Pocket Book of Dragons: Myth, Magic & Meaning

by Joel Levy

Celebrating the stories and symbolism of the king of mythical beasts, the Pocket Book of Dragons explores dragons throughout history and across the world.

Overflowing with ancient and modern dragon tales from every corner of the globe and beautifully illustrated with a curated archive of the finest dragon art, this little book contains a world of fantastical facts. Explore the myth, magic, and meaning of one of legend's most fabulous and fearsome beasts,


Serpents of the sea and air


Eastern dragon kings


Viking wyrms


Biblical leviathans


Fire-breathing guardians of treasure


Medieval monsters


Dragon-slaying saints


And much more




The Pocket Book of Dragons is the ultimate field guide, filled with a comprehensive collection of facts, fictions, and forms of the mythical creatures, all in one handy book.

STUNNING A thoughtfully curated archive of the world’s finest dragon images, this must-have volume includes color-rich paintings, ink drawings, woodcuts, and more.



A FANTASY AND MYTHOLOGY LOVER'S Beautifully crafted, comprehensive, and attractively priced, this is an irresistible gift for every fan of myth and fantasy.



DRAGON BOOK FOR From Harry Potter’s deadly Hungarian Horntails and The Hobbit’s wicked Smaug to Daenerys Targaryen’s trio of hatchlings in Game of Thrones and Fourth Wing’s formidable Tairn and Sgaeyl, dragons have cast a thrilling shadow over popular culture that will continue to span generations. This is the perfect companion volume for fans who can’t get enough of these fantastic creatures.

Perfect


Fans of mythology, folklore, and history


Readers and movie watchers obsessed with the fantasy genre


Lovers of dragon art and mythical illustration


Fans of dragon exploration books like Dragonology, Dracopedia Field Guide, and The Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures

Genres: Fantasy

160 pages, Hardcover

Published September 2, 2025

About the author

Joel Levy is a writer and journalist specializing in science and history. He is the author of over a dozen books, including The Little Book of Conspiracies and Scientific Feuds: From Galileo to the Human Genome Project. Phobiapedia is his first book for children.

Reviews

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Chronicle Books) for promotional purposes.

What a delightful little book about dragons!

This book gives a short overview of dragons from around the world. It primarily focuses on dragon lore from ancient Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, Europe, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. It also briefly addresses dragons from other regions like Africa and the Americas.

Since this is a “pocket book,” the information is limited but it does provide a good starting point for dragon history. The book includes a further reading section with a list of other books and websites to consult if you’re looking for more information.

The images throughout were beautiful. The selection of pictures was plentiful and of appropriate size. Some nonfiction books have small images, but this one made sure the pictures were large enough so you could actually see the details. It showcased a range of dragon imagery (there were some interesting depictions of dragons throughout history).

The writing style could have been better. The descriptions were short and often very dry to read. I wished it could have a little more engaging.

Lastly, the exterior of the book is gorgeous. It’s textured to look and feel like dragon scales which was such a fun touch.

Overall, this is a great little book for anyone who loves dragons.

[Quilted.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not a heavy read, but a whimsical one like flipping through a dragon watcher’s field notes. If you’re looking for detailed lore, this might not be your spellbook. But if you like me absolutely love dragons. this book is a wonderful little guide to keep on the nightstand. #reading #books #reader #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookreview

[Chelsea]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Pocket Book of Dragons by Joel Levy is a nonfiction reference book discussing the history of the depiction of dragons and how the concept of them might have come into being. With many illustrations and images of pop culture dragons, this is meant to be more of an introduction of how dragons are seen around the world versus an in-depth look into how a particular culture uses the mythological creature.

Half of the book is various dragon depictions from the pre-Christian era to Christian depictions to Nordic ideas to Southeast and East Asian concepts all the way to the Americas and then into modern pop culture. Each depiction is given about a page or two, often with some art to help accompany it, so readers can expect to get some entry-level knowledge on new ideas of dragons, which can help give them a place to start for deeper dives. This is a pocket book, so the expectation should be ‘entry level.’ The art helps to sell the idea that dragons look different in different cultures and there is no one idea of a dragon, which makes it hard to pinpoint where they came from and helps to support Joel Levy’s personal theory for why dragons are so common on a global scale.

The other half is the part I found the most interesting because I was familiar with the idea that dragons might be the result of ancient people’s finding dinosaur skulls, which Levy doesn’t completely dismiss, but it doesn’t necessarily explain every depiction or how that particular dragon looks. Levy mentions how the term ‘dragon’ is used to bring a bunch of creatures that on the surface look similar under the same umbrella, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they were all coming from the same place or that it is accurate to classify them all together as ‘dragons.’ It is also posited that dragons really stem from the human imagination as many are made up of aspects of many animals, usually reptiles which are found in many places all over the world.

