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Laura
Registered User
(1/31/01 9:33:40 pm)
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Asian mythology book to discuss
As my interlibrary loans start pouring in, I've come across a couple of frustrations. The one I'm looking at right now is _Asian Mythology: Myths and Legends of China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia_ by Rachel Storm (2000, 96 pages). It seems to be reprinted as part of _Encyclopedia of Eastern Mythology_ by Rachel Storm (1999, 256 pages). Through my favorite book search engine, I can get the bigger book for only about $5-$10 more than the smaller, much less than the retail difference.
ANYWAY, :-) the point is this. I really like the small book -- it's a fairly decent reference with a nice chronology and index. The big selling point to me, though, is its abundance of lovely and varied full-color art -- nearly all of which I've never seen before. I was about to get the larger edition when my advising professor gently informed me that the book isn't particularly high quality (meaning the quality of binding, printing, paper, and such, I suppose). I hadn't noticed, but I figured this was as good a place as I could think of to ask for opinions. Do any of you have a favorite broad-based reference work in this area (preferably with lots of pretty color pictures ;->)? Everyone hear likely buys books so often that perhaps one of you has some advice for something of a novice?
Thanks for the input!
Laura
| Midori
Unregistered User
(2/1/01 5:20:40 am)
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books
Laura,
Some of the best art books alas have lousy bindings--I suppose it's part of the trade off of reproducing expensive art images and keeping the cost down by going cheaper on the bindings. But I do have a book I really love (and it has survived two kids pouring over it for years) called "Japanese Ghosts and Demons; Art of the Supernatural" edited by Stephen Addiss, published by George Braziller, 1985. It is a paperback (largish trade size) for about $20.00. It's only Japanese, (not generally Asian) but the art is glorious and its full of pretty pictures (and very cool gory ones!) and very useful text.
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