Star Wars: The Magic of Myth (Star Wars)

Book Description

Star Wars(r)TM has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions and millions of people like no other story of our time. This official companion volume to the landmark exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum explores the mythological roots of the Star Wars saga, a story that will continue to unfold into the next millenium.

Written by the exhibit's curator and illustrated with hundreds of photographs, drawings and images, Star Wars(r): The Magic of Myth illuminates this modern tale of the ageless and mythic battle of good versus evil.

Customer Reviews:

The Need for Myth.......2007-07-06

Ms Henderson has taken from many, many sources to present a succinct analysis of myths from the past, works by many scholars, and today's world in order to show the need for all of us to have myths in our lives. Beginning with George Lucas' journey to creating Star Wars, moving into the cultural milieu in which the films were made to the that which the audiences brought and continue to bring, the author gives us the "reasons" for the motivation and then success of the 3 and later 6 movies done by Lucas. The book is well-illustrated with scenes from the movies, storyboards of its development, and art representing other myths, stories and legends of many cultures and times. A fantastic book for anyone looking for the core ideas of Lucas and his greatest work.

great book.......2007-02-17

If you enjoy any of the books by Joseph Campbell and are a Star Wars fan, then this is the book for you. It covers everything from Greek mythology and Zen Buddhism to the Cowboy archetype and the uniforms of World War 2. Most of the artwork is incredible (many pics from the "Art of Star Wars" books), and there are tons of detailed photos from the Smithsonian tour, which I was lucky enough to catch at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts many years ago. I only wish they had waited a few years until the entire Prequel Trilogy was completed before they published this book!

A wonderful book..........2006-07-31

Within this book I would say this incredible look into the mix of Mythology, History and Star Wars that I have ever seen. A great companion Book to the "Magic of Myth" exhibit.. and it would make a great companion book to the Joesph Campbell books "The Hero with a Thousand faces and "The Power of Myth."

Basically giving the impression of the origin of the Star Wars Films. How Lucas was influenced with all these ideas and made the films what they are today. How timeless the story really has been. Also available is some of the pre production artwork from the Classic Trilogy.

recommended!!.......2004-07-22

Excellent book with amazing pics of the props and unusual images from the movies from the OT. Fantastic!!

Great resource, fun read for SW enthusiasts........2001-04-05

If you've been lucky enough to see "The Magic of Myth" in one of its many permutations, this book is a great supplement to and a wonderful reminder of just how cool that exhibit was. If you haven't seen the exhibit, this book is still great to have for it's back-story on the origins of the trilogy.

I'm not the most well-read person around so it was a lot of fun to learn how Lucas' characters and story were shaped by (or copied from) myths and legends of other times and cultures. Reading this book has led me to explore some of the material that Lucas borrowed from in creating Star Wars. I'm a big SW nut, but it's nice to get my head out of the SW universe and out into other forms of art and literature.

If you don't feel like reading, this book is also full of GREAT photos from the trilogy.

Amazon.com

Luke Skywalker equals Roland, Ben Kenobi equals Merlin, and the Death Star is the minotaur's labyrinth. Without a doubt, George Lucas owes much of the phenomenal success and gut-level resonance of his Star Wars series to a deft use of myth and universal archetypes. Fans of Joseph Campbell (and anyone else who's spent more than two shakes analyzing Lucas's Wookiee-subtle use of symbolism) won't find more than superficial insights in Star Wars: The Power of Myth, but by all means, don't let that keep you from the fun. Kids--and anyone who loves to analyze the similarities between Stormtrooper armor and 15th-century Gothic battle gear--will quickly find themselves engrossed in this picture-heavy survey of intergalactic mythology (despite maybe a bit too much emphasis on Western legends and, even less forgivable, The Phantom Menace).

