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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 133
EAN: 9780586085714
ISBN: 0586085718
Label: Fontana Press
Manufacturer: Fontana Press
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: September 13, 1993
Publisher: Fontana Press
Studio: Fontana Press

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• see more

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.com Review:
Originally written by Campbell in the '40s-- in his pre-Bill Moyers days -- and famous as George Lucas' inspiration for "Star Wars," this book will likewise inspire any writer or reader in its well considered assertion that while all stories have already been told, this is *not* a bad thing, since the *retelling* is still necessary. And while our own life's journey must always be ended alone, the travel is undertaken in the company not only of immediate loved ones and primal passion, but of the heroes and heroines -- and myth-cycles -- that have preceded us.

Product Description:
A study of heroism in the myths of the world - an exploration of all the elements common to the great stories that have helped people make sense of their lives from the earliest times. It takes in Greek Apollo, Maori and Jewish rites, the Buddha, Wotan, and the bothers Grimm's Frog-King.




Rating: - A Jungian Classic
This was Campbell's first great book, published in 1949 (the same year, coincidentally, as Jean Gebser's "Ever Present Origin," Mircea Eliade's "Myth of the Eternal Return" and Erich Neumann's "Origins and History of Consciousness").

Campbell had already edited Heinrich Zimmer's "The King and the Corpse," a book which now reads in retrospect like a rehearsal for "Hero," since in that book Zimmer recounts a series of myths from Indian and Arthurian and Arabic lore. But whereas in this ... Read More

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Rating: - it's all been done before, or, life's rich pageant
Campbell takes us through the tragedies, comedies, adventures and redemption that form a common thread through human stories. The archetypes have universal patterns to their struggles, and I began to see a reflection of the paths of Odysseus or Buddha or Jesus in my own life.

Every life is a hero's journey, or can be if we choose to see it that way.

However, while Campbell is obviously deep and brilliant, he can also be a bit wordy and dry.

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Rating: - Hard Reading
This should be the most interesting book ever written - after all, it purports to summarize myths across cultures with a mononmyth theory as the unifying force. The problem is in the execution, and probably the underlying theory, which is certainly out-dated. Campbell writes poorly. He is hard NOT to put down. And so, alas, as with earlier editions, I could not even plod through this tome. It is useless to my understanding of the world.

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Rating: - Very Helpful
This book was very helpful in my own spiritual journey. It's worth all the time you'll spend reading it.

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Rating: - A journey blending modern psychology with comparative mythology
The Collector's Edition of this keepsake represents a fine presentation of a classic first released in 1949. THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES is a journey blending modern psychology with comparative mythology, and this edition offers new audiences a fine hardcover packed with black and white illustration and detail.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

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