is also a lot of information and detail included. I’ll be ordering this for the classroom as well as for at home. Excellent.

Mythologica: An encyclopedia of gods, monsters, and mortals from ancient Greece is as the title suggests, an illustrated encyclopedia of Greek mythology. Mythologica features stunningly beautiful portraits of mythological characters from the Greek Mythology

The book covers 50 myths covered in alphabetical order. All of the major gods and mythological figures including Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Midas, Cyclops, Chimaera, Medusa, Pegasus among others are covered

Listed alphabetically, each spread presents a mythological figure, their attributes, and a summary of their story, along with some additional trivia. Along with them, popular mythological stories like Pandora's box, The Odyssey, and The Trojan War and the Argonauts. are also covered.

Artist Victoria Topping’s artwork is a blend of modern and traditional techniques and the result is quite stunning. Each character has a unique and colorful visual portrayal which has added a unique dimension to the book.

The text accompanying the artwork is brief but informative. The facts and stories are entertaining but overall it does feel a bit too short. The authors should have tried incorporating more details/stories for each character. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to mythology. (Though a couple of stories may not be suitable for children)

Overall, this is an absolutely gorgeous book on legendary characters and creatures from Greek mythology. The book is both exciting and informative and it will make you want to learn more about Greek Mythology.

Many thanks to the publishers Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions and NetGalley for the ARC. All images from Amazon

I'll admit that I skimmed most of the actual text of this book, but that is only because I am so familiar with Greek mythology that it was all pretty much a recap at this point. That isn't to say that there is anything wrong with the text here, I think it is really useful as an introduction or reference and it is written in a simple way that I think will appeal to both children and adults, but it is mostly stuff I know at this point. The art however is absolutely AMAZING and definitely the high point of this book. Every page is gorgeous and I think this would make a great coffee table book or something to have around for people to flip through. The whole thing has a very modern art / collage style that you don't often get with books about ancient mythology and I think that it actually worked really well. Definitely something you would want to buy a physical copy of.

This book is one of the most beautiful I've seen this year.
It's a beautiful book to learn about the different Greek (and Roman) Gods. It is a good quick point of reference to the enormous amount of Gods and Monsters.

I did have some problems with the writing. This is considered a children's book, but the writing felt a bit complicated at times, - the words used, the descriptions.. I think it should be more a teenager-age book.
I also felt the placement of the text was confusing at times. There are small quotes that feel a bit odd when placed at the beginning of the page. There were also mentions of people and events that only appeared later in the book, which went by without any reference to their later appearance, nor any good explanation.
I would have also enjoyed seeing a family tree, since there are some curious mixtures, which would be a good point of reference.

Mythologica caught my eye because of the striking cover design. When I opened the book, I was blown away. The art is so incredible and one-of-a-kind, it gives the presentation of mythological characters new life. The book, a compendium of major characters, is grouped into three major section: gods, mortals, and monsters including fifty such figures as Zeus, Hera, the Muses, Hades, Penelope, Achilles, Cyclops, Medusa, and Cerberus.

Each spread, vividly designed with bright colors and bold lettering, shows the mythic figure through Victoria Topping’s unmatched artistry. She manages to convey a range of ethnicities and personalities among the included characters in a way I don’t think has been done before in the context of Greek and Roman mythology.

Dr. Stephen Kershaw highlights what the god, mortal, or monster is known for, where they live, and summarizes their biography with two or three interesting details in call out boxes such as information about their animal companions, weaponry, or typical attire. The book also includes a summary of the Twelve Labors of Heracles, the Odyssey, the Trojan War, and the story of the Argonauts.

Although the publishers note the book is geared toward children aged seven to ten, I think anyone interested in Greek and Roman mythology (or illustration and book design) would be delighted with this book. I’d forgotten many of the details and relationships among the Greek gods, monsters, and well-known humans, and this was a refreshing and engaging reminder.

I absolutely adore Greek mythology, so even though this is marketed as a kids’ book, it still caught my eye. And how would it not – have you seen the artwork!?

The modern, abstract style is beyond eye-catching. It’s not something I’d associate with a book for children, but hey – what do I know? I loved it myself, although I did wonder if some – like the picture of Argos covered in eyes would perhaps be a little scary for younger kids.

I don’t think this is for too young an audience, to be honest, although that’s more to do with the myths than the language. The latter is fairly dumbed-down – I was particularly unimpressed with Athena being “totally awesome in battle” *eye roll* – but you might struggle to explain why Zeus married his sister, for instance.