Under headings like "Sacrifice and Betrayal," "Descent to the Underworld," and "Reconciliation with the Father," screen shots and detailed diagrams from the SW flicks (many recycled from previous DK books) share space alongside classical illustrations and neat-o closeups of lightsabers and blasters. Some connections come across seamlessly (we all knew Yoda was a Zen Buddhist), while others border on the sketchy (what does a Naboo N-1 fighter have to do with Odin's eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, anyway?). But DK's usual slick packaging and clean presentation makes up for any faults, making this a more than reasonable--and likely even educational--acquisition for young fans. --Paul Hughes

Book Description

Explore the myths behind your favorite characters in Star Wars and Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Every civilization on Earth has told mythic stories to answer life's big questions. Star Wars: The Power of Myth is a photographically illustrated guide to one of the greatest mythical adventures of the modern age: George Lucas's Star Wars saga. This book charts Luke Skywalker's "hero's journey" from his humble origins to the fulfillment of his quest to become a Jedi Knight, and looks at the rich traditions of world mythology that inspired the Star Wars stories.

Customer Reviews:

Star Wars Mythos for Children.......2007-07-13

I found the book useful teaching tool for introducing children (ages 3-11) to the characters and their mythic roles in the Star Wars saga. The book has great illustrations which correlate visually the similarity between historical and legendary heroes from history and myth. It helps draw the parallels between myth/history/and contemporary popular fiction.

Excellent for teaching about the heroic journey and Star Wars.......2006-12-01

I used this book in a class called "The Heroic Journey" - this provided my students with an excellent, simple yet useful set of concepts to begin to understand how they can apply Joseph Campbell's discussion of The Hero to the Star Wars trilogy. I was grateful to find something so simple, visually appealing, and well-structured that I could easily adapt to interactive lesson plans.

Great Book for kids and adults alike..........2001-09-06

The great thing about this book it that it's fun to read. It has a lot of pics about legends that are somehow similar to the events depicted on Star Wars. If you are a fan of the Star Wars films, or just a fan of mithology, you will love this book.

It's a great gift for children who are beginning to read, and are somehow familiar with Star Wars.

A book in which parallel lines DO intersect.........2000-07-12

This thin, colorful book is a trifle formula, yet despite this it reads itself very well (i.e., hard to put down). Its streamlined, "pure protein" format also make it a likely candidate for multiple, enjoyable perusals...

It's brief, it's light reading, and it's fun...

As Roger Ebert rightly observes, a large part of the SW appeal is its visual richness. The book captures and conveys this well: nicely choreographed presentations of lovely color illustrations illuminated by succinct descriptions of mythological parallels.

It is well-known that George Lucas wisely modelled his universe on the work of Joseph Campbell, (note title). The recurrent mythological themes in SW are sufficiently presented to make this book a nice gift for anyone interested in either subject, child or adult.

Recommended.

Complicated Star war myths explained for everyone.......2000-04-01

This book is besides a nice Star wars picture gallery alsoasplendid popular analysis of the Star Wars myths and legends. Theepisodes and various elements of the movies are compared with episodes in world history, the bible and Greek mythology ect. Luke Skywalker is paralleled with Wilhelm Tell, King Arthur and so on. Lukes companions and enemies and dominating themes as his relationship towards his father Darth Vader, treason, self-sacrifice and heroic deeds are compared with well-known existing myths and legends. World historical events is also clearly felt in the spacefighting (Second World War - Battle of Britain) and the pod racing in Episode One (Ancient Rome - Ben Hur in Circus Maximus). The Jedi-philosophy has many element from the Zenbudhism and the Imperial Storm Troopers are in many ways like medieval armoured knights. The book is nicely illustrated with lots of pictures from the movies. It will appeal strongly to children from 12 years and every Star wars-fan up 99 years. Star wars. The power of Myth will be a great help in guiding you through the rather complicated personal relationships and myths in the Star Wars universe of the four movies. Rasmus of 14 said to me: "Now I suddenly realize how everything works in the four movies and how they are linked together." I can clearly recommend this book to every Star wars-fan.

Star Wars: The Magic of Myth (Star Wars.)

