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A Dictionary Of Monsters And Mysterious Beasts
From the Abominable Snowman to the Hippogriff to the Yale, here are hosts of mysterious monsters fair and foul, fascinating and frightening - real monsters and monsters that don't exist - or do they?...
178 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 20, 2025
One of my favourite ever books! I saved up crisp packet tokens and sent off for it!
October 13, 2009
This is the type of book that's fun to dip into now and then; I think if you read it all in one sitting, you wouldn't enjoy it as much.
There's a lot of information about popular myths regarding different legendary (and real) monsters, including, in some cases, the origins of that myth, although it's by no means exhaustive. This book serves more as a good introduction to various beasts and legends.
The writing is quite informal and colloquial, and the range of creatures is pretty diverse, from the well-known, such as vampires, to the slightly obscure amphisbaena, to the sqonk. I must admit however I find the inclusion of dinosaurs a little bizarre.
I'll continue dipping through the book now and then; I'm using it as a starting point for more in-depth research, to discover fascinating myths (I've already written a blog post about amphisbaenas at:
http://quillsandzebras.wordpress.com/...
There's a lot of information about popular myths regarding different legendary (and real) monsters, including, in some cases, the origins of that myth, although it's by no means exhaustive. This book serves more as a good introduction to various beasts and legends.
The writing is quite informal and colloquial, and the range of creatures is pretty diverse, from the well-known, such as vampires, to the slightly obscure amphisbaena, to the sqonk. I must admit however I find the inclusion of dinosaurs a little bizarre.
I'll continue dipping through the book now and then; I'm using it as a starting point for more in-depth research, to discover fascinating myths (I've already written a blog post about amphisbaenas at:
http://quillsandzebras.wordpress.com/...
October 15, 2011
This is was one of the books I read hundreds of times during my childhood!
It has hundreds of strange legendary beasts, from those which are familiar (the Loch Ness Monster, Vampires and the Yeti) to the more unusual (The Nandi Bear, Berbalangs of Cagayan Sulu and Nasnas).
Each creature is described in a rich yet succinct manner, and many are brought to life with the wonderful pen and ink drawings. For anybody with an interest in the strange and mysterious creatures mankind has invented, I totally recommend this as a book you can dip in and out of as often as you like.
It'll fill your head with trivia to amaze your friends (Did you know you are more likely to become a vampire if you are born on Christmas Day?) I still have the book, and though it has now fallen into two pieces, it is still treasured. Make this part of your book collection or buy it for somebody with an interest in all things strange!
It has hundreds of strange legendary beasts, from those which are familiar (the Loch Ness Monster, Vampires and the Yeti) to the more unusual (The Nandi Bear, Berbalangs of Cagayan Sulu and Nasnas).
Each creature is described in a rich yet succinct manner, and many are brought to life with the wonderful pen and ink drawings. For anybody with an interest in the strange and mysterious creatures mankind has invented, I totally recommend this as a book you can dip in and out of as often as you like.
It'll fill your head with trivia to amaze your friends (Did you know you are more likely to become a vampire if you are born on Christmas Day?) I still have the book, and though it has now fallen into two pieces, it is still treasured. Make this part of your book collection or buy it for somebody with an interest in all things strange!
November 20, 2008
Copied from my Amazon review
A very informative and quite detailed piece, with monsters and creatures from myths and legends taken from around the globe. Whilst some monsters warrant only a paragraph (Like the Squonk), many get a page or so whilst the most detailed are for Dragons, Vampires, Yetis, Mermaids and the Loch Ness Monster. There's even a section detailing those real life monsters - Dinosaurs. In most cases the origins of the legends and possible theories of debunking for some are also touched upon.
A very informative and quite detailed piece, with monsters and creatures from myths and legends taken from around the globe. Whilst some monsters warrant only a paragraph (Like the Squonk), many get a page or so whilst the most detailed are for Dragons, Vampires, Yetis, Mermaids and the Loch Ness Monster. There's even a section detailing those real life monsters - Dinosaurs. In most cases the origins of the legends and possible theories of debunking for some are also touched upon.
February 8, 2013
A pretty ancient book now, I read it lots growing up, it's just a nice simple collection of monsters and creatures throughout various mythologies in history.
April 30, 2015
As a child this was the first book I bought with my own money. I still have it on my bookshelf. A good child-friendly introduction to the world of mythology and folklore.
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May 1, 2017Macmillan (1974)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews