The Best Books About Greek Mythology

You are curious about Greek Mythology, you have probably heard of Zeus, Hades, Aphrodite but you want to go deeper.

You want to know more about greek mythology because it’s awesome, I get it.

So, here are some cool reads that are both educational and entertaining. These books are suited for all ages.

If you want to purchase any of the books listed below, click on the titles. They are affiliated links that will take you directly to the store.

Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Aphrodite to Zeus, a Profile of Who's Who in Greek Mythology

For millennia, the gods and heroes of Greece have entertained numerous people and inspired authors and artists across genres, but not everyone today knows Athena from Artemis or the difference from Theseus and Perseus. Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook by Liv Albert is handy guide to the major figures of the mythos for those interested in knowing who is who.

Albert from the outset does not attempt to tackle every figure in Greek mythology or every myth, focusing on the most important and famous gods and heroes. With this in mind, Albert only focusing one story per entry, though many gods and/or heroes appear in multiple entries given their importance (i.e. Zeus in producing children and Hera going after them or their mothers). Except for individuals and events from The Iliad and The Odyssey, Albert retells the myths in a more balanced way most notably by calling out Zeus as a sexual deviant and Hera for her victim-blaming to name the two most prominent instances throughout multiple entries. Adding depth to the mythological retellings are roughly 25 illustrations by the amazingly talented Sara Richard whose art-deco influenced style gives the gods an ethereal appearance and mortals an unworldly quality.

Greek Mythology is a fantastic introductory book for those interested in the mythos of the ancient Greeks thanks to Liv Albert’s writing and Sara Richard’s art

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths

One of the best books for young children ever. This amazing book covers many of the most widely known Greek myths, but many lesser known stories too. It contains a mix of beautiful drawings that are both comic and sophisticated. The text is clear yet lyrical, while remaining easily understandable to young children.

Mythos: (Ancient Greek Mythology Book for Adults, Modern Telling of Classical Greek Myths Book)

An absolutely amazing book! Stephen Fry's humor, excellent writing style, and strong knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology combine to make this book a great read as well as a great reference. Everyone of a certain age has read or used Bullock and Hamilton, and they continue to be valuable if humorless references. Fry, though, provides great fun as well as accurate information. This should be the new mythology reference book of today

Uncovering Greek Mythology: A Beginner's Guide into the World of Greek Gods and Goddesses

I love history and I really love mythology, so to see a book that gives insight into these Titans that is well-researched and well-written is a nice find. I did find the "disclosure" at the beginning a bit odd. Declaring there are no warranties, that it doesn't offer medical, legal, or professional advice, and (my favorite)--that the reader should "consult a licensed professional before attempting any techniques outlined in this book". It continues in this weird vein through another paragraph. It's as if the writer found a generic disclosure and just slapped it into his book. Anyway, while reading, I discovered more about the "gods" that I knew and even learned about "gods" I didn't know existed: Hephaestus, Demeter, Hestia, for example. Hestia is apparently one of the more important Greek gods. Goddess of home, hearth, family, and state, but I was completely unaware of the name at all. Anyway, if you enjoy mythology, this is definitely a good book to learn more about it.

Greek Mythology Explained: A Deeper Look at Classical Greek Lore and Myth

The book takes a new approach in the retelling of the myths. By this I mean, it reads sometimes like a well-written original fiction. There is enough added to the story to prevent it from feeling like another standard rewrite.

It's a fresh and creative way to present itself without drowning in the countless books that simply reorganize the existing information.

I personally love the format. There is a retelling followed by the information on a deeper dive into the symbolism.

Overall, it was creative and unique.

Greek Myths: Meet the heroes, gods, and monsters of ancient Greece

The illustrations by Katie Ponder are elegant and beautiful complimenting the charming and entrancing stories written by Jean Menzies. Each of the gods and goddesses have their own page with a description of their lineage, number of children, sacred symbols. I really appreciated the pronunciation guide at the back. There were a few myths I had not read before like “The Adventures of Atlanta” “Arachne” and “Dionysus and the Pirates”. Informative and beautiful illustrated chapter “About the Myths” describing how Greeks used myths in their everyday life: writing, art, storytelling. Extremely happy with my purchase and would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about Greek mythology.

The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

A source that gives essentially ALL the characters of classical mythology! The other standard references, such as the Oxford Classical Dictionary and Edith Hamilton's Mythology, include the most important characters, but are of no use when trying to look up a reference on the multitude of minor characters who often are mentioned in literature and art. Oxford is good for learning how the significance of major characters changed over time and in various places, and Hamilton is superior for bringing together into coherent narratives those principal characters, but as a general reference for finding names one comes across in reading, Apollodorus is far superior.

Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters

This book consists of 25 biographical sketches of figures from Greek Mythology. It’s one of those books that grew on me, and the reason it grew on me was a few of the chapters toward the end were engaging, such as those about Heracles, Jason, and Helen. This also means that the number of stars I gave it is fairly meaningless. It was in no danger of getting 5 stars nor 1, but could’ve been anywhere in between at various points in my reading.

The problem with the book is that the unit of interest isn’t the myth, i.e. not the story, but rather the mythical figure, the various gods and heroes of ancient Greece. Because of this organization, some of the chapters have a tight and memorable story, such as that of Heracles and his 12 labors, while others are just piles of genealogical facts mixed with odd mythical happenings (e.g. who burst from whose forehead) and tossed with that mythical figure’s bit parts in larger myths. The book is a good, solid reference book for schoolkids doing research on Greek Mythology, but much of it’s not very engaging to read.

The graphics are beautiful and colorful, if a bit artsy (not always instantaneously clear in subject.) There are maps, a timeline describing happenings of ancient Greece -- real and mythical, a bibliography, and a quick guide to the characters that would make more sense if the book wasn’t a collection of relatively brief biographical sketches to begin with (but repetition has its merits, particularly for children.)

If you’re looking for a collection of biographies of mythical Greeks (i.e. a reference for children,) then this is a good book for you. If you’re looking to get your kids intrigued by the Greek myths, then you might want to shop around. Put another way, if you’re looking for a version of what Neil Gaiman did with this “Norse Mythology,” only for the Greeks, this isn’t it.