The text was a bit of a let down after the art, with the briefest of bios on fifty various characters from the Greek pantheon and myths. Each gets just one page, meaning they are often quite ‘busy’. There’s perhaps an overdose of different fonts used trying to separate out various snippets of text, but again, perhaps this would be ‘exciting’ to a childish eye?

But, back to that artwork. It’s so refreshing, so challenging from any other Greek myth artwork I’ve seen. I’m feeling very inspired – and I’d grab a ‘coffee table book’ version of this for that alone!

This a stunning book because of the art, which uses a combination of techniques to create a style that I'll call punk collage. Truly gorgeous; with an inclusive representation. But that same inclusivity gives me pause; not sure if I'm imagining it, but all of the monsters/giants were coded as brown or black. I had to knock off a star for that. While the various gods were also coded as diverse, I stopped seeing "white" faces/features when we got to the lesser monsters. It was pretty jarring. But since I read this on Adobe and the layout was very cumbersome as a digital ARC, with tiny font and a zine-esque layout, it's hard to scroll back and forth and cross-reference to see if I'm right. The layout and the writing also made me knock off a star. The layout might work beautifully in a physical coffee-table book, but I think the writing could use some work. It's serviceable, but doesn't imbue these stories with the mystery and magic that animates the artwork.

I requested this book because my daughter is very into Greek mythology right now and I thought this book had the potential of being a good Christmas gift for her. 🎄 And it definitely is that. 🙌

This book is just utterly gorgeous. 💕 It would make a fantastic coffee table book. 🎨 It is also filled with interesting and easy-to-read information. 👍 I honestly can't think of a single negative thing to say about this book. 👀

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions for an early copy of Portrait of Mythologica by Stephen P. Kershaw. This was a great book to get an overall picture of Greek mythology. The book is divided into three sections; Gods, Mortals, and Monsters, plus there is an occasional story/myth mixed in, for example about the Argonauts. Each page talks about one being and has very colorful collage type pictures, a quick sentence about what they are known for, and then lots of other information and facts. The pictures are very intriguing and great just on their own. This book would be great for anyone looking for an overview of Greek mythology with very great visuals.

This is a stunning work. The size of the images in real life really show off the detail, and the vibrancy of the colours.

The approach to mythology is simple, clear and easy to understand and the images have so many hidden treats and treasures they're just wonderful.

A perfect gift book for almost any age, or coffee table.

This is a fantastic insight in the myths of Ancient Greece. the summaries are quick and to the point highlighting the important or most fantastical parts. I loved loved the art work in this book! Especially Gaia! it was so beautiful!
Overall a great read! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for granting my wish for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Mythologica’, written by Dr. Stephen P. Kershaw and illustrated by Victoria Topping, in exchange for an honest review.

Subtitled ‘an encyclopaedia of gods, monsters and mortals from ancient Greece’, this is intended as an introduction to 50 characters from Greek mythology for children ages 7-10. It was published on 3 September.

Dr. Kershaw is a Classics scholar who has written a number of books on classical civilisations.

His Introduction notes that “Greek mythology is everywhere” and remains relevant in modern society. He also states that given the difficulty of the original Greek names he has provided the most familiar names in English but also included their original names alongside. The text accompanying each entry is short and informative.

Although my digital copy was in low resolution, I have seen a few examples of the artwork and it is visually stunning. Topping’s digital fusion art is bright and multilayered with echoes of modern artists and trends such as Klimt, Picasso, and Art Deco among others. It is looks very fresh and vibrant with gorgeous colours.

‘Mythologica’ provides an excellent introduction to Greek mythology for young readers with beautiful and inspiring art.

As someone who loves art and mythology I would happily buy it as a coffee table book.

A beautiful take on mythology!

The artwork in this was beautiful. I have always loved mythology and I feel like this book is an excellent way for those who haven’t read much on mythology before to start or develop an interest in it!

4.5 stars.

Reading mythology is always a fun read for me and this book was great! The artstyle is stunning and I love that it has some techno vibes with the modern art (check the cover to have an idea of the artstyle).
I'm shocked everytime of what and who Zeus slept and had a child with.

The book was concise with general information. The only thing I hated was the quoted text since it's the same information as the one in the paragraph so I didn't see the point of it there repeated. Another problem for me was how some parts were worded since I wasn't sure who they were talking about exactly. Also, the sypnosis mentioned that it's alphabetical but my ebook copy wasn't so... I'm not sure?

Overall, it was an amazing read with a mesmerizing art for each god that was featured. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes mythology to add this beautiful piece to their collection solely for the art.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

A mythological masterpiece!

As a massive fan of myths and legends, Mythologica, has without a doubt become my go to recommendation for those wanting a perfect introduction into Greek mythology.