I would recommend this to fans of dragons and guardians looking for an intro guide to dragons for younger readers (I do recommend flipping through the book first, though, to make sure that the art all feels age appropriate for the individual young reader)

[Luips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book to flip around pictures of dragons in history and some quick info about them. The text is not as captivating, but that's fine.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chock full of interesting info, but layout a bit forbidding.

TL:DR
3.5 stars
Appropriate for 8+
Primary appeal to Teen/Adult
Fans of Dragons, folklore


This "pocket book" is stuffed full of information. I requested this ARC hoping that my dragon loving students would get use out of this. It is too dense for my 3rd-5th graders, but wow would this be great for an older audience.

With a healthy list of books for further reading, online resources, and a well laid out index, the back matter is easily navigable and helpful to the lay person. However, if you are looking for a reference book that gives you a list of their sources - this is not that book. Also, there is nowhere that I saw that tells us why we should trust the information Joel Levy gives.

The layout feels very much like a text book, with large blocks of text opposite an image with a caption. The lack of info boxes and callouts elevate the age range of this book, and narrow the appeal range - potentially eliminating some more casually interested people with the "serious scholar" layout.

However, if the casual dragon and folklore fan dives in anyway, they will probably enjoy this chunks of book dense in imagery, history, and stories - even if they skip around rather than reading straight through.

Suggested for public libraries, and High School/College libraries with high fantasy book circulation, D&D clubs, or general folklore interest.

---
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance digital copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

KC
School Librarian for 3rd - 5th Grade
Storyteller
Lover of cheese & tiny boxes

[Pauline Stout · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book is a very basic history of dragons through myth, religion, and literature with a small variety of examples from each. It also talks about the various different types of dragons, what the features of each were, and why dragons wouldn’t be able to physically exist in the real world:

I mostly liked this book. It’s very short so there isn’t a whole lot of room for examples of each different grouping. The examples chosen were interesting but I wish there was room to expand upon each selection and to have more examples of each grouping. I personally think the book would have been vastly improved if it was a bit longer.

There are many illustrations throughout the book and in my opinion this was the best part. They were absolutely beautiful and really added to the narrative.

Overall the info here was pretty basic. I recommend foe people that are just starting to get into the subject but if you’re a long time reader/fan of dragon material you aren’t going to get much out of this.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for dragon lovers, fantasy readers and fans that are in their dragon era! This fascinating little book dives into the history of the lore and how the concept of the dragon appeared in multiple cultures, thousands of years ago, developing over the centuries into the dragons we’re familiar with in Game of Thrones, How to Train Your Dragon, and Smaug from the The Hobbit, etc. This little book includes the perfect amount of intriguing history, stories from around the world, and many gorgeous paintings and photographs as well. It took me only a couple of hours to read, and I found myself lingering over the photographs and adding more books mentioned in this one to my TBR.

Joel Levy’s Pocket Book of Dragons is a perfect gift for fantasy lovers and a lovely addition to anyone’s library. I would highly recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Joel Levy for the ARC!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Iconic in word and image, the dragon enthralls and entertains, spinning its glamor of enchantment for us today as it did for heroes from Marduk to Sigurd, Beowulf to Bilbo."

This handy little compendium tracks the history of dragons, and while I knew some of the lore, I found most of it new and interesting. It's always fascinating to see how the same stories proliferate through different cultures over time. I also recognized a lot of dragon-like forms mentioned from several fantasy series I've read (The Hobbit, Fantastic Beasts, and all three series of the Maasverse for example) without ever really processing their origin - even before getting to the section on Literary Dragons. The illustrations are beautiful (and/or terrifying), and are shown throughout to bring to life the stories they accompany.

For anyone curious about tracking the stories of dragons through time, this is a helpful resource.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

[MandyLea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an interesting read for any dragon enthusiast. I picked it up to expand my knowledge of dragons and surrounding myths as they are a common element in many of the fantasy books I read with so many different characteristics and versions of them.

With a focus on the historical presence of dragons in art, this book covers the myths in several parts of the world throughout history for a majority of the book. Then the last few chapters cover a little about more current uses of dragons in art and tv in series like Game of Thrones.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I was not a fan of the structure of the book and found it somewhat clunky while going through it. I would still recommend for any dragon lover!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Bebo Saucier Carrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a child, I read and reread Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons over and over, enchanted by descriptions of different kinds of dragons and where they lived. This reads as Dragonology for adults, taking a more nonfiction approach than a fantastical one, but nevertheless covering such topics as types of dragons, popular dragon myths, and dragon art. It's all condensed into a readable little book that would be a perfect coffee table read.