Average customer rating:

A real gem
A unique insight into a marvelous saga
I CANNOT RECCOMEND THIS ENOUGH
THE TRUE NATURE OF THE FORCE
A Pleasure To Read

Star Wars: The Magic of Myth (Star Wars.)
Mary Henderson
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0553102060
Release Date: 1997-11-03

Book Description

Star Wars(r) has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions and millions of people like no other story of our time. This official companion volume to the landmark exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum explores the mythological roots of the Star Wars saga, a story that will continue to unfold into the next millenium.

Written by the exhibit's curator and illustrated with hundreds of photographs, drawings and images, Star Wars(r): The Magic of Myth illuminates this modern tale of the ageless and mythic battle of good versus evil.

Customer Reviews:

A real gem.......2005-12-15

Yup . . . there's a good reason for why this book has a perfect rating thus far (at the time I write this). It's just a very very good book. Well written, insightful, colourful, compelling. The parallels it draws between the Star Wars universe and mythology are wonderful.

A unique insight into a marvelous saga.......2001-03-16

This book attempts to explain Star Wars in the context of patterns found throughout the mythology and legends of various cultures. The success of the film, the book claims, is due in no small part to the fact that the film's story is a composite of all the things that make mythical stories endure as myths.

To my suprise, however, I found the book to be an excellent commentary on mythology itself - the book is almost as informative in pointing out elements that repeat themselves in mythical stories - the concept of the "hero's journey" - with Luke being our hero - mystical forests as a place of healing (Degobah), etc, as it is in relating these elements to the story of Star Wars.

This book was written to accompany an exhibit of the same name at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC, and I was fortunate enough to see the exhibit on tour in San Diego last year. While the exhibit itself was amazing, and filled with various props and spaceship models used in the film, this book is actually more informative than the exhibit and stands exceedingly well on its own.

I love the Star Wars films, though I am certainly no hard-core Star Wars buff. I feel that just about anyone who, like me, loves these films will get a lot of enjoyment from this book.

I CANNOT RECCOMEND THIS ENOUGH.......1999-07-29

If you love star wars, and would love to see it analyzed seriously, but without being to heavy and dry, this is perfect for you. It discusses the correlations between myth and Star Wars, influences from around the world, etc. Its facinating, and beautifully laid out.

THE TRUE NATURE OF THE FORCE.......1999-03-31

I saw the exhibit in Washington, DC TWICE! It was so cool to see all the real space ships near this vision of another galaxy far, far away. The book is the perfect narrative to the exhibit and it is the ANSWER to not being able to get there if you live in another part of the world.

The images, text, and layout of this book take you on a journey like none before. A MUST HAVE BOOK to complete your collection of great STAR WARS merchandise.

A Pleasure To Read.......1998-10-19

I don't wish to repeat the words of others, but want to agree that it is an incredible book; that is not only fun to read as a Star Wars fan, but it is very informative and thought provoking. I truly learned a lot about mythology and its application in our world. Read it, and you will appreciate the genius of George Lucas.

Average customer rating:

dated writing style but a must for composers into fugues

An easy to understand presentation of a difficult subject

The Technique and Spirit of Fugue: An Historical Study
George Oldroyd
Manufacturer: Oxford Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0193173115

Customer Reviews:

dated writing style but a must for composers into fugues.......2005-10-28

Oldroyd's book has flowery language, a literary style that doesn't immediately endear itself to a modern reader. But if you can get through the stolid prose this is one of the most incredible, practical, and (ironically) straightforward books on writing fugues available.

While primarily focusing on Bach, and specifically on the C minor fugue from the first book of the Well-Tempered Klavier, Oldroyd lays out literally every feasible compositional and contrapuntal device a composer may employ in composing any part of a fugue. The occasion the book is specifically written to address is to help grad level music students learn how to compose fugues in a Baroque style for examination requirements so if you're interested in a hard-core and practical survey of fugue-writing this is a must-have.

