From The Archive, 1925.

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

Charon, from History of the Heathen Gods and Heroes of Antiquity by William Sheldon, 1816.

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, which reveals the passphrase for gaining eternal life.

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From Colorado College's 1906 yearbook.

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).

From our review of Hades Speaks! A Guide To the Underworld By the Greek God of the Dead, by Vicky Alvear Shecter and illustrated by J. E. Larson, in which we hail the illustrations for bringing the underworld to life (as it were).  Though we love that the narrator is bitter and alienated, the anachronisms certainly rub us the wrong way.  We get that the author is striving to appeal to young readers with references to Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, modern sports, and the like, but (having ourselves dedicated years to studying the art of prosaic timelessness) we'd prefer this book (and any, for that matter) be unrooted in time.  A classical tone, ageless -- that's what a guide to the Greek underworld should possess.  Yet the spectacular illustrations make it easier to turn a blind eye to any narrative weaknesses.  Not since Gustave Doré have we seen such an engaging depiction of the other place.

From the University of Chicago's 1898 yearbook.

From Swarthmore's 1922 yearbook.