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The Hero with a Thousand Faces: The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Joseph Campbell (Author), Arthur Morey (Narrator), John Lee (Narrator),
4.7 out of 5 stars 6,774 ratings

Since its release in 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces has influenced millions of readers by combining the insights of modern psychology with Joseph Campbell's revolutionary understanding of comparative mythology. In this book, Campbell outlines the Hero's Journey, a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world's mythic traditions. He also explores the Cosmogonic Cycle, the mythic pattern of world creation and destruction.

As relevant today as when it was first published, The Hero with a Thousand Faces continues to find new audiences in fields ranging from religion and anthropology to literature and film studies. The book has also profoundly influenced creative artists - including authors, songwriters, game designers, and filmmakers - and continues to inspire all those interested in the inherent human need to tell stories.

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  1. Listening Length
    14 hours and 37 minutes
  2. Author
    Joseph Campbell
  3. Narrator
    Arthur Morey, see all
  4. Audible release date
    February 3, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Brilliance Audio
  7. ASIN
    B01BFBXOM8
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

Product details

Listening Length 14 hours and 37 minutes
Author Joseph Campbell
Narrator Arthur Morey, John Lee, Susan Denaker
Audible.com Release Date February 03, 2016
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01BFBXOM8
Best Sellers Rank #2,143 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#3 in Popular Psychology Psychoanalysis
#11 in Psychology Audiobooks on Psychotherapy
#18 in Social Psychology

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4.7 out of 5 stars
6,774 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a fascinating and rewarding read, particularly valuable for aspiring writers, with one noting it's well worth the investment of time and study. Moreover, they appreciate its comprehensive exploration of mythology through compelling excerpts from folk tales, and its straightforward approach to character development. However, the book receives mixed feedback regarding its density, with several customers describing it as extremely dense.

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333 customers mention "Readability"241 positive92 negative

Customers find the book fascinating and brilliant, particularly noting it as a must-read for aspiring writers. One customer mentions it is well worth the investment of time and study.

"...In this seminal work of comparative mythology, renowned author and professor of literature Joseph Campbell points to the universal motifs pervading..." Read more

"...Although it’s by no means an easy read, it is well worth the investment of time and study if you want to learn the expanded definition of a hero..." Read more

"...of getting a good read, this book acts a great basis for writers, illustrators, and other narrative professions to use as a kind of springboard from..." Read more

"...Finally, Campbell's introductory chapter is beautifully written and poetic, as he describes how these myths can illuminate and illustrate our own..." Read more

150 customers mention "Insight"129 positive21 negative

Customers find the book insightful and informative, describing it as a phenomenal piece of research, with one customer noting its well-researched philosophical background.

"...It contains a lot of good information." Read more

"...More importantly, however, Campbell reveals with profound depth of insight why these diverse stories can be so convincingly compounded...." Read more

"...scope of material at hand, Campbell offers readers a well-curated overview of various traditional depictions of the quintessential hero...." Read more

"...The book contains endnotes, footnotes, an index and a bibliography divided in four parts: his main bibliography, editions of sacred texts he cited,..." Read more

114 customers mention "Mythology"92 positive22 negative

Customers appreciate the book's exploration of mythology, noting it contains compelling excerpts from folk tales and provides perceptive insights into stories. One customer mentions it explains almost all fiction ever written, while another notes it pairs well with The Power of Myth.

"...on this book is as follows: If you’re a student of religion, mythology or philosophy, or if you are a writer (whether of music, poetry, or fiction),..." Read more

"...This text is a must-read for those interested in mythology, folklore, and cultural anthropology." Read more

"...explored is the monomyth of the hero’s journey: such a compelling outline of popular tales throughout the ages that it has inspired modern stories..." Read more

"...In this “composite adventure,” as he calls it, the author relates “the tales of a number of the world’s symbolic carriers of the destiny of Everyman...." Read more

18 customers mention "Author style"15 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the author's straightforward writing style, with one customer noting it is carefully prepared by a knowledgeable editor, while others find it very complex.

"..."The Hero with a Thousand Faces," is written in a very straightforward and scholarly style...." Read more

"...This new edition has been carefully prepared by a knowledgeable editor and includes a rich biography...." Read more

"...The hardback is worth the price, effort, and wait time (hard backs do not, unfortunately arrive in your kindle or kindle app within a minute or two)...." Read more

"...I have not finished it yet, but so far is incredible. Very complex, you must have at least a background in psychology, antropology, mythology and..." Read more

18 customers mention "Value for money"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great value, with one mentioning it's worth all the time invested.

