Kindle
$9.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$22.49
Paperback
$27.34
Buy new:
$27.34
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: DeSa Books USA
$27.34
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$27.34 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$27.34
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
DeSa Books USA
Sold by
DeSa Books USA
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.94
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. See less
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$27.34 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$27.34
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Joseph Campbell
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Oriental Mythology (The Masks of God) Paperback – November 1, 1991

by Joseph Campbell (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 174 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$27.34","priceAmount":27.34,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"27","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"34","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"KRFcmMpBbxfqbRAoe1lFOb7DLkQBDaFa82Cr91Bc5Dy8FVGoKmRN7kqtzJe90kNyWDB2ucHW3vnvLqSAs1DF85kcgAfwe712XKNIZDegMEmiNtJocVomeOpsYCgYEA%2Bo5H6%2F9Hbe7by7cBMpMP9n900wvOYZ7AmRqS3wy%2BgbJyU1K0QpIsd9BVXztG9%2FSktr","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.94","priceAmount":7.94,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"94","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"KRFcmMpBbxfqbRAoe1lFOb7DLkQBDaFaNTlHgma0ZqEiNPn6tpK2fuOpA1CMzDUhtBZBDbmqhtRHbMJrWiZn7FJXdi8oAKGDCZ%2BEeDnmfoMUe6OjAEAl%2B6mb8TmAqa75csxP8B%2F8t%2FPFckaso6%2Bt1G9LzwJ1JvETxQqJ%2F%2B5ad96tCG%2FT7RHQk0to2uhW55TJ","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

An exploration of Eastern mythology as it developed into the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China, and Japan.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 4
    The Masks of God™
  2. Print length
    576 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  5. Publication date
    November 1, 1991
  6. Dimensions
    5.75 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0140194428
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0140194425
  9. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Oriental Mythology (The Masks of God)
$27.34
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by DeSa Books USA and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
The Masks of God, Vol. 4: Creative Mythology
$18.14
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Primitive Mythology (The Masks of God)
$28.34
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by The BAP Goods and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is impossible to read this startling and entertaining book without an enlarged sense of total human possibility and an increased receptivity—'open-endedness' as Thomas Mann called it—to the still living past."
—Robert Gorham Davis

About the Author

Joseph Campbell was interested in mythology since his childhood in New York, when he read books about American Indians, frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History, and was fascinated by the museum's collection of totem poles. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Columbia in 1925 and 1927 and went on to study medieval French and Sanskrit at the universities of Paris and Munich. After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 1940s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The many books by Professor Campbell include The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Myths to Live By, The Flight of the Wild Gander, and The Mythic Image. He edited The Portable Arabian Nights, The Portable Jung, and other works. He died in 1987.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Cover Torn edition (November 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140194428
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140194425
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 174 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) was an American author and teacher best known for his work in the field of comparative mythology. He was born in New York City in 1904, and from early childhood he became interested in mythology. He loved to read books about American Indian cultures, and frequently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where he was fascinated by the museum's collection of totem poles. 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.

After a period in California, where he encountered John Steinbeck and the biologist Ed Ricketts, he taught at the Canterbury School, and then, in 1934, joined the literature department at Sarah Lawrence College, a post he retained for many years. During the 40s and '50s, he helped Swami Nikhilananda to translate the Upanishads and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. He also edited works by the German scholar Heinrich Zimmer on Indian art, myths, and philosophy. In 1944, with Henry Morton Robinson, Campbell published A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake. His first original work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, came out in 1949 and was immediately well received; in time, it became acclaimed as a classic. In this study of the "myth of the hero," Campbell asserted that there is a single pattern of heroic journey and that all cultures share this essential pattern in their various heroic myths. In his book he also outlined the basic conditions, stages, and results of the archetypal hero's journey.

Throughout his life, he traveled extensively and wrote prolifically, authoring many books, including the four-volume series The Masks of God, Myths to Live By, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space and The Historical Atlas of World Mythology. Joseph Campbell died in 1987. In 1988, a series of television interviews with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, introduced Campbell's views to millions of people.

