A cunning literary creation from cover to cover, The Genealogy of Greek Mythology: An Illustrated Family Tree of Greek Myth from the First Gods to the Founders of Rome isn’t the hefty tome you might imagine. Surprisingly streamlined thanks to its clever fold-out format, this ingenious volume presents the complete history of the Greek gods, untangling their complex backgrounds through an easy-to-follow family tree that’s enhanced by maps, biographies of major mythological figures and synopses of important events. The volume is printed on durable card stock and folds up neatly, accordion-style, to fit into an attractive, sturdy storage box. Read it one panel at a time, or fan it out to its full length of 17 feet for a complete picture of an ancient civilization. The mastermind behind this innovative project is Vanessa James, a professor of theater at Mount Holyoke College. Featuring a multitude of visuals, including more than 100 color photographs of Greek and Roman paintings, mosaics and sculptures, The Genealogy represents 18 years of research on her behalf and draws on the works of Hesiod, Sophocles and Homer, as well as other sources. With more than 3,000 listings for lofty deities, abominable monsters and humble humans, it’s a perfectly heavenly gift.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
