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Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Cultural Studies / Social Commentary / Essays

Book Review:
Peter Conrad's ''Mythomania'' is a bold and ambitious book that takes on nothing less than the mythological underpinnings of contemporary culture. Inspired by Roland Barthes's classic ''Mythologies'' (1957), which dissected the myths of 1950s France—from wrestling to soap powders to the face of Garbo—Conrad turns his attention to the myths of our own time.

The scope is staggering. Conrad moves from the Queen to Caitlyn Jenner, from Judge Judy to Steve Jobs, from Apple to ISIS. He finds myth wherever he looks: in technology, celebrity, politics, consumerism, terrorism. His thesis is that we are as myth-ridden as any previous age; we simply don't recognize our own myths as myths.

Conrad is described on the cover as ''our greatest cultural critic,'' and while such claims are always debatable, he is certainly a formidable presence. His style is erudite, witty, and often aphoristic. He can turn a phrase that makes you see something familiar in a new light. The book is based on a BBC Radio 4 series, ''21st Century Mythologies,'' and it retains the episodic, essayistic quality of good radio.

The book's strength is its range. Conrad is as comfortable discussing the mythology of Apple's product launches as he is analyzing the symbolic resonance of the Queen's coronation. He sees connections that others miss, and he makes them vividly clear.

The book's weakness, perhaps, is that it sometimes feels like a collection of essays rather than a unified argument. The Barthesian framework provides a loose structure, but the chapters can feel disparate. And Conrad's style, while brilliant, can sometimes overwhelm the subject.

For readers interested in cultural criticism, this book is a treat. It's the kind of work that sends you down rabbit holes, making you want to read more about the figures and phenomena Conrad discusses. For students of media and culture, it offers a model of how to read the myths embedded in everyday life.

Thames & Hudson, the publisher, is known for high-quality illustrated books, and while this volume is not heavily illustrated, it shares their commitment to intelligent, accessible scholarship.

''Mythomania'' is a book for our times—sharp, insightful, and deeply engaged with the world we actually live in. Recommended for anyone who wants to understand the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.