/lit/ - Literature

>>8298734
Yes, I understand now. Sorry about the confusion. I don't know of a text that looks at the whole history of myth-inspired works (or indeed if such a list would fit in one book) up to modern times.
Graves includes all the Greek myths (almost literally), with excellent listing of primary sources and variants. It's very readable, but (as I said) his personal fanciful theories about story origins, based on the dubious idea of a pan-European mother-goddess cult age, need to be taken with a grain of salt. Edith Hamilton is a decent entry-level text, and even Daulaire's picture book is surprisingly accurate and informative. I would start with those, and then grab primary texts as desired.

>>8274854
I know, anon. Once you're fully aware of the loss, it haunts your dreams forever, like the library of Alexandria.

>>8263015
I have a pair of little battered paperbacks of Graves, and use them all the time, but the Folio Society copies would probably go untouched if I had them. That's the problem with showy editions, and why, despite my love of nice bindings, I tend to buy paperbacks for any straight prose book (well, that and cost/space considerations).

>>8154255
I have an old little hardcover edition I prefer, but yes, my Langland needs updating. I get a lot of books for free through the publishers and universities.

>>6823348
Heh. Both my suggestions are already here (Hamilton to start, then Graves for reference/detail). Good work, /lit/. Remember not to trust Graves' interpretations, though. He's a poet.

>>6817868
Yep, if I have a heavily worn book, it's because I bought it (or got it free) in that condition. I try to be gentle with them, and I don't write in them (my mother was a librarian). Here's a pile of my Greek/Roman myth-related books.