WOMEN OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: A Biographical Dictionary...

WOMEN OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: A Biographical Dictionary by Robert E. Bell (Oxford University Press: $12.95; 462 pp.). Although Greco-Roman mythology has traditionally been presented as “tales of gods and heroes,” this clear, modern reference reveals the importance and diversity of the goddesses and heroines who also figure in these stories. Bell carefully organizes the confusing changes that occurred in individual myths over time, and lists the numerous entities that share a single name (there were seven Europas). These carefully documented entries provide a useful counter to half-baked New Age “goddess” evocations.