The Book of Fabulous Beasts
Joseph Nigg
Oxford University Press
Nonfiction, Mythology/Folklore
****
DESCRIPTION: This is a treasury of various written accounts of nonexistent creatures, such as the griffin, the dragon, the phoenix and the unicorn. From the earliest Babylonian creation myths to the mid-twentieth century, this volume traces the history and "evolution" of a variety of fantastic animals in Western culture.
REVIEW: I unearthed this treasure at Half-Price Books, and couldn't pass it up. It's an interesting look at how our current concepts of fabulous creatures have evolved, from times when such animals as basilisks and unicorns were believed to actually exist to their current, almost metaphorical existence in fantasy works. For instance, the original phoenix, aside from being sacred to the sun, had nothing to do with fire, and the first references to griffins were mainly as large, vicious birds. Several of the quotes and sources offered were a bit dry and incomplete for my tastes, but Nigg does offer a very thorough look at the subject, including notes on the various works and authors whose writings form the basis for our understanding of such fabulous beasts. Worth looking into if you're at all interested in the subject.
You might also enjoy:
Tales of Great Dragons (J. K. Anderson, YA Nonfiction - A good introduction to global dragon lore, with pictures to color)
Mythical Beasts (Alexandra Bonfante-Warren, Nonfiction - Tales of classical beasts, with many classical illustrations)
The Book of Imaginary Beings (Jorge Luis Borges, Fiction - A fantastic bestiary of popular and obscure creatures)
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell, Nonfiction - The classic book on the similarities of universal mythos)
The Encyclopedia of Monsters (Daniel Cohen, Nonfiction - Fabulous animals, tall-tale critters, cryptids, alien encounters, and more oddities)
Magickal, Mystical Creatures (D. J. Conway, Nonfiction - A compendium of fantastic beasts and beings, and how to invoke their energies as spirit guides and magickal assistants)
A Natural History of the Unnatural World ("The Cryptozoological Society of London," YA Fiction - Field notes and case studies of the society's cryptozoologists on the track of fabulous animals and cryptids)
Dragonlore (Ash "LeopardDancer" DeKirk, Nonfiction - Myths and traditions ancient and modern about dragons and their kin)
The Flight of Dragons (Peter Dickinson, Fiction - A speculative essay describing a hypothetical, biologically plausible dragon animal)
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures (John & Caitlin Matthews, Nonfiction - Fabulous beasts, spirits, demons, cryptids, and more from around the world)
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (Patricia McKillip, YA Fiction - A sorcerer's daughter is raised by larger-than-life beasts of ancient legend)
Dragons - Truth, Myth, and Legend (David Passes, YA Nonfiction - Dragon lore and myths)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (J. K. Rowling, YA Fiction - A companion to the popular "Harry Potter" series, describing fabulous animals in the context of Rowling's Wizarding world)
Dragons: A Natural History (Dr. Karl Shuker, Nonfiction - Dragon myths from around the world)
The Dragonology books (Dugald A. Steer, editor, YA Fiction - The works of 19th century "dragonologist" Dr. Ernest Drake, describing the world's dragons)
Dr. Ernest Drake's Monsterology (Dugald A. Steer, editor, YA Fiction - Dr. Drake's notes on fabulous monsters)
How to Raise and Keep a Dragon (John Topsell, Joseph Nigg "editor", YA Fiction - A guide to keeping dragons as pets, based on real-world dragon lore)
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