An easy to understand presentation of a difficult subject.......1997-10-06

Anyone, student or Sunday composer (like myself) who has ever tried to understand the mysteries of one of music's most strict forms and has been thwarted by scholarly jargon filled tomes that can only be deciphered by college professors will appreciate Oldroyd's more practical approach. Each section of the fugue is presented as a whole and in detail so that a broad understanding of the material can be had before absorbing the details. There are many examples from JS Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier" to illustrate the common fugal practice as well as the many exceptions to the rules. Oldroyd is passionate about his subject and is able to transfer that passion to the reader. That makes the entire learning process a pleasurable experiance. The reader will look forward to every chapter and will no doubt be ready to compose his own fugue based on knowlege obtained from this book.

Customer Reviews:

Great Read from a Great Player !.......2005-05-07

I purchased this book because I was always a fan of Rick Barry, and I must say that his writing is just as impressive as his ball-handling. The trivia questions varied in difficuty, and my 15 year-old son and I spent a fun weekend playing the various "games." A great gift for Fathers' Day or any day you'd like to test your sports intellect !

Customer Reviews:

Great book, just takes a lot of time to read!.......2007-07-18

Great book. I got it thinking it'd relate mostly to candle charts. But it covers everything. The book is pretty confusing at first and takes awhile to get used to the author's writing style. He uses words that college business students should understand. It'll take you forever to read, if you want to learn what it has to offer, but it's well worth it. Just google the topics after reviewing to get a full understanding of what Pring offers. Well worth the $10 used price (got lucky!.

a must read for those who try to understand technical analysis.......2007-05-07

I have nothing to say more than what I said in the title , this book is essential for learning technical analysis , no wonder why it's included in most of the reading lists of the technical analysis certificates .

Major Layout Problems!.......2007-03-13

While the book is generally well organized and presents materials helpful to the beginning technical trader in simple terms with examples, visual organization of the book leaves the reader page flipping and frustrated. Rarely are the graphics or charts which are referred to in the text on the same or nearby page. I constantly find myself having to turn pages and search out which chart is being referenced, a very detracting exercise when trying to study technical analysis!

Good book.......2007-03-08

Goes through all the basics of trendlines etc, I really enjoy Pring's writing style and analogy's. This book alone won't turn you into a profitable trader, but will give you the core you need to seek out a good system and understand it.

Good reference; poorly edited.......2005-04-05

Though the book is detailed and fairly comprehensive, the poor editing mars the quality of the book. Even the acknowledgement page contains 4 typos. That is a certain embarrassment. It is difficult to overcome the initial impression of sloppy editing and the book seems to have been rushed to meet some deadlines.

If you can get past the editorial issues, the book is a good collection of almost any interesting technical indicator that is available. While this book cannot be a substitute for the classic book by Murphy on technical investing, it is still a good resource for any investor. Of specific interest to the reader who is already aware of the technical investing (and a Murphy fan), the sections on "psychological strategies" is an interesting read. Other than that the book presents information from a huge variety of sources that has anything to do with indicators and oscillators. If you want to invest in only 1 book on technical investing, the book by Murphy is a better bet, with its better organization, editing and use of examples. This book, however, is a welcome addition, and not necessarily a must-have.

Study Guide for Technical Analysis Explained : The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points

Average customer rating:

Decent Study Guide for Fans of the Main Hardcover
Excellent start on Technical Analysis

Study Guide for Technical Analysis Explained : The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points
Martin J. Pring
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071381929

Customer Reviews:

Decent Study Guide for Fans of the Main Hardcover.......2006-05-11

For those who enjoyed the "Technical Analysis Explained" by Pring, but want to know if they can recall some of the facts, this is a great accompaniment, whether for an examination or just for some fun. (For CMT and CFT Level 1, this book would not help much, as the exam questions do not cover much charting, despite assigning the main text book as core reading). The multiple choice style questions cover nearly all chapters. There are around 10 to 20 questions per chapter, which implies that one can finish the entire quiz book within a day. At $20, it is a bit on the expensive side, hence my low valuation.