[Anastey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley, Chronicle Books, and Joel Levy for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a very info packed little book! There are a wide variety of dragons to learn about. While it doesn't go deeply into detail, you get a little bit of all the different types of dragons from all over the world. I like that each section focused on a certain type, like Eastern dragons, Norse, literary dragons, and even a section for Christian based dragons as well.

The artwork is beautiful, and overall this was a fun easy read. I think it would be perfect for a fantasy addicted teen, or even a dragon loving adult.

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selecting this book seemed like a no brainer for someone who is fascinated by dragons. The description said it was heavily illustrated so it was unavailable on Kindle. I used the Netgalley reader, but was extremely unhappy that every page had a banner across it: “Copyrighted. Not authorized for distribution.” It was difficult to appreciate the illustrations marred by this banner, and the text (which was often challenging to read) was drier and less interesting than I’d hoped. I’ve never seen another ARC marked like this, and found it very annoying. Very disappointed. I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This highly informative book will delight dragon lovers of all sorts! What stood out the most to me was how well organized the information is since the categories feel natural and intuitive. On top of that, the variety of illustrations included is incredible. Most of the book is categorized by culture from Chinese dragons to Norse wyrms while some is discussed in the context of Christianity and literature. Author Joel Levy even devotes a section to the ubiquity of dragon hunting stories. Although Pocket Book of Dragons is non-fiction, Levy makes learning a pleasure. So if dragons interest you, read this book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[SHANE ⋆.ೃ࿔* ⛓️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Joel Levy and NetGalley for an ARC of "Pocket Book of Dragons!"

As someone who is obsessed with dragons and everything dragon adjacent, and has been for a long time, this book is fascinating. There was some stuff I knew, and a lot that I learned. With the quick chapters, explaining the stories and myths in differing cultures, contexts, and even going so far as "debunking" dragons, this book is relaly good for anyone who has a love for dragons.

Between the text and visual break=ups between chapters or sections, this was an easy read, and I really learned a lot despite my already comfortable knowledge on dragons.

What a great read!

[Reading Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an exciting book perfect for anyone who loves dragons. I am one of those people. I have been fascinated with dragons since I was a little girl, even now I still love them. This was such an exciting guide for me. I learned so much that I didn’t know and some I would have never thought of. We learn the facts and the fictions about dragons through the ages. Stunning artwork shows us the many wonders that is Dragons. I was so excited to learn more to help me with my writing as well. I hope to add some dragon stories to my future writing. I can do it all now with this guide.
Great gift for anyone who loves history, folklore, mythology and are as fascinated with dragons like me. 🐉🐲🐉🐲

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pros:
- worldwide view! Many dragons!
- each entry is nice and short so it’s quick to read
- I will be going to French stabby dragon festival thank u very much
- huge shoutout to D&D not only being mentioned, not only getting its own little blurb, but ALSO being included in the “further reading” section
- I also appreciated the Christian aspects being discussed in as much detail as the East Asian section as in the author didn’t assume familiarity with one over the other necessarily

Cons:
- this is just a quick 1 page overview of each dragon covered, so it’s not in depth at all

Overall:
Very fun :) also scaled cover

4.5/5

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about dragons across history and different cultures, including myths and legends featuring monstrous snakes and other beasts that have influenced and been influenced by dragons as we come across them in literature and popular culture today. Each section features quite short snippets of information, but it covers a lot of ground to give you quite a wide general overview, and a more in-depth study would be a different sort of book altogether. Very interesting book to dip into, and with plenty of details that could lead to wider studying if you wanted to go further into any particular aspect of dragon lore. Great reading.

[ambria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice short overview of a history of dragons. There is talk about the inspiration of dragons and an interesting overview from historical to modern depictions of dragons. This includes lots of full color pictures/illustrations included ranging from ancient paintings to modern day movie references. Given the size of this book, it doesn't go into great depths about any particular area, nor would I expect it to.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book!

[Merkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this deeper dive into dragons throughout culture and time periods. There were pictures of existing art throughout that really brought to life some of the things that were being described on page. I like the look into how dragons are depicted in film and book and how cultural or location elements impacted the version of dragons included. This was a really fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[liber lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah i will definitely be buying this when it comes out, this was such an interesting read and i loved the beautiful imagery the author chose to include - sometimes when looking at one of the illustrations chosen I played season 2 white lotus theme in my head. I learned a ton of interesting factoids which i will definitely almost never have an opportunity to share, but they make me happy anyways.

[Cyrambo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced digital copy of this book through Netgalley and I thought it was delightful. I don't buy many physical books anymore, but I can't wait to get my hands on this one.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic little book. A little repetitive.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay short curiosity, well illustrated.