For Absolute Beginners

If you're completely new to Greek mythology, start with Edith Hamilton's Mythology (1942). It remains the most accessible single-volume introduction after 80 years. Hamilton retells the major myths in clear, elegant prose without dumbing them down. Stephen Fry's Mythos (2017) and Heroes (2018) are excellent modern alternatives with more personality and humour. For young readers, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series brings the myths to life through adventure fiction that is surprisingly faithful to the source material.

The Primary Sources

Once you have the basics, read the actual ancient texts. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are the foundation of everything. Robert Fagles' translations are the most readable modern versions. Hesiod's Theogony tells the creation story and the genealogy of the gods in about 50 pages. The Homeric Hymns are short, vivid poems to individual gods that feel surprisingly intimate. Apollodorus's Bibliotheca (The Library) is the closest thing to a comprehensive ancient handbook of all the myths. Ovid's Metamorphoses is the Roman masterwork, beautifully written, that preserves dozens of myths found nowhere else.

For Serious Study

For deeper scholarship, Timothy Gantz's Early Greek Myth (1993) is the definitive academic survey, comparing every version of every myth across all surviving ancient sources. It is dense but invaluable. Robert Graves' The Greek Myths (1955) is comprehensive but should be read with caution as Graves often imposes his own controversial interpretations. For the Trojan War cycle specifically, Barry Strauss's The Trojan War: A New History examines the archaeological evidence. For religion and worship, Walter Burkert's Greek Religion (1985) is the standard academic text.

Modern Retellings

The modern retelling genre has exploded in recent years. Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles (2012) and Circe (2018) are masterful novels that bring genuine emotional depth to the myths. Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls (2018) retells the Iliad from Briseis's perspective. Natalie Haynes's A Thousand Ships (2019) tells the Trojan War entirely through women's voices. For Persephone, Jennifer Saint's Ariadne (2021) and Elektra (2022) have been widely praised.

Classical Sources

Cross-referenced with multiple classical sources for accuracy.

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Choosing a Translation

Which translation you pick changes the experience more than almost any other choice. Here are some widely respected options for the core texts.

  • Homer. Emily Wilson's Odyssey (2017) and Iliad (2023) are brisk and plain-spoken. The Odyssey is line-for-line, so it is no longer than the Greek, and both come with long, helpful introductions. Richmond Lattimore's versions (Iliad 1951, Odyssey 1967) keep closely to the Greek line by line and are favoured by students who want to see Homer's repetitions and epithets. Caroline Alexander's Iliad (2015) is another accurate, more recent option. Stanley Lombardo's translations are punchy and work very well read aloud.
  • Hesiod. M. L. West's Theogony and Works and Days (Oxford World's Classics) was translated by the scholar who wrote the standard commentaries on both poems. Its notes explain the long lists of gods.
  • Ovid. For the Metamorphoses, David Raeburn's Penguin verse translation and Charles Martin's Norton version are both well regarded. Stephanie McCarter's 2022 Penguin translation pays particular attention to how Ovid presents sexual violence. That matters for stories like Apollo and Daphne and Medusa.
  • The handbooks. Robin Hard's translation of Apollodorus's Library (Oxford World's Classics) is a reliable reference. R. Scott Smith and Stephen Trzaskoma's Apollodorus' Library and Hyginus' Fabulae (Hackett, 2007) puts the two main ancient mythographers in one volume. Peter Levi's two-volume Penguin Pausanias is the way into the local myths and cults Pausanias recorded on his travels.
  • Tragedy. Robert Fagles's The Oresteia and The Three Theban Plays (Sophocles) make good companions to his Homer. They are the natural next step after the epics, especially for the stories of Oedipus and Antigone.

Reference Works and Deeper Guides

Beyond Gantz and Burkert, several other books are worth knowing. Robin Hard, The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology (2004) is a complete, carefully sourced narrative reference, reworked from H. J. Rose's older handbook. Like Gantz, it says which ancient author tells which version, but it is easier to read. Richard Buxton, The Complete World of Greek Mythology (2004) is heavily illustrated. It is strong on how myths connected to landscape, ritual and art. Jean-Pierre Vernant, The Universe, the Gods, and Men retells the central myths with the insight of one of the great French interpreters of Greek religion. Barry B. Powell, Classical Myth and Morford, Lenardon and Sham, Classical Mythology are the standard university textbooks. Each has many editions, with translated excerpts, maps and chapters on interpretation, including psychological readings (see Greek Mythology in Psychology). Karl Kerényi's The Gods of the Greeks (1951) is older and more speculative but still widely read.

For a quick guide to who's who, the Oxford Classical Dictionary is the scholarly standard. A cheaper option is Pierre Grimal's Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Readers who want to see the art should look for Susan Woodford's Images of Myths in Classical Antiquity (2003), which explains how vase painters and sculptors made stories recognisable (see also Greek Mythology in Art).

For Children and Teens

Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (1962) has introduced generations of children to the gods, with bold lithographs and gently edited stories. George O'Connor's Olympians graphic novels give one god per volume, and each ends with notes on the ancient sources, which makes them unusually reliable for comics. For older children who like Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan's own Percy Jackson's Greek Gods (2014) and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes (2015) retell the original myths in Percy's voice. To see where the novels depart from the ancient stories, read Percy Jackson vs Real Mythology.

More Retellings and Popular Non-Fiction

Mary Renault's The King Must Die (1958) and The Bull from the Sea (1962) imagine a Bronze Age Theseus and remain classics of historical fiction. Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad (2005) gives Penelope and her hanged maids a voice. Christa Wolf's Cassandra (1983) retells Troy's fall through the prophetess. Natalie Haynes's non-fiction Pandora's Jar (2020) looks at the women of the myths and how later ages reshaped them, and her novel Stone Blind (2022) retells Medusa's story. Stephen Fry finished his series with Troy (2020) and Odyssey (2024), so the four books together run from the creation to the return of Odysseus. A longer list of novels is collected at Best Greek Mythology Retellings, and a suggested order for the ancient texts is at Reading Order.

Further reading

  • Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources (1993): compares every version of each myth in early literature and art, period by period.
  • Robin Hard, The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology (2004): a narrative reference with the ancient sources cited for each version.
  • Richard Buxton, The Complete World of Greek Mythology (2004): an illustrated survey of myth in its setting of landscape, cult and art.
  • Emily Wilson (trans.), Homer: The Odyssey (2017) and The Iliad (2023): modern verse translations with extensive introductions.
  • Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (1962): the classic illustrated introduction for children.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Greek mythology book for beginners?

Edith Hamilton's Mythology and Stephen Fry's Mythos are the usual recommendations for adults. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths is the classic for children. After that, go straight to Homer in a modern translation.

Which translation of the Iliad or Odyssey should I read?

For readability, try Emily Wilson or Robert Fagles. For closeness to the Greek line, choose Richmond Lattimore. For a lively version that works well read aloud, Stanley Lombardo is a good choice.

Is Edith Hamilton's Mythology accurate?

It is generally faithful, but it smooths over differences between versions and leans on Roman sources such as Ovid for some myths. Use Gantz or Hard when you need to know which ancient author said what.

What did the ancient Greeks themselves read about myths?

They mostly heard myths through Homer, Hesiod, lyric poetry and tragedy. Later readers used prose handbooks such as Apollodorus's Library, which is still the best ancient summary.

Books to read next

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