Excellent start on Technical Analysis.......2005-12-19

Many of the reviewers for the hardback mentioned typos etc. I have the inexpensive International Edition (paperback) and didn't notice anything significant.

Anyhow, I found this book to be one of the best books on TA as it covers all the supporting theories of TA - not just the usual studies on momentum and price indicators.
It covers business-cycle theory & Dow theory, as well as some other wave theories towards the end.

Overall, the book's structure has been planned very well (and this is unusual for most books on TA). It aims to explain the relevance of technical analysis before taking you briefly into each topic. This helps place everything into perspective and avoids the reader from getting 'lost' in all the technicalities.
It can also help you understand the link between Fundamental Analysis and Technical Analysis.

Like all TA books, it won't give you the complete answer to the markets, but combine this with some other more detailed reference books and it will serve it's purpose.

Technical Analysis Explained: The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points

Average customer rating:

Excllent
good TA contents but mainly for long term investors
Look elsewhere
An essential book for your TA library
Beyond Candlesticks

Technical Analysis Explained: The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points
Martin J. Pring
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0070510423

Book Description

The No. 1 guide on technical analysis. Completely updated, revised, and reworked to integrate new developments in the financial markets over the last five years, Technical Analysis Explained details the most current and sophisticated investment tools and techniques that help private investors and experienced professionals alike understand, interpret, and predict major market moves. What's more, the third edition focuses on new and emerging opportunities beyond the stock market by applying technical analysis techniques to: international stock markets, gold, currencies, and commodities. Technical Analysis Explained arms readers with an arsenal of technical analysis tools to identify and interpret market cycles and select the best-performing investments. Inside, you will learn how to guage market swings and analyze the financial position of various investor groups. You will also gain hands-on knowledge of: Market indicators and indices Price indexes Market breadth Moving average Cycles Rates of change Various methods of volume measurement Technical Analysis Explained, third edition also provides three chapters on the interdependence of interest rates and the stock market, with a discussion of how the technical approach can be successfully used to identify trends in the bond and money markets. This unrivaled resource is packed with hundreds of illustrations to clarify key points and will enable you to identify the early changes that signal major market swings, make investment decisions with a greater degree of confidence, and avoid costly mistakes.

Customer Reviews:

Excllent.......2005-09-26

A brief but very comprehensive book on technical analysis. One of the best books I have read on the subject. Easy to read English.

good TA contents but mainly for long term investors.......2001-10-05

The authors did a good job to explain TA clearly to the readers. In term of depth and clarity, it is as good as John Murphy's classic. The interest rate is Pring's strong area. He took an economist views to use TA. This was not a bad thing. But most of the charts he used were weekly charts. The signals to noise ratio was very high. Every inicator could give very clear and good signals. But when you use the daily charts, it simply couldn't happen. You can use weekly charts to make decisions ONLY if you are a lone term investor. This book is certainly not for day traders.

Look elsewhere.......2001-07-30

Not sure where some of the reviewers' heads are, but for candlestick charting, this book has beginners patterns in it. For more in depth coverage, Steve Nison's books are best.

As far as the KST system goes, there are better.

This is a basic book at best in my opinion, and after the initial few chapters on charting basics, it continues into verbiage that to me isn't accepted consistently by seasoned traders or analysts.

My recommendation is John Murphy's book "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets".

An essential book for your TA library.......2001-06-08

What I particularly liked about this book was its practical application of using the many facets of TA to come up with a view on the market overall and then identify attractive sectors within it. Pring is quite momentum/rate of change oriented but his "Know Sure Thing" indicator is worth trying if you haven't already. Tying in other macro indicators such as interest rates into your investment decision is also very informative and helpful.

Beyond Candlesticks.......2000-10-31

This book is truly amazing, I have recently finished reading it and I am considering to buy his first book too. He explains each and every chart very thoroughly, although I think it would be better for someone to read his first book first, because some he has some references of a few patterns from his first book. For anyone who wants to learn about japanese technical analysis techniques, this book is a MUST.

Average customer rating:

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