The Unicorn

by Nancy Hathaway

1984 first edition from Avenel Books, N.Y., 192 pages vividly illustrated with price-clipped dust jacket.

Genres: Fantasy, Art, Mythology, Unicorns, Reference, Folklore, Childrens

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Eddie Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big, beautiful coffee table book crammed with stunning illustrations and reproductions of centuries of unicorn depictions; this book is bound to remain a key source text for creatives working in the fantasy genre. The book has great research and copious unicorn folklore, and good links to further information.

I had issues with the writer’s unengaging style, and her odd choice to mix history and fact with mythical retellings - it’s absolutely unclear whether these are accurate and authentic or (as I strongly suspect) authorial whimsical riffs on ancient material.

[Searska GreyRaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful historical account of the unicorn across the ages and various cultures.

[Orsolya · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was a little girl, I was quite intrigued by unicorns. Their single horn, creamy white flanks, and magical capabilities… I was smitten. To this day, I love white horses. Whether young or old, Nancy Hathaway’s “The Unicorn” is a coffee table book which brings back the heavenly unicorn into our lives.

Sadly, “The Unicorn” is not a social history or analytical book. Although the introduction does fall somewhat into that description and provides some very interesting antidotes/symbolic explanations; “The Unicorn” is instead a collection of unicorn stories/folklore from various time periods and geographic regions. Hathaway’s breakdown (Ancient Unicorn, Middle Eastern Unicorn, etc) is clear and logical; however, the actual text is quite confusing in the respect that each story flows into the next without a title break. It appears that Hathaway was striving to write in a flowing historical account manner, but each individual story has its own distinct writing style making the bundling less than ideal. This results in a chunky dissonance and a filter for the reader.

Despite this negative, the tales are interesting, compelling, and resonate with the reader. At times, Hathaway steps in to offer some symbolic explanations but this also causes confusion, as the reader can not simply decipher whether this is the author’s opinion or part of the tale. Basically, “The Unicorn” lacks clarity. Somewhat easing the pain from this lack of insight is the easy-to-read writing style which can be read by both children and adults (although there is some implied sexual context).

“The Unicorn” has a satisfying amount of glossy page illustrations of paintings, illuminations, tapestries, sculptures, etc; which complement and strengthen the text. Like any great oversize/coffee table book, these illustrations capture the reader whether or not he/she reads the actual text.

The final section is the most confusing of all as Hathaway blends historical facts with tales, again making it almost impossible to interpret which are folktales and which were actual beliefs by cultures during the time periods discussed. Furthermore, Hathaway summed up “The Unicorn” with a chapter discussing the unicorn’s impact and appearance during current times which would have resulted in a strong ending but then included a chapter of a (less than interesting) unicorn fantasy story. This appeared to be simply “thrown in there” to add to the page count and weakened the text.

Although the reader will learn some unicorn facts which could win a few rounds of “Trivial Pursuit”, Hathaway’s “The Unicorn” is utterly confusing and lacks cohesiveness.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very pretty book, which is probably the best thing about it. The artwork is lovely throughout. The text, however is less interesting. It mainly consists of retelling of unicorn myth and story, but unfortunately has little or nothing little or nothing in the way of context or explanation of where each of the stories come from or its place in the history of the unicorn myth. This means the book stands on the quality of the stories, which isn't bad, but neither is it particularly strong.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgot to add this to my owned books! I've had it for years. Anyway, the stories are pretty good, but the images are what makes it, as are the historical facts.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The history of the unicorn, then, is complex and varied, caught up with the concepts of purity, sexuality, magical power, strength, suffering, and death. The ideas behind the unicorn have often been hidden in the shadows of time and conjecture, but the image of the unicorn, which has been with us since antiquity, is remarkably clear. Today, after a gradual decline in interest, the unicorn is experiencing a renaissance. Unfortunately, it has often been made bland, its force diluted by sentimentality and whimsy."

So says Nancy Hathaway, our author, as she sets out to present tales of the unicorn that have been drawn from the historical record. All in all, it was masterfully done, and accompanied by a wealth of historical drawings, paintings, tapestries, engravings and woodcuts. Easily recommend.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a truly amazing overview of unicorn mythology. With beautiful images of historical artworks scattered throughout, Hathaway has expertly woven her own tapestry of the unicorn and it's multitude of symbolic meanings from around the globe. Outlining stories and artworks about the unicorn from a variety of cultures and time periods, this book helped me to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for how universally magical and mysterious the unicorn is.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I learn more things about unicorns I never knew about before. However, even though I am pretty sure all the tales are real unicorn lore, the last chapter I can not find online and I think it was just added for this book and I do not know by who. Keep that in mind. Otherwise, everything else is true, I think.

[harleereadalot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure this is the book that made me fall in love with art as a kid!

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very pretty book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have collected unicorns since I was a kid. I have always been interested in unicorns so I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked seeing all of the ways unicorns were depicted in art and how they were portrayed by different cultures. I also enjoyed reading the stories about unicorns. This book does not imply that unicorns do not exist. I have always believed that unicorns were an actual animal. When I was in geography class in eighth grade the teacher asked the entire class who believed in unicorns. I was the only one to raise my hand. He went on to tell us about drawings of unicorns found in the Lascaux Caves in France. He said that the people who drew those images on the cave walls only drew what they saw. He said that unicorns did exist. In the book is an image of the Unicorn brand oranges crate label. I actually have that orange label in my collection of unicorn items. The best part of the book is the huge variety of images of the unicorn in a wide variety of art forms.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of unicorns. Like as legends in different places, and the origins of them. Pretty interesting, if you're a nerd like me.

[Heather Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned some very interesting mythologies surround the unicorn. I think that in a few places, however, the use of images could be strengthend.

[Lee Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too bad you don't have a picture of the cover; it's a beautiful book to the eye.

[Sparker Pants · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical look at how unicorns came to be so pervasive in stories and myth.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable book on the history of the unicorn from around the world. Stories and info, combined within a decent sized book. Beautiful pictures as well.

[Adriene]

I remember this book from when I was a little girl. I must have checked it out from the library like a million times. So happy to finally have a copy of my own.

[Bridgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely unicorn images and a variety of unicorn stories -- including ones that were new to me.

[Eliza A. H. Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

In elementary school I learned to draw studying the art in this book, my mom's Michelangelo coffee table book, and photos from Ranger Rick.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this book as a child and would flip through it over and over again until the cover fell off. I loved/love unicorns and this is a great compendium of information and artwork.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales about unicorns from many different lands, cultures and times.

[Tatjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the series that includes "Gnomes" and "Faeries". Beautifully produced book that is cleverly written and absolutely worth finding.