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If you are studying Norse Mythology, this is the best place to look. It's simply the best book on the subject.
I do not know how this compares to other editions. In the interest of full disclosure, I am well-educated in a number of fields, but not in Norse Mythology.I enjoyed this book a great deal. I do not know how complete or incomplete it is. It read well, the footnotes were very helpful. The tales are great and for me, were a wonderful intro to a deeper knowledge of a mythology about which I knew very little.
This book was incredible. Snorri manages to construe every story with such eloquence and subtle humor is amazing.
One of the most important texts available for the study of Icelandic culture and mythology.
Be forewarned when purchasing this edition of the Prose Edda; while it is attractive and reasonably priced, it contains a mutilated Skáldskaparmál and Háttatal, so you're only getting a small part of the Prose Edda. Skáldskaparmál in particular is loaded with unique information about the gods and lore that you don't find elsewhere - very important for a heathen, or, really, anyone interested in the subject. In brief, you're missing 3/4ths of the Prose Edda here.Otherwise, you do get a very readable and uncensored (well, as uncensored as Snorri gets) translation of the introduction and Gylfaginning, conveniently titled and sorted chapters, a could-be-better and simplistic but accurate little map showing the nine worlds/Yggdrasil, and some of the figures associated with the cosmology of it, a suitable introduction, acceptable footnotes, some family charts, and a map of the Nordic countries (and what would become the UK).Before you get this, know that an edition that is just as good (if not better) that includes Skáldskaparmál and Háttatal is available to you for the same price. It's Anthony Faulkes' translation of the Prose Edda (which he has unfortunately just entitled EDDA - a regrettable decision given the advent of the search engine).You can find it here:Edda (Everyman's Library)
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