Age of Fable

Myths represent everything that's magical and unlikely - and yet we cannot but admire their underlying wisdom. Ever since they sprung up, man has delighted in analyzing, telling and retelling these stories, which we now see as an inextricable part of our civilization. However, and maybe because it so-well mirrors our own nature, mythology is as self-contradictory as it is timeless. Not surprisingly, those contradictions have turned the subject into another academic battleground. This could be the reason why Bullfinch's version of the myths stills stands out a century and a half after it was written: amidst a sea of dry scholarly works, it is easily the most charming and inviting compendium of mythology available.