Canongate's The Myths books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Canongate's The Myths series?"

"There are 21 books in the Canongate's The Myths series, published between 2004 and 2013."

Q: "What is the first book in the Canongate's The Myths series?"

"The first book in the Canongate's The Myths series is A Short History of Myth, published in 2004."

Q: "Do the books in the Canongate Myths series connect to each other?"

"No. Each book is written by a different author retelling a different myth, so they stand completely alone. You can read them in any order and skip the ones that don't interest you."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	A Short History of Myth	2004	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
2	The Myths	2005	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
3	Lion’s Honey: The Myth of Samson	2005	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
4	The Penelopiad	2005	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
5	The Helmet of Horror: The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur	2005	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
6	Weight	2005	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
7	Lion’s Honey	2005	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
8	The Helmet of Horror	2005	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
9	Where Three Roads Meet	2005	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
10	Dream Angus	2006	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
11	Anna In w grobowcach świata	2006	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
12	Baba Yaga Laid an Egg	2007	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
13	Binu and the Great Wall	2006	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
14	The Goddess Chronicle	2013	Natsuo Kirino	Buy
15	Where Three Roads Meet: The Myth of Oedipus	2005	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
16	O Conto da Deusa	2008	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
17	Orphans of Eldorado	2008	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
18	The Hurricane Party	2007	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
19	The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ	2009	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
20	Ragnarök	2011	Natsuo Kirino	N/A
21	The Song of King Gesar	2013	Natsuo Kirino	N/A

The series launched in 2004 with a straightforward idea: ask major literary figures to take a myth and do something new with it. The results vary considerably in tone. Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad reimagines the Odyssey through Penelope’s eyes with wry, feminist wit. Philip Pullman’s The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ reworks the gospels with characteristic provocation. A.S. Byatt’s Ragnarok is a more meditative engagement with Norse mythology.

What holds the series together is the quality of the contributors rather than any shared approach. Jeanette Winterson’s Weight takes on Atlas and Heracles. Natsuo Kirino contributes The Goddess Chronicle, drawing on Japanese creation myth. With twenty-one volumes published between 2004 and 2013, the series gave readers a way into mythology through authors they already knew and trusted.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Canongate's The Myths series?

There are 21 books in the Canongate’s The Myths series, published between 2004 and 2013.

What is the first book in the Canongate's The Myths series?

The first book in the Canongate’s The Myths series is A Short History of Myth, published in 2004.

Do the books in the Canongate Myths series connect to each other?

No. Each book is written by a different author retelling a different myth, so they stand completely alone. You can read them in any order and skip the ones that don’t interest you.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order