"The Masks of God: Oriental Mythology and Occidental Mythology", by Joseph Campbell, published by Penguin Books, 1976.

Soft covers [a little wear]; 5" x 7.3/4"; 561 + 564 pages including indexes, very good condition.

"Oriental Mythology" investigates Asian mythology as it developed over the course of five thousand years into the distinctive religions of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, and Japan.

"Occidental Mythology" traces the mythological underpinnings of Western religions: the shift from female-centered to male-dominated mythologies. Campbell shows how "the mythologies of the goddess mother were radically transformed, reinterpreted, and in large measure even suppressed by those suddenly intrusive patriarchal warrior tribesmen whose traditions have come down to us chiefly in the Old and New Testaments and in the myths of Greece." He goes on to describe the mythological underpinnings of Western religions -- Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism -- and their historical influence on one another. No one who cares about history, mythology, religion, or past or current events in Western civilization can do without this venerable yet perennially fresh analysis.

Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. Campbell was educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in medieval literature, and continued his studies at universities in Paris and Munich. While abroad he was influenced by the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, the novels of James Joyce and Thomas Mann, and the psychological studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These encounters led to Campbell's theory that all myths and epics are linked in the human psyche, and that they are cultural manifestations of the universal need to explain social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.

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Canada: Priority (c.7-14 days) -- $32.50
World: Priority (c.10-30 days) --- $45.50