Nonfiction
The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends Is Out NOW!
As I’ve mentioned in a couple of previous blog posts, I recently wrote a nonfiction book called The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends. Why am I mentioning this? And why am I mentioning this TODAY of all days? Because The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends came out TODAY from Quarto Publishing Group’s Wellfleet Press imprint. In this book, I retell a variety of classic myths and legends from all over the world, presenting a truly diverse mélange of powerful, resonant stories about gods, monsters, heroes, and villains. But the whole “retelling” thing? That’s only part of this book. The other part is an analysis of how these ancient tales have influenced and informed modern-day pop culture.
Hey! Want to read a glowing review of the book? Sure you do!
Here are some pictures from the “Epic Myths and Legends” panel I moderated at the San Diego Comic Con back in July. The panel was so much fun! It was a great way to promote the book, and it also gave me a wonderful excuse to hang out with some of my fellow writer friends (aka the panelists)!
And here’s the official publisher description of the book:
In this unique exploration of world mythology, discover how ancient tales across cultures have influenced today’s pop culture, from Beyoncé to Game of Thrones.
Fun and engaging, The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends details the influences of classical stories on contemporary popular culture. Without these myths, passed down through the generations over three millennia, many of the stories we enjoy in our current media wouldn’t exist!
Along with colorful illustrations and graphics, author Arie Kaplan makes unexpected connections in our everyday lives. Are you wearing Nike shoes? The company is named after the Greek goddess of victory. Big on astronomy? Most of the planets in our solar system, like Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars, are named after members of the Roman pantheon. Kaplan takes you on a deep dive into mythology from around the world and shows that Superman and Achilles are connected, Frankenstein and Prometheus were cut from the same cloth, and how an Egyptian sun god has inspired video games, the musical stage, and the silver screen.
The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends deftly combines history and modern pop culture to enrich your experience of both worlds. This captivating book covers:
- Not only the Greek Pantheon but mythology from cultures from all around the world, from West African mythology to Egyptian, Roman, Incan, Celtic, Indian, Zoroastrian, Norse, Japanese, Chinese, and British myths, to name a few.
- Unexpected correlations between things we see in our everyday lives and mythology, like Beyoncé’s use of imagery of the Yoruba water goddess Osun, the Marvel Universe and Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin, and Superman’s conception through Hercules, King Arthur, and Moses.
- Fascinating sidebars that break down legendary lore such as unicorns, the Tooth Fairy, and Stonehenge, as well as examinations of mythic masters who have expertly woven these timeless tales into pop culture like Neil Gaiman and George Lucas.
- A deep dive into the fascinating folklore from all around the world, and how we all are connected, no matter how far apart we might be.
With countless Easter eggs revealed throughout, The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends is an exciting way to learn about ancient mythology. You may think you know what
inspired The Hunger Games or Percy Jackson, but now you can truly discover the source of these modern tales.
The Wonderpedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy illustrated references on a range of intriguing topics, including archeological discoveries, world mythology, pop culture, global superstitions, and the fascinating stories behind signs and symbols. A cross-cultural exploration of what makes humans tick, this series magnifies the connective threads between us across time and geography and demystifies the surprising, confounding sides of life.
You can order the book on the Quarto site if you click HERE.
And you can order it on Amazon if you click HERE.
So How Was Comic Con, Arie?
I went to the San Diego Comic Con last week. How was it? Pretty good. Here are a few things that happened:
On Thursday July 25th, I went to a mixer for animation writers organized by Charlotte Fullerton. It took place at Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop just a few blocks away from the convention center. I hadn’t seen Charlotte since the last time I was at SDCC, back in 2019. So it was great catching up with her, and with various other folks. Saw some old friends, made some new ones, had a ton of ice cream.
The following day, on Friday July 26th, I had lunch with fellow author Stacia Deutsch. Stacia and I both belong to an organization called the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, or IAMTW for short. After lunch, we went to the IAMTW’s Comic Con panel, which started at 2pm. Stacia was one of the panelists, and the panel doubled as the ceremony for the Scribe Awards, which are given out each year by the IAMTW. The Scribe Awards acknowledge and celebrate excellence in licensed tie-in works based on TV shows, movies, and games (video games, computer games, RPGs). It was a great panel, and even though I wasn’t one of the panelists, the panelists pulled me up on stage with them after the event to take a couple of pictures, because I am a member of the IAMTW.
In this first photo, you can see (from left to right) Scott Sigler, Chris Ryall, Jonathan Maberry, David Avallone, Stacia Deutsch, Deborah Daughetee, Jennifer Brody, and me.
