Michael Page and Robert Ingpen
Viking
Fiction, Fantasy
*****
Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were : Creatures, Places, and People
The Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were
Michael Page and Robert Ingpen
Viking
Fiction, Fantasy
*****
Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were : Creatures, Places, and People
DESCRIPTION: From mankind's earliest days, we have created all manner of fantastic beasts, beings, and realms, intertwined with the world around us in various ways. The tradition is still alive and well today, with countless storytellers dressing up old creations or adding their own new ones. This illustrated collection of people, places, creatures and things from various mythologies and stories gives an overview of the realm and scope of humanity's imagination, the realm of Things that Never Were.
REVIEW: This is a beautiful book, though it takes a few liberties here and there. A wide range of cultures and ages are represented, from Pacific Islander creation myths through Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and L. Frank Baum's land of Oz. I wanted to know just where some of the references came from; not all of them are ancient myths, and the bibliography doesn't make the sources for specific entries clear. The illustrations are very imaginative, adding to the feel of the book. It's almost impossible to page through this book and not be inspired. A true feast for fantasy-loving minds!
You might also enjoy:
The Everworld series (K. A. Applegate, YA Fiction - Four Chicago teens find themselves in a magical world where elder gods and magic still rule)
Fabulous Beasts (Malcom Ashman, Fiction - An illustrated bestiary of fantastic animals)
Mythical Beasts (Alexandra Bonfante-Warren, Nonfiction - Creatures of myth and legend)
The Book of Imaginary Beings (Jorge Luis Borges, Fiction - Various inventions of human imagination compiled)
The Sisters Grimm series (Michael Buckley, YA Fiction - Two girls discover that Grimm's fairy tales were based on actual events)
The Encyclopedia of Monsters (Daniel Cohen, Nonfiction - Cryptids, fabulous animals, tall-tale inventions, strange encounters, and more)
Magickal, Mystical Creatures (D. J. Conway, Nonfiction - Fantastic animals and beings, and how they can be used in modern ritual)
The Flight of Dragons (Peter Dickinson, Fiction - A hypothetical, biologically plausible dragon explained)
The Inkheart trilogy (Cornelia Funke, YA Fiction - A bookbinder and his daughter share a dangerous gift, the ability to read characters out of - and into - books)
The Book of Story Beginnings (Kristen Kladstrup, YA Fiction - A girl finds that when she starts writing stories in a strange old journal, she must live through them to the end)
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures (John & Caitlin Matthews, Nonfiction - Gods, demons, monsters, and cryptids from around the world)
The Book of Fabulous Beasts (Joseph Nigg, Nonfiction - The classical origins and evolution of popular fantastic animals)
The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica (James A. Owen, YA Fiction - Three soon-to-be-famous authors from London are entrusted with a strange atlas, which leads them to a world that has been the inspiration of legend and story since time began)
Mysterious Places (Jennifer Westwood, editor, Nonfiction - Real-life sites that prove you don't have to leave Earth to find awe-inspiring mysteries)
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