"...That fact is worth the price of the book alone...." Read more

"It was written in throughout but no big deal for the price. I can read it and now I have a copy of a classic!" Read more

"...If you are a writer, then this is a must have. The hardback is worth the price, effort, and wait time..." Read more

"...times, and gaining that new perspective alone has been worth the price of the book." Read more

15 customers mention "Character development"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's character development, particularly how it explores different heroes and their psychology, and serves as a great tool for character creation.

"...Famously, he determines specific characteristics about the hero and his or her journey, hence the term (coined by Campbell) familiar to readers and..." Read more

"The book is good and full of examples of heros with a thousand faces...." Read more

"...There's even information on the stories of religious heroes in here...." Read more

"...It has been mentioned that this can help with character development in writing. I couldn't read it...." Read more

9 customers mention "Density"0 positive9 negative

Customers find the book extremely dense.

"...It is dense and not for those lacking in perseverance, but such a treasure trove of material is packed into one book...." Read more

"A bit too dense and discursive for me...." Read more

"...A true work of genius! It is definitely academic and dense so I had to take in in in digestible chunks, but it is a book I will be returning to..." Read more

"It is dense as most of his work is. It needs to be read when you can concentrate and digest is messages." Read more

Perfect
5 out of 5 stars
Perfect
I ordered this book for a mythology class and it arrived pretty quickly. Personally, it’s a difficult book for me to fully understand. I need to be really focused and reread it a few times to kind of get it so there’s that. But it’s definitely interesting.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Peter M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Look at life differently
    Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2025
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    One of the best
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  • Jeremy David Stevens
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Karate Kid and The Hero with a Thousand Faces
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    All the way back in 1949, Joseph Campbell wrote a book titled The Hero With a Thousand Faces. The book contains hundreds of examples of stories from a wide range of mythology, including those from Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Native American, and Greek (and countless other) canons.

    Campbell identifies similarities in style as well as structure between the great adventure stories/mythologies throughout human history. Famously, he determines specific characteristics about the hero and his or her journey, hence the term (coined by Campbell) familiar to readers and writers alike, The Hero’s Journey. In effect, there is a very specific set of rules governing what makes a great story. And just in case I wasn’t certain of the extent of Campbell’s research, the book contains over forty pages of endnotes and other references. The man put in the research time.

    Reading The Hero With a Thousand Faces came at the perfect time for me. I’d heard of it and seen it recommended to me on Amazon for quite some time, but I never took the time to actually read it. Actually, I “Wikipedia’d” it a few times, but that was the extent of that. But in finally reading the book, Campbell has helped me understand much better some of the ideas that I’ve been working out in my weekly “Books of the Bible” review posts. If you’ve read any of my recent Bible book reviews, you’ll immediately recognize that Campbell has already clearly written what I’m still trying to figure out for myself. For example:

    “For the symbols of mythology are not manufactured; they cannot be ordered, invented or permanently suppressed. They are spontaneous productions of the psyche…”

    Powerful stuff.

    Here are the rules governing the first great stage of the adventure story (some of it is paraphrased in my own words):

    The Call to Adventure
    Initial Refusal to Heed the Call
    Supernatural Aid/Mentor/“Old Man” (Old man is a direct quote from Campbell.)
    Crossing the First Threshold
    Belly of the Whale (The Point When the Hero’s Death/Ultimate Failure seems Certain)

    Truly, Exodus would have been the perfect story to compare with Campbell’s ruleset, but I just wrote a review of Exodus last week, so I wanted to do something different. The Karate Kid might just might be the most perfect modern example of them all (and one of my favorite movies). So I thought it might be interesting to see just how closely the writers of this movie follow Campbell’s rules.

    Young New Jersey native Daniel is called to the great land of adventure (California) by his mother. He hates it there (his initial macro-reluctance to heed the call) and would like nothing more than to move back home. The only saving grace (besides a pretty girl) is a mentor (Mr. Myagi) that he meets when he arrives. After getting into some trouble with the local bullies, Daniel’s mentor signs him up for a karate tournament. Daniel is mortified and has no faith in his ability to survive a karate tournament like that (Micro-reluctance to Heed the Call), “I cannot believe… what you got me into back there!”

