The Oracle

Micropedia: World Mythology. 1999

A great place as a starter for exploring mythology, and the mythological stories from around the world. This innocuous work covers every area of the world to some degree. Easy to navigate and nicely illustrated, it’s my first port of call in beginning research into the gods and goddesses of varying pantheons.

It's great to dip in and out of, and because it's style is so easy, it gives a good handle on what can sometimes prove to be difficult concepts.
The book is split into geographical locations. It gives the main facts - the accepted knowledge about a mythological story / deity, backed up with pictures of relevant artifacts or places. It is a bare bones book though, a starting point.