Devereux, Paul. The Sacred Place: The Ancient Origins of Holy and Mystical Sites. New York: Sterling, 2001. Illustrated photographic guide to many of the worldwide sites, both man-made (Stonehenge, Chichen Itza) and natural (Ayers Rock, Mount Olympus), that significantly figure in world mythology.

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton, 1999. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a fascinating assessment of history that focuses on geography, disease, and technology, and repudiates many traditional-and often racist-views of the rise of civilizations.

Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. A beautifully and heavily illustrated introduction to Chinese history; scholarly but very accessible.

Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. New York: Harcourt, 1987. A classic academic work that traces the movement of spirituality from primitive to modern times.

Fage, J. D. A History of Africa. New York: Knopf, 1978. A volume in the History of Humanity series, this is highly scholarly (and dated), but offers a sound overview of early African history. Feiler, Bruce. Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths. New York: William Morrow, 2002. A search for the legendary figure who is patriarch of three of the world's great faiths.

Feiler, Bruce. Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses. New York: Perennial, 2002. A modern journey in search of the history behind the mythical crossing of the Red Sea and climbing of Mount Sinai.

Fox, Robin Lane. Pagans and Christians. New York: Knopf, 1986. A scholarly but accessible history of the transition from paganism to early Christianity in Rome.

Frazer, Sir James. The Golden Bough (abridged). New York: Dover, 2002. Originally published in twelve volumes in 1890, this classic study of mythology explores the universal theme of the dying-and-resurrected god, tracing its roots to the worship of Diana. (This is the author's 1902 abridged version.) Highly academic and dated, this is still a significant work in the field of mythic studies.

Galeano, Eduardo, translated by Cedric Belfrage. Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent (twenty-fifth-anniversary edition). New York: Monthly Review Press, 1997. Written by an Uruguayan journalist, an expose of the exploitation of the Latin America, beginning with the colonial period and continuing through the twentieth century. An eye-opening account for those who know little of America's largely destructive involvement in Latin American history.

Germond, Philippe. An Egyptian Bestiary. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001. With magnificent illustrations of Egyptian art and architecture, this work depicts the extraordinary role played by animals in Egypt's myth and daily life.

Graves, Robert. The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1975. The author best known for historical novels such as I, Claudius takes a highly academic look at the "white goddess of birth, love, and death," who was worshipped in Europe under many names.

Green, Miranda J. The World of the Druids. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1997. An elaborately illustrated and accessible introduction to the Celtic world, its priests, and the myths they inspired.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown, 1969. The renowned classic introduction to the gods of Greece, Rome, and the Norse; still popular but somewhat dated.

Hathaway, Nancy. The Friendly Guide to Mythology: A Mortal's Companion to the Fantastical Realm of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters and Heroes. New York: Penguin Books, 2001. A breezy and readable introduction to world myths, with a particular focus on goddess stories.

Herodotus, translated by Aubrey De Selincourt. The Histories. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. In this masterpiece of classic literature, the "father of history" examines the Mediterranean world of the fifth century BCE. With useful notes. (Other editions available.) Hughes, Robert. Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding. New York: Vintage, 1986. Compelling history of Australia with much information on the unhappy interaction between the original inhabitants and the British.

Jung, Carl G., editor. Man and His Symbols. New York: Dell Laurel Books, 1964. A collection of essays by the Swiss psychologist and several associates which explores the role of myths and symbols in human psychology. Not easy reading, but still a valuable introduction to Jung's influential ideas.

King, Ross. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. New York: Walker, 2003. Best-selling narrative of the intrigue behind the art and architecture of the famed Sistine Chapel; includes a discussion of the introduction of mythic figures into Christian art during the Renaissance.

Klingaman, William K. The First Century: Emperors, Gods, and Everyman. New York: Harper Perennial, 1990. A highly readable narrative of the years 1100 CE-in both East and West-during which both Christianity and Buddhism flourished.

Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-nine Firsts in Recorded History (third revised edition). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. The first love song, tax cut, system of law, and schools all belonged to ancient Sumer, which is illuminated in this accessible study by one of the foremost experts on ancient Mesopotamian civilization.

Lapatin, Kenneth. Mysteries of the Snake Goddess: Art, Desire and the Forging of History. New York: Da Capo, 2002. A fascinating archaeological detective story that casts doubt on some long-accepted notions of ancient Minoan art and society.