    But Daniel does as his mentor says and enters the tournament anyway (Crossing the First Threshold), where he manages to make it to the semifinals, further than he ever dreamed, before even hitting a snag. When he gets there, young bully Bobby cheats in a most despicable manner, kicking Daniel directly in the knee, damaging Daniel’s body seemingly beyond repair (into the Belly of the Whale, i.e., Daniel’s ultimate defeat seems certain). But just as soon as all hope is lost, Daniel’s mentor heals his leg through supernatural methods and Daniel comes back to win the tournament, his dignity, and the girl. Indeed, it’s a Hero’s Journey almost worthy of Moses.

    Note: There are other rules and further stages to the story that I haven’t included in this short review, but it seems to me that these are certainly the essential components to the modern story. Maybe some other time, I can write about the further stages and which stories they apply to (Lord of the Rings comes to mind).

    My final say on this book is as follows: If you’re a student of religion, mythology or philosophy, or if you are a writer (whether of music, poetry, or fiction), read this book. It contains a lot of good information.
    271 people found this helpful
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  • RDD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for Cultural Historians
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    In his 1949 book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” literary scholar and cultural anthropologist Joseph Campbell outlines his theory of the monomyth through a comparative study of world mythology and folklore using psychological and anthropological methods. In his original preface, Campbell writes, “There are of course differences between the numerous mythologies and religions of mankind, but this is a book about the similarities; and once these are understood the differences will be found to be much less great than is popularly (and politically) supposed” (pg. xiii). He hoped that such a study would help those seeking to support unification and “human mutual understanding” in the immediate postwar and early Cold War years.

    Describing the role of mythology in societies across time, Campbell writes, “It has always been the prime function of mythology and rite to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward, in counteraction to those constant human fantasies that tend to tie it back” (pg. 7). He continues, “The archetypes to be discovered and assimilated are precisely those that have inspired, throughout the annals of human culture, the basic images of ritual, mythology, and vision” (pg. 14). Laying out the structure of the monomyth – and the hero’s journey – Campbell writes, “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man” (pg. 23). Campbell continues, “There will be found astonishingly little variation in the morphology of the adventure, the character roles involved, the victories gained. If one or another of the basic elements of the archetypal pattern is omitted from a given fairy tale, legend, ritual, or myth, it is bound to be somehow or other implied – and the omission itself can speak volumes for the history and pathology of the example” (pg. 30). In addition to summarizing elements of mythology and folklore from throughout the world, Campbell draws upon Freud, Jung, and psychoanalysis in his examination of the tropes common to the hero’s journey. Though these theories no longer play a large role in contemporary psychology, English and literature scholars continue to draw upon them even now.

    Even those unfamiliar with “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” will find the text familiar. Campbell’s work has influenced several storytellers from the mid-twentieth century onward, with George Lucas as the most notable. According to journalist Bill Moyers, Joseph Campbell said that “the best student he ever had was George Lucas.” Elements of the monomyth run through “Star Wars” for those looking at the story structure. This text is a must-read for those interested in mythology, folklore, and cultural anthropology.
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • N
    5.0 out of 5 stars great book
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on November 7, 2024
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    awesome
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  • Bernardo
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in Spain on July 8, 2023
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    A must read. I recommend it as a storyteller and as a person who enjoys reading.
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  • V-rock
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in India on January 28, 2024
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    As all his works, this was just as brilliant a read as his Power Of Myth series
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  • Lau♡
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente producto 👍🏼
    Reviewed in Mexico on December 1, 2024
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    Excelente producto 👍🏼
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  • Marc John
    5.0 out of 5 stars A work of pure genius!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2006
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    The key to understanding this classic book, and getting the most from it, is to realise that it's actually all about YOU. Campbell wrote it for YOU. Just think about the title for a start. YOU are the hero and your hero's journey is all about finding your inner life, your divine spark, and being engulfed and re-born out of it. This is what all the world's great hero myths were really talking about, symbolically, and Campbell brilliantly draws together the universal themes and parallels running through all the world's mystical and religious traditions, all of which were concerned (when understood metaphorically instead of literally) with this marvellous "death and resurrection" of the human psyche - from human animal to divine incarnation. It's a heroic deed which we all have the potential to achieve, and this book vibrantly and beautifully recollects many anicent stories that have drawn Mankind's imagination toward this very real transformation, through the use of the oldest and best means at our disposal - symbolic storytelling. This book is not just for the student or teacher of mythology or comparative religion, it's for everyone on the spiritual path. In fact, this book speaks directly to you wherever you are right now in life, whether on that path or not. Simply brilliant, and possibly the most important book of the 20th century. Even the full five star rating is not enough!
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