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Barbara C. Sproul
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Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World Kindle Edition

by Barbara C. Sproul (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 152 ratings
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A comprehensive collection of creation stories ranging across widely varying times and cultures, including Ancient Egyptian, African, and Native American.

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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0060675011
  2. Publisher
    HarperOne
  3. Publication date
    April 30, 2013
  4. Language
    English
  5. File size
    4.3 MB
  6. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A landmark book" -- Maurice Friedman, author of "Touchstones of Reality""An Anthology devoted to myths of creation has long been needed and the selection in this volume is first-rate..." -- "Parabola""Any extensive exploration of mythology will reveal how incredibly heterogeneous Human culture is. I know of no book that shows this better than Barbara Sproul's "Primal Myths." -- "San Francisco Chronicle's Whole Earth Catalog"

From the Publisher

A comprehensive collection of creation stories ranging across widely varying times and cultures, including Ancient Egyptian, African, and Native American.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BEFNX9U
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperOne (April 30, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 30, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 386 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0060675012
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

About the author

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Barbara C. Sproul

Barbara C. Sproul

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
152 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the myths in the book interesting and informative. They describe it as a light beach read with stories from various walks of life. However, opinions differ on the scholarly content - some find it readable and useful for mythology classes, while others feel it lacks depth on different cultures.

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MythsReadabilityScholarly content
20 customers mention "Myths"18 positive2 negative

Customers find the myths in the book interesting. They say the stories from different walks of life are intriguing, and the book provides insights into various cultures and religions. The myths provide a glimpse into future cultures and provide valuable information about the societies that created them. Readers appreciate the profound analysis of the earliest mythological sources and find the African stories most interesting.

"...book is right in between, the stories read like they are meant to: interesting and entertaining and at the same time loaded with information..." Read more

"...The African stories are the most interesting because of their view of humanity. Human beings are just no good!..." Read more

"This is a fairly large, but by no mean exhaustive, collection of creation myths from around the world...." Read more

"This work is a must for anyone seeking greater knowledge about cultures, stories, and myths around the globe, and how we’re all interconnected." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and light.

"This is a good book for the basics. An easy read." Read more

"...These myths foreshadow the cultures to come. Scholarly and readable." Read more

"This is a light "beach read"...." Read more

8 customers mention "Scholarly content"5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the content. Some find it scholarly and interesting for mythology classes, offering a resolution to the science versus religion debate. Others feel it lacks depth on different cultures and provides little explanation of the stories.

"...It also addresses, and offers a resolution to, the science versus religion debate: science deals with "facts", religion with "values"..." Read more

"I dearly love the study of religion. I love learning the different myths or stories about the different cultures, and there are many!..." Read more

"...No personal views, no explanations and simplifying of the stories. I found it hard to keep up with the creation myths of my own country...." Read more

"...This was a required book for a Mythology class I took, and I enjoyed reading how other cultures traditionally explained creation...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • C. Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars best of its kind
    Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I have read a few books of this type, and although it's not my favorite overall mythology collection, for creation mythology specifically it can't be beat. I used it for an anthropology paper comparing creation myths from around the world and bought this just to for the paper but will definitely be holding on to it. The translation and presentation strikes the fine line that most books miss, most are either too focused on making the myth exiting and readable, or too focused on giving just the facts and the story becomes too boring. This book is right in between, the stories read like they are meant to: interesting and entertaining and at the same time loaded with information specific to the society who created them. the only thing I wish it had were some pictures, but overall I was very happy with my buy.
    26 people found this helpful
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  • Cristina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative
    Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I've read a few reviews before my purchase and they said about this book that it's dry. Honestly, it was very straightforward and super informative.
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  • I
    5.0 out of 5 stars very good
    Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    perfect condition
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  • Robert Humphrey
    4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommened
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a fairly large, but by no mean exhaustive, collection of creation myths from around the world. In some cases, one could quibble about the translation Sproul has chosen, but they should be accessible to everyone. The Introduction is particularly good in dispelling some of the "myths" about myth and warning about the dangers of taking myths literally. It also addresses, and offers a resolution to, the science versus religion debate: science deals with "facts", religion with "values" or "attitudes" towards those facts. This Introduction could well serve as the introductory reading for a variety of Religious Studies courses, especially those dealing with texts. My only wish is that the book itself were designed a little more attractively. Some illustrations might have helped.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Laura Crockett
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I am a professional storyteller and teacher of history. The stories in this book are fascinating. I've learned 6 new stories to tell in my class on World History. The African stories are the most interesting because of their view of humanity. Human beings are just no good! And the gods left us, we did not leave them. The universal story here is that god or gods created the universe and us. Cannot get way from that, the Divine. Those who deny god are in the minority, NOT the majority.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Angelina Spencer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
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    This work is a must for anyone seeking greater knowledge about cultures, stories, and myths around the globe, and how we’re all interconnected.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lynn Houchins
    3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I dearly love the study of religion. I love learning the different myths or stories about the different cultures, and there are many! This book has very interesting stories from all walks of life and it has a small commentary at the beginning. What would have made it more interesting to me is to have these stories annotated at the end after the reading. They are told in a manner that the ordinary reader would find it boring or difficult to find their meaning or teachings. I would have benefitted greatly to have finished the story and discover some clever notes about where humanity fits into this story or was creation strictly for the entertainment of the gods.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Ralph E. Curtis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Basic for Reading of Myths
    Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a profound analysis of the earliest mythological interpretation of the world around our ancient ancestors, what they saw and how they saw and understood it, which was the foundation of human psychology into the modern era.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Marie Devantier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
    Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Nice global perspectives, but not the most animated stories. Has good conversation questions at the end of each.
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