What an embarrassing piece of work. Berens litters most of the retellings of the myths and legends with his over-arching commentary on how each mythological tale and archetype is essentially the work of a "savage", "crude" or "unrefined" civilization. ( )

Characters: Hermes, Apollo, and Zeus
Setting: heavens
Theme: Forgiveness
Genre: Greek myth
Summary: Within a few days of Hermes birth he runs off and steals his brother Apollo’s cows. He then finds a tortoise shell and turns it into a lyre. When his brother found out he took his cows and ate one he was angry! His father, Zeus stops Apollo from harming Hermes. Hermes gives Apollo his lyre.
Audience: Beginners
Curriculum ties: Greek history and myths
Personal Response: This is a simple myth that incorporates Greek Gods and the basis of other myths. A little more detail would have been nice but it was intended for beginning readers. ( )

Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome is a good book for those interested in Greek or Roman mythology. E.M. Bernes thoroughly details each Greek and Roman god, goddess, hero, demi-god and creature. ( )

A pretty average overview of Greek and Roman deities, and the occasional legend. It's not encyclopedic, by any means, nor quite anecdotal enough for leisure reading, but it does create a nice framework for anyone looking to get a general overview of Greco-Roman religious structure. It's also considerably dated, with some pretty tight-lipped primness at times, but that's to be expected from the time it was written in. ( )