An illustrated encyclopedia of Greek mythology like no other, Mythologica features portraits of mythological characters in eye-popping color from artist Victoria Topping and authoritative text from Classics scholar and Greek mythology expert Dr. Stephen Kershaw.

The art in this book is incredible. Victoria Topping is exquisite on every page of this book. From the incredible Dionysus that just pops off the page, to Narcissus which is as beautiful as he believed himself to be to the creatures such as Centaurs that are featured in this book, Mythologica is a pandora’s box of wonderful art and so deserves to be taken in for that alone.

However this book is wonderfully fleshed out by Kershaw. Connecting the dots between different gods and giving us a fantastic picture of what these Gods do and their histories, Mythologica is a good gift for anyone with a fascination in classics and mythology - Kershaw uses simple language and defines the words we need to understand perfectly throughout this book.

I feel like sometimes I wanted more in moments, however this is a wonderful book that just captures what you need to know about about the gods of the period and would be a perfect gift for anyone fascinated in the topic, especially with such great art.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

The images and artwork throughout this book are stunning!
I have pre-ordered the book for our home library just based on that fact.

As a basic encyclopedia of Greek mythology, this book also delivers nicely. The information, stories, and fun facts are great for my child (8-years-old) and can serve as a starting point for learning mythology for older groups, though they will need to use other resources for more in-depth information.

Definitely recommend this book!

Love the descriptions of each god or mythological being mentioned in the book. The illustrations/artwork are captivating and it's fun to read the descriptions and then seeing if you find the bits mentioned on the accompanying page. This is a great book for older kids and adults who are interested in learning more about mythology and the prominent players.

5★
“Greek mythology is everywhere.
Superstar athletes have the Midas touch, fashion designers have their muses, we undertake Herculean tasks, we make personal odysseys, and we all have our Achilles heel. This book gives you a selection of some of the greatest mortals, immortals, and monsters in Greek mythology.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. What that doesn’t say is how fantastically imaginative and stunning the illustrations are! And they aren’t just odd sketches to flesh out a bit of narrative text, they are full-blown works of art of such a modern style, that young people will relate to the gods and goddesses as they would rock stars. This is the stuff of album covers – the ones that end up in art galleries, I mean.

I was instantly reminded of David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust incarnation. See what you think.
[My Goodreads and Amazon reviews include five illustrations.]

The first illustration is of Narcissus, gazing at himself in the pool

His name is in everyday use when we speak of narcissistic behaviour (self-love), but so are the names of a surprising number of other gods and goddesses.

“Greek names can be really difficult, and there are lots of different ways of spelling them in English. Achilles is really Akhilleus in Greek; Clytemnestra is actually Klytaimnestra; and Oedipus is called Oidipous. Sometimes the Greek gods and heroes are given Roman names too, so Odysseus becomes Ulysses, and Zeus becomes Jupiter or Jove! So we’ve chosen the most familiar spellings, but given you their names in real Greek too!”

The king of them all is Zeus, and the author doesn’t mince words about his colourful history – married to his sister, children with many other women – quite the player! Tell me he doesn’t look a bit like a bikie gang-leader here!

The second illustration is of Zeus, King of the Gods. God of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, and justice

I can see that as a poster on a wall that would rival those from rock concerts. The next is a goddess whose name has been adopted by both environmentalists and new-age alternative lifestylers to cover their concept of Mother Earth. Gaia.
The third illustration is of Gaia.
“In the Golden Age, the earth was so fertile that there was no need to plow or plant the fields because Gaia freely gave all her riches to mortals, who were happy to gather wild strawberries on the mountainside, pick cherries and berries, and eat acorns from the oak trees.”

The stories are explained and illustrated in marvellous detail. The Odyssey, Jason and the Argonauts – it’s all here.

Absolutely stunning! I can see this reproduced as posters, fabrics, and multiplied as spin-offs. As it stands now, it is a remarkable work of art and a very entertaining telling of the myths, modernised enough to appeal to today’s jaded youth, and I enjoyed this version.

I just keep wanting to share illustrations, but I’d better limit myself, so here’s a page about The Odyssey, to give you an idea of the breadth of the stories. I realise you’d be going some to see the details, but you may see the brown Cyclops asleep and the ship and the other challenges they faced.

The fourth illustration is of The story of The Odyssey.

Great thanks to NetGalley and Quarto’s Wide Eyed Editions for the preview copy, and I commend authorSteven Kershaw and inspired illustrator Victoria Topping for producing this beautiful book. Her own website is here. https://www.victoriatopping.com/

Just one more.
The fifth illustration is Artemis - how fantastic! The other pages are the whole double-page spread, but I singled out Artemis just to give you an idea of the detail.