Unless you're a fan of Gimbutas and Dumezil, don't bother. Go read Mallory's "In Search of the Indo-Europeans" instead. ( )

[b:Heaven, Heroes and Happiness: the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|405065|Heaven, Heroes and Happiness the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|Shan M.M. Winn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348892063s/405065.jpg|394416] is truly one of the best beginner level books on Indo-European culture/society I have encountered, have read to date; it is both informative and engaging, and is written in a readable, delightfully unacademic style. Highly recommended for both students and those with only a casual interest (case in point, I am no expert, and have never taken any official courses in Indo-European culture and linguistics, and I had not trouble whatsoever understanding and appreciating [b:Heaven, Heroes and Happiness: the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|405065|Heaven, Heroes and Happiness the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|Shan M.M. Winn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348892063s/405065.jpg|394416]).

Shan M. M. Winn has done a simply amazing job summarising the generally accepted views of Indo-European comparative mythology, archaeology, origins etc. He succinctly condenses both the theories of George Dumezil and Maria Gimbutas, while also critically reviewing the rather controversial theories of Colin Renfrew, who believes that instead of by armed conquest, the Indo-European expansion occurred more organically, with ancient, Proto-Indo-European speaking farmers slowly expanding from Anatolia (what is now Turkey). [b:Heaven, Heroes and Happiness: the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|405065|Heaven, Heroes and Happiness the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|Shan M.M. Winn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348892063s/405065.jpg|394416] is much more accessible than some of the more specialised works on comparative Indo-European mythology (such as [b:Comparative Mythology|1185801|Comparative Mythology|Jaan Puhvel|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349012491s/1185801.jpg|1173766] by [a:Jaan Puhvel|577727|Jaan Puhvel|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg], which is considered a standard and very interesting and informative, but has managed to defeat me ever time I have tried to read it, although I still hope to actually read the book in its entirety one day). On the other hand, [b:Heaven, Heroes and Happiness: the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|405065|Heaven, Heroes and Happiness the Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology|Shan M.M. Winn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348892063s/405065.jpg|394416] is also not to be considered as simplistic; it provides excellent, academically sound explanations and discussions, but the information contained is presented in an accessible, easy to follow style, making learning a joy, not a chore. ( )