Handbook of Inca Mythology (Handbooks of World Mythology) by Paul R. Steele

Another entry in ABC-CLIO's Handbooks of World Mythology series, with an introduction and overview followed by an A-Z "Encyclopedia of Mythic Narratives, Themes, and Concepts." Despite a note on orthography–modern spellings versus older spellings–both varieties are used within articles (e.g., Tiahuanaco and Tiwanaku), not always consistently. Andean myths, rather than exclusively Inca myths, are included, since the Incas co-opted the mythology of conquered peoples into their own. The nearly 70 encyclopedia entries mostly cover individual gods, demons, and heroes, but there are also entries for Coca, Colors, Felines, Mountains, and other topics that are an important part of Andean tradition.

Illustrations include black-and-white photographs and reproductions of title pages of early printed books and manuscripts. Each article has cross-references and readings. There are an annotated list of print and nonprint resources and a separate bibliography as well as a glossary and a separate pronunciation guide and index. The index does not include both older and modern spellings.

This work would probably be most useful in academic libraries with Andean studies or folklore and mythology collections. Larger public libraries with extensive folklore and mythology collections may also want to consider it. The Handbooks of World Mythology series also includes titles on Arab, Celtic, classical, Egyptian, Hindu, Japanese, Mesoamerican, Native American, Norse, and Polynesian mythology. Kathleen Stipek

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