Greek Myths

The Greek myths are timeless classics, whose scenes and figures have captivated us since ancient times. This is because the gods and heroes of these legends embody universal human characteristics and truths, without losing their complexity - the courage of Perseus, the greed of Midas, the ambition of Icarus, the vengeance of Medea or the hubris of Niobe. These traits are the basis for immortal dramas and stories, as profound as they are entertaining, which form the bedrock of our culture and literature today and are of continual relevance and fascination for all readers, young and old alike.

This edition contains 47 tales based on the most famous narratives of Greek mythology, from Prometheus, the Argonauts, the Twelve Labors of Heracles, and Theseus, to the Trojan War and Homer's Odyssey. The individual texts are selected from the seminal work Sagen des klassischen Altertums (Legends of Classical Antiquity) by Gustav Schwab (1792-1850) and are strikingly illustrated by 29 artists, among them outstanding representatives of the Golden Age of Book Illustration and the Arts and Crafts Movement, including Walter Crane (1845-1915), Arthur Rackham (1867-1939), William Russell Flint (1880-1969), and Virginia Frances Sterrett (1900-1930). The variety of Greek mythology glimmers through these illustrations, which awaken the gods and heroes to new life.