Philosophy · Similar reads

Books like The Power of Myth

The best books like The Power of Myth are The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Myths to Live By, and The Sacred and the Profane. The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell is about mythology, meaning, religion. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.

  1. The Hero with a Thousand Faces
    The Hero with a Thousand Faces

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    The Hero with a Thousand Faces

    Joseph Campbell · Philosophy

    The Hero with a Thousand Faces, first published in 1949, is Joseph Campbell's account of the monomyth — his term for the single underlying story structure that, he argues, appears across the world's mythologies, folk tales, and religious narratives.

    Both dig into mythology.

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  2. Myths to Live By
    Myths to Live By

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    Myths to Live By

    Joseph Campbell · Philosophy

    Myths to Live By collects a series of lectures Joseph Campbell delivered at Cooper Union in New York City between 1958 and 1971.

    Shares mythology and religion with The Power of Myth.

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  3. The Sacred and the Profane
    The Sacred and the Profane

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    The Sacred and the Profane

    Mircea Eliade · Philosophy

    The Sacred and the Profane is Mircea Eliade's most accessible introduction to his life's central argument: that religious experience is a distinct mode of being in the world, irreducible to sociology, economics, psychology, or any other secular explanatory framework.

    Both dig into religion.

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  1. Man's Search for Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning

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    Man's Search for Meaning

    Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology

    Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.

    Both dig into meaning.

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  2. The Varieties of Religious Experience
    The Varieties of Religious Experience

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    The Varieties of Religious Experience

    William James · Religion & Spirituality

    The Varieties of Religious Experience originated as the Gifford Lectures delivered at Edinburgh in 1901–1902 and immediately became one of the most celebrated works in the study of religion.

    A kindred philosophy read.

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  3. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
    A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

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    A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

    George Saunders · Philosophy

    A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is George Saunders's account of the graduate fiction workshop he has taught at Syracuse for over twenty years, organized around seven stories by Tolstoy, Chekhov, Turgenev, and Gogol.

    Shares meaning and storytelling with The Power of Myth.

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  4. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
    21 Lessons for the 21st Century

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    21 Lessons for the 21st Century

    Yuval Noah Harari · Philosophy

    Where Sapiens traced humanity's past and Homo Deus speculated about its future, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century plants itself in the present.

    Both dig into meaning.

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  5. Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living
    Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living

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    Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living

    Krista Tippett · Philosophy

    Becoming Wise draws on Krista Tippett's decades of conversation with scientists, poets, theologians, activists, and philosophers through her radio program On Being.

    Both dig into meaning.

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  6. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
    Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

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    Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

    Daniel C. Dennett · Philosophy

    Breaking the Spell is Daniel Dennett's case that religion is a natural phenomenon — one that can and should be studied using the methods of evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and anthropology.

    Both dig into religion.

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  7. Finite and Infinite Games
    Finite and Infinite Games

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    Finite and Infinite Games

    James P. Carse · Philosophy

    Finite and Infinite Games is James Carse's 1986 philosophical meditation on two fundamentally different ways of engaging with the world.

    Both dig into storytelling.

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  8. Ikigai
    Ikigai

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    Ikigai

    Héctor García · Philosophy

    Ikigai is a short, accessible book by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles that explores the Japanese concept of a reason for being — the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

    Both dig into meaning.

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  9. Letter to a Christian Nation
    Letter to a Christian Nation

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    Letter to a Christian Nation

    Sam Harris · Philosophy

    Letter to a Christian Nation is a short, blunt book written in direct address to American Christians.

    Both dig into religion.

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Books like The Power of Myth: quick answers

What are the best books like The Power of Myth?

The best books like The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell are The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell, The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Power of Myth, such as mythology, meaning, religion.

What should I read after The Power of Myth?

A natural next read after The Power of Myth is The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Both dig into mythology. Other strong choices are Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell, The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

What books are similar to The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell?

The Power of Myth centers on mythology, meaning, religion. Books with a similar feel include The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell, The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.

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