In the second photo, you can see (clockwise from left to right): Me, Jesse J Holland, Stacia Deutsch, and Scott Sigler.
Although Jesse is also a member of the IAMTW, he was not on the Scribes panel. But he WAS on the panel I moderated at 7pm that very same day. This was the “Epic Myths and Legends” panel, which I put together to help promote my upcoming nonfiction book The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends. Aside from Jesse, the panelists were Mark Hoffmeier and Jonita Davis. During the hour-long panel, the four of us discussed the connection between ancient mythology and modern pop culture, a subject which is examined at length in my forthcoming book.
The panel went really well! There was a good-sized crowd, and the panelists were amazing. It was – wait, what do optimistic people say when they talk about how they enjoy something? Oh yes, that’s right: “Fun.” It was fun. The panel was fun.
Now, two days after the “Epic Myths” panel, I was also supposed to be a panelist on another panel discussion called “Neurotic Superheroes Across the Multiverses.” But my immune system had other plans, because early in the morning on Saturday July 27th, I tested positive for COVID. At this point, you’re no doubt saying to yourself “Oh, no!” To which I counter: “Oh, yes!” Because of my new – um – status quo, I had to skip the last two days of Comic Con, which obviously also entailed bowing out of the “Neurotic Superheroes” panel.
So now I’m at home in NYC, recuperating. And honestly, even though I was only there for the first 60% of the Con, I had a really nice time. That probably has something to do with the fact that I tried to pace myself this time around and not get too overcommitted with too many meetings and too many parties and too much hectic stuff in general. It probably also has to do with the fact that I tried to spend as much time as possible with my wife Nadine and daughter Aviya. But – you know – don’t tell them I said that. It would go against my hard-won reputation as a god-tier buzzkill. And I fear that my loved ones would reject the newer, sunnier, me.
I’m in Publishers Weekly!
Okay, I probably should’ve blogged about this a while ago, because it happened a while ago. But better late than never, right? Anyway, on April 25th, Publishers Weekly ran an article by Shannon Maughan called “Children’s Publishers Embrace The Taylor Swift Factor.” As you might imagine, it was about the recent wave of children’s nonfiction titles about Taylor Swift. Now, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I wrote a book called 96 Facts About Taylor Swift, which was published by Penguin Random House in September of 2023. It was the inaugural title in a series of middle grade celebrity biographies I’ve been working on for quite some time, called the “96 Facts” series. Was my Taylor Swift book mentioned in this Publishers Weekly article? Yes. Yes, it was. And just in case you don’t have a subscription to Publishers Weekly and therefore cannot read the article, here’s what Shannon had to say about my book:
“Trivia and activity books are in the mix, too. A lead title in this pack is 96 Facts About Taylor Swift by Arie Kaplan, illustrated by Risa Rodil, which was released by Grosset & Dunlap last September, as part of its middle grade 96 Facts About… series highlighting figures in the entertainment world. In addition to biographical information and quizzes, the book contains extra pages with writing prompts inviting readers to share their thoughts on such themes as ‘The Soundtrack of Your Life’ and ‘Overcoming Your Fear.’ The book has sold 95,000 copies so far this year in outlets reporting to BookScan.”
Pretty cool, eh?
And if you DO have a subscription, here’s the whole “Children’s Publishers Embrace…” article.
And just yesterday, I found this other PW article which mentions one of my upcoming “96 Facts” books. The article is called “The On-Sale Calendar: November 2024 Children’s Books,” and the
book it mentions is 96 Facts About MrBeast, which comes out on November 5, 2024. It’s a list of upcoming children’s books, so my book is just briefly name-checked. Again, if you’re shut out by the paywall, here’s the part where my book is referenced:
“96 Facts About MrBeast by Arie Kaplan, illus. by Risa Rodil (Grosset & Dunlap, $6.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-593-88899-5). 50,000 copies.”
See? Brief. Just like I told you it’d be. Not complaining, BTW. Just a statement of fact. Honestly, I’m just happy to be part of the conversation in articles like this.
And in case you DO have a PW subscription, here’s the whole “On-Sale Calendar” article.
Just FYI, 96 Facts About Taylor Swift and 96 Facts About MrBeast are both illustrated by the incomparable Risa Rodil.
If you’d like to see the cover art – and other pertinent info – for my other “96 Facts” books, click HERE.
And if you’d like to see some info on all of the books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (so far), click HERE.