I am in awe of Ancient Chinese imagination. And I'm only half sarcastic.
山海經 includes all of the oddest and maddest Chinese mythological critters you could ever possibly need to read about - fishes with ten bodies sharing a single head, goats that hang themselves on trees by their hook-like horns, three-headed six-tailed crows that laugh, and, in pride of place, a deer whose only peculiarity is that its anus grows on its tail.
It's a pity they didn't translate this book to English, I'm sure plenty of my friends will love this!
Note: It doesn't rightfully belong on my full-of-lovely-illustrations shelf because the illustrations are honestly quite dreadful for the most part.