For more on Joseph Campbell and his work, visit the web site of Joseph Campbell Foundation at JCF.org.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
174 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gabriela Bottiglieri
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
Excelente libro, profundo y esclarecedor. A very enlightening book. People interested in religions must read this book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lucy Mcoosie
5.0 out of 5 stars Inform your world, discover hidden meaning
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
Campbell never disappoints. After a read your world suddenly becomes more understandable, more meaningful.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
NoName
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical study of mythology is interesting and informative not entertaining ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
Historical study of mythology is interesting and informative not entertaining unless you are into ancient cultures and learning about the roots of religions.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Andrei Nikonov
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
It is a must-have book for all who is interested in history of art, religion, folklore.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
Joseph Campbell is brilliant.
Helpful
 Report
Colleen Kingsley
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good reading!
Helpful
 Report
METIN GUNDUZ
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Very good
Helpful
 Report
dmiguer
3.0 out of 5 stars Masks of Men
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
Joseph Campbell was never considered on the cutting edge of scholarship. Popular in the late 1980's for his PBS special with Bill Moyers 'The Power of Myth', he's been criticized for his generalist appeal, and lack of a specialized approach. Ditching a PhD pursuit at Columbia U. in 1929, he spent five years during the Great Depression in a shack in Woodstock reading sixteen hours a day. Campbell was friends with John Steinbeck and Heinrich Zimmer, completing the latter's posthumous works on Indian art and philosophy. He lived in a Greenwich Village apartment with his wife for fifty years, teaching literature at a liberal arts college.

Campbell's contributions were in the arenas of comparitive mythology and religion, and the idea that all myths are variations of the same story, 'the Hero's Journey'. He incorporated aspects of Freud and Jung into his understanding of the subconscious symbology within myths. His theory on the evolution of myth spanned primitive animal spirit worship, mother goddess cults, astrological priesthoods and modern romantic idealism. He saw Thomas Mann and James Joyce embodying the artist as makers of contemporary myth. His often repeated phrase 'follow your bliss' was meant to convey a connection with an inner spirit.

The Masks of God is a lengthy exposition of Campbell's ideas on mythology and religion, from west to east. Primal beliefs in human sacrifice and reincarnation are superseded by the battle of good over evil and imperatives for heathen conversion. The western and masculine forces of Zoroastrianism and the Abrahamic religions are seen as subverting earlier eastern worship of feminine fertility. Ancient Egyptian and Hindu polytheism are swept away by monotheism and non-dualistic Hinduism. In the far east, Confucian moral philosophy and Taoist magic are challenged by Buddhism imported over Silk Road trade routes.

Campbell's widely discursive style is sometimes entertaining, and otherwise trying. If you are familiar with the people and places he bounces between, it may be a stimulating montage of history and religion. If not, it will likely be disconcerting. Published in 1963, the research and sources are from the mid-20th century and earlier, and seem quite dated. Reading quotes from Mortimer Wheeler on archaeology, or Heinrich Zimmer on Indology are fun from a historical standpoint, but should be augmented with more recent interpretations. These shortcomings are partly mitigated by Campbell's keen perception and wit.
16 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Jaci Vanderkooi
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in Canada on November 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
🖤 Excellent 🤍 As Described
Report
Jonny Mar
4.0 out of 5 stars Muito interessante
Reviewed in Brazil on June 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
O estilo da escrita é um pouco prolixo, mas isso não tira o mérito do conteúdo, que é interessantíssimo. A versão para Kindle tem muitos erros de digitação, que, apesar de não impedir a leitura, trava um pouco a fluidez.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Tariki
5.0 out of 5 stars Constantly engrossing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a truly excellent exploration of its subject. The clarity of exposition demonstrates Joseph Campbell's grasp of his subject. Illuminating.

I have to add that it is truly a pity that this Kindle edition is plagued by numerous typo's that grate and irritate throughout. Sometimes the sense of a passage is lost. It really is time that the publishers paid more attention to their electronic editions. However, I really do not wish to take any stars away given the book's excellence.
Report
Snigdha
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on October 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
good book.
Report
Siva Rama Krishna Kalepu
3.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary concept with low standard quality
Reviewed in India on July 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
I've heard a lot of praises for this book and the concept.
It indeed is a great read, BUT the Quality of the Paper doesn't seem so good. It is a bit better than a pirated copy that's it.
taking the Quality of the Paper and the Print at some pages, this book is not worth the price. 600/- is too much for a paperback of this substandard quality
One person found this helpful
 Report