Leick, Gwendolyn. Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City. New York: Penguin Books, 2001. An overview of the rise of the first twelve cities in the first civilization. Scholarly but still accessible.

Levi-Strauss, Claude. Myth and Meaning: Cracking the Code of Culture. New York: Schocken Books, 1995. A collection of five essays based on radio interviews, which serves as an introduction to the ideas of one of the most influential social anthropologists of recent times. Although highly theoretical, this slim volume is far more accessible than the author's many other works, such as The Raw and the Cooked, Tristes Tropiques, and Structural Anthropology.

McNeill, J. R. and William McNeill. The Human Web: A Bird's-Eye View of World History. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003. Father-son authors show the set of connections that link people, creating a web of interaction in human history.

McNeill, William H. Plagues and Peoples. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. A fascinating narrative of the impact of disease on history, including the decimation of Native Americans by Europeans and the transfer of diseases to the Americas through the slave trade.

Mithen, Steve. After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,0005000 BC. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004. Told through the eyes of a fictional world traveler, a look at the globe as the last great Ice Age was ending, and that change's impact on human development.

Morton, W. Scott, and Charlton M. Lewis. China: Its History and Culture (fourth edition). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. A concise, accessible overview of China from neolithic times to the present.

Morton, W. Scott, and J. Kenneth Olenik. Japan: Its History and Culture (fourth edition). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. A concise chronology and good overview of Japanese history from earliest known civilizations to the modern era.

Moynahan, Brian. The Faith: A History of Christianity. New York: Doubleday, 2002. A very accessible narrative history of two thousand years of Christianity and its impact on world history.

Mysliwiec, Karol, translated by Geoffrey L. Packer. Eros on the Nile. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2002. Not as sexy as the title sounds, a fascinating but scholarly work on just how "hot" the Egyptians were.

Nash, Ronald H. The Gospel and the Greeks: Did the New Testament Borrow from Pagan Thought? (Original title: Christianity and the Hellenistic World.) Phillipsburg, N.J.: P&R Publishing Company, 2003. A scholarly work that refutes the idea that Christianity was an outgrowth of Greek philosophy and religion.

Nuland, Sherwin B. Doctors: The Biography of Medicine. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988. A history of medicine that touches on the mythical beginnings of the healing arts.

Page, Jake. In the Hands of the Great Spirit: The 20,000-Year History of American Indians. New York: Free Press, 2003. Drawing on the latest archaeology and other research, a comprehensive overview of American Indian history.

Page, Jake, editor. Sacred Lands of Indian America. New York: Harry Abrams, 2001. A photographic collection with essays that ask the very important question "What makes a place sacred?" and, even more important, "How can such places be protected?" Beautiful and provocative.

Pagels, Elaine. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. New York: Vintage, 1989. Prizewinning scholar's look at how early Christians viewed sex and transformed the pagan world.

Pagels, Elaine. The Origin of Satan. New York: Vintage, 1996. The Christian view of good and evil and how it influenced the rise of Christianity.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1985. A very readable examination of the changing image of Jesus over the course of two hundred years, written by a leading historian of religion.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1996. An assessment of the changing views of Virgin Mary.

Perrottet, Tony. The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games. New York: Random House, 2004. A highly entertaining and revealing account of the 1,200-year history of the ancient games. Very readable.

Pinch, Geraldine. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Very comprehensive and reflecting much recent scholarship, a brief overview of Egyptian myths.

Plato. The Republic. New York: Vintage, 1991. The classic Socratic dialogues. (Many other editions available.) Porter, J. R. The Illustrated Guide to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Book by book, a look at the "Good Book."

Porter, Roy. Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine. New York: W. W. Norton, 2002. An entertaining overview of the history of healing, including medicine in the time of legendary healers in Egypt and Greece.

Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. A revisionist approach to the popular account of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. The author persuasively argues that the widely held notion that the Native Americans mistook the Spaniards for gods is myth.

Sagan, Carl, and Ann Druyan. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are. New York: Random House, 1992. Better known for his writings about space (Cosmos), Sagan examines human experience in this wide-ranging, challenging, and fascinating book.

Seznec, Jean. The Survival of the Pagan Gods: The Mythological Tradition and Its Place in Renaissance Humanism and Art. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1981. A highly academic history of the revival of the Greek gods in art and literature during the European Renaissance.

