Recommended Reading

Mythology, Comparative Religion

The Battle for God, A History of Fundamentalism, Karen Armstrong. Ballantine/Random House, 2000.
Twentieth-century fundamentalism “is a reaction against the scientific and secular culture that first appeared in the West, but which has since taken root in other parts of the world.” And the reason to study it? “It is no good pretending that the fundamentalist threat does not exist, or dismissing fundamentalism with secularist disdain as the preoccupation of a few deluded crazy people. History shows that attempts to suppress fundamentalism simply make it more extreme.” See The Chalice and the Blade, in Politics, Culture & History.

The Flight of the Wild Gander, Explorations in the Mythological Dimensions of Fairy Tales, Legends and Symbols, Joseph Campbell. HarperPerennial, 1990.
One of Campbell’s most accessible books, which contains extremely useful descriptions of what happens to reality if one insists on taking religious metaphors as historical facts. (For instance, if the actual, physical body of Jesus started to ascend toward “heaven” 2000 years ago, even if it went at the speed of light, which is not possible for a physical body, he would still not be out of our galaxy.) The title refers to the wild ganders that often figured as totem spirits for Shamans in Northern tribes and as symbols of enlightenment in India. Campbell, like Neumann below, felt that at this point in human evolution each person has to become their own shaman, has to learn to follow the flight of their own wild gander, in order to soar.

The Golden Ass, Apuleius. Translated by Robert Graves, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1979.
Written in the second century CE, this is one of the funniest, bawdiest books you will ever read. It also contains the most famous version of one of the oldest animal husband stories, Cupid and Psyche.

The Great Mother, Erich Neumann, translated by Ralph Manheim. Bollingen Series, Princeton, 1991.
The archetype whose influence—for good and for evil— none of us can escape, described in detail as it appears from the earliest dawn of human culture down to the present time, with hundreds of pictures of artwork from all over the world. If you get bored with Neumann’s pedantry, you can just look at the pictures.

The Great Transformation, The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions, Karen Armstrong. Anchor Books, Random House, 2006.
From about 900 to 200 BCE (what German philosopher Carl Jaspers called the “Axial Age”), four traditions that continue to shape world thought were born: monotheism in Israel, Confucianism and Daoism in China, Hinduism and Buddhism in India, and philosophical rationalism in Greece. Armstrong beautifully and thoroughly describes each of these developments, and makes it clear that only a return to the core insight of all four traditions—treat others as you wish to be treated—can provide a way forward for humanity.

The Greek Myths, Robert Graves. Penguin Books, 1996.
Introduction by Kenneth McLeish, illustrations by Grahame Baker. This is a beautifully illustrated hard cover edition of Graves’ 1955 classic. Everything you ever wanted to—OK, OK, more than you ever wanted to—know about Greek myths, with Graves’ analysis after each major grouping. Whether or not you always agree with his conclusions, it’s a valuable reference and a fascinating read.

The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell. Bollingen Series, Princeton, 1973.
An absolute classic. The book that put Joseph Campbell on the map. I will always remember when my son, who was in high school at the time, looked up from reading this book to say, “Wow. This is awesome! Joseph Campbell must’ve studied for years to put all this together, and now all I hafta do is read this one book!” Exactly.

A History of God, The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Karen Armstrong. Ballantine/Random House, 1993.
This is a history of monotheism, from Babylon to the present—how these religions came into being, and how they influenced and shaped one another. It’s an eminently readable book absolutely crammed with well-documented historical information. Now that’s hard to do.

The Masks of God: Volume I, Primitive Mythology; Volume II, Oriental Mythology; Volume III, Occidental Mythology; Volume IV, Creative Mythology; Joseph Campbell. Penguin Books, 1976.
I have to put these books in here, because they’re incredibly important to me. I also have to warn you that it took me a year—yes, that’s right, one whole year—to read and study them to my own satisfaction. In other words, these books are not casual reading. Campbell was a spiritual historian, and in these books he’s giving us the whole spiritual history of humanity as accurately as it could be given at the time he wrote the books. They’re difficult, and they refer to about 50 other books that you’ll have to read to keep up, but they’re absolutely worth the effort for anyone curious about the history and the future of the human spirit.

Myths to Live By, Joseph Campbell. Penguin Compass, 1972.
This book contains 12 essays derived from 25 different lectures originally given at the Cooper Union Forum in New York. The results are inspiring, informative comparisons of the world’s major religions. What’s the difference between Mahayana Buddhism and Zen Buddhism? Why do so many world myths feature virgin births? What are those chakra things? etc. Find out by reading this book.

The Origins and History of Consciousness, Erich Neumann. Bollingen Series, Princeton University Press, 1954.
This is a dated book and difficult to read, but it has an interesting and well-developed premise: that myths and religions evolved the way they did in response to humanity’s emerging consciousness, which is still emerging.

The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, Edited by Betty Sue Flowers. Doubleday, 1988.
If you only get one book by Joseph Campbell, this should be it. (No! Reflections on the Art of Living! No! Myths To Live By! Oh, shoot. Just get several.) And make sure you get the illustrated edition of this one. It contains the entire, now famous dialogue between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell that regularly appears on public television at fund-raising time. Moyers’ questions slow Campbell’s brain down enough for the rest of us to keep up, and the stunning illustrations on every page make it a visual delight.

Reflections on the Art of Living, A Joseph Campbell Companion, Selected and edited by Diane K. Osbon. HarperPerennial, 1991.
My absolute favorite. A book to open at random anytime you need comfort or inspiration, compiled from excerpts of a month-long seminar JC taught at Esalen Institute. “Every moment is utterly unique and will not be continued in eternity. This fact gives life its poignancy and should concentrate your attention on what you are experiencing now. I think that’s washed out a bit by the notion that everyone will be happy later in heaven. You had better be happy here, now. You’d better experience the eternal here and now.”

back to top...