Building on the best-selling tradition of previous editions, The World of Myth, Third Edition, offers a uniquely comprehensive collection of myths from numerous cultures around the globe. Featuring a thematic organization, it helps students understand world mythology as a metaphor for humanity's search for meaning in a complex world. Author David Leeming provides a sweeping anthology of myths, ranging from ancient Egypt and Greece to the Polynesian islands and modern science. Students will be captivated by stories of great floods from the ancient Babylonians, Hebrews, Chinese, and Mayans; tales of apocalypse from India, the Norse, Christianity, and modern science; and myths of the mother goddess from Native American Hopi culture and James Lovelock's Gaia. Leeming has culled myths from Aztec, Greek, African, Australian Aboriginal, Caribbean, Japanese, Muslim, Hittite, Celtic, Chinese, and Persian cultures, offering one of the most wide-ranging collections of what he calls the "collective dreams of humanity". "Leeming offers an amazing and extensive collection of mythology from around the world. This text will help students to understand the common themes and symbols used in myths, and also prepare them to become world citizens. There is no better exercise in critical thinking than to read another culture's mythology and compare it to one's own (or another culture's). If Joseph Campbell is correct when he says that 'We think mythically,' then Leeming's text excels at teaching its readers how to communicate with a diverse world."--Justin Stone, Valencia State College "The diversity of examples brought to each topic is wonderful. Including not only mythic but also scientific approaches to issues ranging from creation to the end of the world makes The World of Myth a delicious tasting plate of worldviews."--David Fletcher, Kendall College of Art and Design "As a lifelong aficionado of mythology, I am very impressed with how The World of Myth is comprehensive, compelling, and easy to read. As an English professor of world literature, Leeming contextualizes mythology in such a way that my students will not have a problem understanding how myths are still relevant to today's various world cultures."--Devona Mallory, Albany State University "One of the best things about this text is that it is not focused exclusively on ancient Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern myths. Its inclusion of Native North/South/Central American and Asian myths makes it especially compelling for a course that is truly intended to be a global exploration of ancient myth."--Sara Craft, Florida State University The best-selling anthology of world mythology, updated and revised in a new edition David Leeming is Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut. He is the author or editor of numerous books on world mythology, including The Oxford Companion to World Mythology (2005).