The Hero with a Thousand Faces: Commemorative Edition

497 Pages·2004·7.99 MB·English

by  Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell
COMMEMORATIVE EDITION
THE HERO WITH A
With an Introduction by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.
author of Women Who Run With the Wolves
THE HERO WITH A
THOUSAND FACES
Commemorative Edition, with an Introduction
by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.
Joseph Campbell's classic cross-
cultural study of the hero's journey
has inspired millions and opened up
new areas of research and exploration.
Originally published in 1949, the
book hit the New York Times best­
seller list in 1988 when it became the
subject of The Power of Myth, a PBS
television special. Now, this legend­
ary volume, re-released in honor of
the 100th anniversary of the author's
birth, promises to capture the imagi­
nation of a new generation of readers.
The first popular work to com­
bine the spiritual and psychological
insights of modern psychoanalysis
with the archetypes of world mythol­
ogy, the book creates a roadmap for
navigating the frustrating path of
contemporary life. Examining heroic
myths in the light of modern psychol­
ogy, it considers not only the patterns
and stages of mythology but also its
relevance to our lives today—and to
(continued on back flap)
I
the life of any person seeking a fully
realized existence.
Myth, according to Campbell, is the
projection of a culture's dreams onto
a large screen; Campbell's book, like
Star Wars, the film it helped inspire,
is an exploration of the big-picture
moments from the stage that is our
world. Offered for the first time with
beautifully restored illustrations and
a bibliography of cited works, it pro­
vides unparalleled insight into world,
mythology from diverse cultures. It is
a must-have resource for both experi­
enced students of mythology and the
explorer just beginning to approach
myth as a source of knowledge.
JOSEPH CAMPBELL (1904^1987) was
an inspiring teacher, popular lec­
turer and author, and the editor and
translator of many books on mythol­
ogy, including The Mythic Image
(Princeton/Bollingen Paperbacks).
CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTES is the au­
thor of the national bestseller Women
Who Run with the Wolves.
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A PRINCETON CLASSIC EDITION
THE HERO WITH A
THOUSAND FACES
"I have returned to no book more often since leaving college
than this one, and every time I discover new insight into the hu­
man journey. Every generation will find in Hero wisdom for the
ages." —BILL MOYERS, host of the PBS television series
NOW with BUI Moyen
"In the three decades since I discovered The Hero with a Thou­
sand Faces, it has continued to fascinate and inspire me. Joseph
Campbell peers through centuries and shows us that we are all
connected by a basic need to hear stories and understand our­
selves. As a book, it is wonderful to read; as illumination into the
human condition, it is a revelation.
—George Lucas, filmmaker, creator of Star Wan
"Campbell's words carry extraordinary weight, not ojjjv amo*£
scholars but among a wide range of other people who fiad h$*
search down mythological pathways relevant to their lives today*
... The book for which he is most famous, The Hero with a
Thousand Faces [is] a brilliant examination, through ancient
hero myths, of man's eternal struggle for identity."—TlrtK
Jacket design by Frank Mahood
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
B O L L I N G EN S E R I ES XVII

T HE H E RO W I TH A
T H O U S A ND F A C ES
JOSEPH CAMPBELL
BOLLINGEN SERIES XVII
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON AND OXFORD
Copyright © 2004 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540; original edition was copyright © 1949 by
Bollingen Foundation, and published by Pantheon Books; second
edition (with revisions) copyright © 1968 by Princeton University Press
All rights reserved
THIS VOLUME IS THE SEVENTEENTH IN A SERIES OF BOOKS
SPONSORED BY BOLLINGEN FOUNDATION
First Edition, 1949
Second Edition, 1968
Commemorative Edition, 2004
The Introduction to the 2004 edition is copyright © 2003 Clarissa Pinkola
Estes, Ph.D. All rights reserved
Library of Congress Control No. 2003066084
ISBN: 0-691-11924-4
This book has been composed in
Princeton University Press Digital Monticello
Printed on acid-free paper. »
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Printed in the United States of America
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TO MT FATHER AND MOTHER