MERCATANTE, Anthony S. 1940-1991

(Anthony Stephen Mercatante)

PERSONAL:

Born January 29, 1940, in New York, NY; died March 7, 1991; son of Stephen S. (a carpenter) and Carmela (La Tempa) Mercatante. Education: Attended St. Peter's College, Oxford, summer, 1974, and School of Visual Arts; City University of New York, B.A., 1975. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Passionate musicologist.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY.

CAREER:

Fairchild Publications, New York, NY, editor, 1960-63; Maco Publishing Co., New York, NY, editor, 1963-66; Copylab Publishing Co., New York, NY, editor of The United States Encyclopedia of History, 1966-67; Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, editor, 1967-72; Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., New York, NY, senior editor, 1972-74; J. Montoya Design, Inc., New York, NY, involved in public relations, beginning 1974; Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ, teacher of writing and anthropology, beginning 1976. Exhibitions: Graphics and paintings have been exhibited in one-man shows in New York, NY.

WRITINGS:

(Illustrator) Fulton J. Sheen, Walk with God, Maco (New York, NY), 1965.

(Illustrator) Fulton J. Sheen, Guide to Contentment, Maco (New York, NY), 1967.

(Editor and author of introduction) The Harper Book of Christian Poetry, Harper (New York, NY), 1972.

Zoo of the Gods: Animals in Myth, Legend and Fable, Harper (New York, NY), 1974.

The Magic Garden: Myths and Folklore of Flowers, Plants, Trees and Herbs, Harper (New York, NY), 1976.

Good and Evil: Mythology and Folklore, Harper (New York, NY), 1978.

(And illustrator) Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology, C.N. Potter (New York, NY), 1978, revised second edition, edited by Steven Bianchi, Scarecrow Press (Lanham, MD), 1995.

The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1988, revised and expanded second edition, two volumes, 2004.

Contributor to periodicals, including Budget Decorating, Easy to Do Decorating, Gentlemen's Quarterly, and Budget Travel.

SIDELIGHTS:

Long-time editor and illustrator Anthony S. Mercatante has authored several books about mythology. His 1978 work, Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology, for instance, provides an alphabetical listing of subjects from the early moon god Aah, to a discussion of "Wisdom of Literature." Each of the entries supplies a thorough explanation of the myth, and in places Mercatante provides the full legend. In addition to writing the text, he also supplies fifty drawings. Revised and somewhat expanded in 1995, the book "is a wholly satisfactory reference tool," according to a reviewer for Booklist.

Mercatante takes a broader look at myths in his 1988 title, The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, again details these stories in alphabetical order. He begins with the tale of Absalom and ends with Zarathustra. This book was revised and expanded into two volumes in 2004. A School Library Journal contributor reported approvingly that The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend "covers a wide range of concepts and characters."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, October 11, 1995, review of Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology, p. 357.

Choice, February, 1996, C. Reik, review of Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology, p. 930; September, 2004, R.P. Nash, review of The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend p. 80.

Library Media Connection, November-December, 2004, Saundra Kilar, review of The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, p. 85.

School Library Journal, April, 2005, review of The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, p. S66.