Sowerby, Robin. The Greeks: An Introduction to Their Culture. London: Routledge, 1995. A concise, wide-ranging introduction to ancient Greece, from the age of Homer to the end of the classical period.

Stark, Rodney. The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997. A sociological explanation of the rise of Christianity in a pagan world.

Tuchman, Barbara W. The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam. New York: Random House, 1984. Starting with the fatal mistake made by the Trojans, the Pulitzer Prizewinning and best-selling author catalogues a series of bad decisions made by governments in time of war. A largely ignored plea for applying the lessons of history.

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (second edition). Studio City, Calif.: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998. A fascinating text-book that draws heavily on the work of Carl G. Jung and Joseph Campbell in utilizing myth for modern storytellers.

Voytilla, Stuart. Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of 50 Unforgettable Films. Studio City, Calif.: Michael Wiese Productions, 1999. An interesting critical assessment of such classic films as The Godfather, Jaws, The African Queen, and Citizen Kane from a mythical perspective. Draws heavily on the themes laid out by Christopher Vogler (see above).

Wade, Nicholas. The New York Times Book of Archeology. Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press, 2001. Collected articles from the newspaper's Science Times section record some of the major recent discoveries in archaeology.

Warner, Marina. Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary New York: Vintage, 1983. A scholarly but accessible account of the changing historical perspectives given to the mother of Jesus, including the influence of ancient mythical characters on the image of Mary, especially in the early Christian period.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

Sometimes it is difficult to comprehend that this Don't Know Much About series started nearly twenty years ago with the simple idea about writing a book about something I loved-American history. It has grown into a series of books for adults and children that has exceeded my wildest imaginings. That could only have happened with the hard work, support, and determination of a large supporting cast. A great many people have been part of the long journey I have been on, and I wish to thank and recognize some of them for their unique contributions to making my work possible.

I start with a teacher somewhere out there who once read Homer's Odyssey to a group of fifth-graders in Mount Vernon, New York. To her, and the all the other teachers who inspire young minds every day in schools around America, I say thank you for doing what you do. It is the most important job in America, but is not usually seen that way. America owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the teachers who are so dedicated to the work of challenging young minds in difficult times.

For the past few years, it has been my great pleasure to work with an excellent group of committed, dedicated colleagues at HarperCollins, starting with Jane Friedman, who has been so supportive of my work. I would also like to especially thank Carrie Kania, Christine Boyd, Shaina Gopen, David Koral, Suzie Sisoler, Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich, Will Staehle, Susan Weinberg, Diane Burrowes, Patti Kelly, Leslie Cohen, my copyeditor, Olga Galvin Gardner, and my tireless publicist, Elly Weisenberg.

Most of all, I am deeply indebted to the pushing, prodding, and vision of my editor, Gail Winston. Her assistant, Katherine Hill, was also instrumental in making this book possible.

I have been fortunate to work with some of the nicest people in the book business at my longtime literary agency, the David Black Agency. I am not only lucky to have such hardworking, dedicated people on my team, I feel fortunate to consider all of them my friends: Jessica Candlin, Leigh Ann Eliseo, Linda Loewenthal, Gary Morris, Susan Raihofer, Jason Sacher, Joy Tutela, and the maestro, David Black.

Over the years, a great many other people have provided moral support, laughs, and the encouragement that make the work of writing bearable, and I am indebted to all of them for their friendship: Star Gibbs, Ellen Giusto, Jim and Esther Gray, Joyce Waldon, and Linda Louise Watson. I also thank the wonderful people at one of America's great independent bookstores, the Northshire, in Manchester Center, Vermont.

I would like to add a special note of gratitude to April Prince, who has been a friend and a great help in making these books, especially this one, in recent years.

My deepest and greatest gratitude must always go to my family. First, my mother, Evelyn Davis, who made those trips to the local public library such a significant part of my young life. Without anybody knowing it or predicting it, those regular visits to the temple-like Mount Vernon Public Library set me on the road to becoming a writer.

My children, Colin and Jenny, are my joy and inspiration, and they have had to put up with a father who was often distracted or preoccupied.

And, finally, I thank the young woman who once told a bookstore owner who was interviewing me for a job, "Hire the kid." That same woman later told me I should be writing books, not selling them. She was so smart, I married her. Thank you, Joann. More than I can ever say.

-DORSET, VERMONT May 2005.

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