Breverton's Phantasmagoria: A Compendium of Monsters, Myths and Legends

by Terry Breverton

From dragons and wyverns to vampires, werewolves and mischievous gremlins, pixies and fairies, Breverton's Phantasmagoria is a unique compendium of over 250 mythical animals.

Prepare to revisit familiar myths, such as vampires, werewolves and the Loch Ness Monster, the Minotaur and Medusa from Greek legend, and Biblical beasts such as Behemoth and Leviathan. Discover new mysterious animals like the giant serpents of Central America, the lethal Mongolian death worm, and the Ennedi tiger in Africa, and investigate the evidence for sightings of Bigfoot and the reclusive Yeti.

Packed with quirky line illustrations and a wealth of weird and wonderful information, Breverton's Phantasmagoria surveys the globe to uncover over 250 imaginary creatures passed down from generation to generation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Reference, History, Horror, Folklore, Witchcraft

690 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Backerbse · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun drinking game for this book: Take a drink everytime the author quotes Pliny the Elder, you will be wasted within minutes.

This book is nice point to start off if you're interested in myths, fables and conspiracy theories but in my opinion it seems... unfinished or maybe badly edited? It's sorted into chapters like legends about persons, nautical myths, etc. and within these chapters are more or less short paragraphs.
It's a good system but the content of the paragraphs is more often than not made up either entirely of quotes by Pliny the Elder, it seems. These quotes are also really long and most of the time I didn't find them relevant to the title of the paragraph.

Case in point: a paragraph titled 'Elephants have no knees' contains an endlessly long Pliny quote that tells us what he observed about elephants never mentioning anything about their knees instead talking about elephants and mice and snakes and whatever. He then quotes St Ambrose who apparently has something to say about elephant's knees but it's like two or three sentences in a paragraph that's about a page and a half long. The chapter title by the way is 'The Reality of Legends and Myths' but mostly it's just another collection of random bits, I guess the author found interesting. It felt like looking at the research materials instead of a finished result which was quite disappointing. Also, in the reference section the author lists seven books, four of which he wrote himself.

[heptagrammaton · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is the hope of this reader that you find better uses for your time than reading this author's phantasmagoria.

Breverton's Phantasmagoria reads like its own pre-drafting research notes, haphazard, repetitive, intellectually inconsistent, analytically shallow, faux broad, sloppily organized, overflowing with run-on quotation (from the same four sources), as if it's aiming for a word count the night before a deadline.

Bizzarest of all is the mercurial nature of Terry Breveton's incredible credulity. This author interjects to assert his belief in all kinds of cryptids and arcana, from Sasquatch to ancient human ancestors having had a sense for magnetism(?), somehow(???) lost (we never find out how.) Then there is the through line of implication, whenever the text jumps from the ancient through to the modern - that points out anecdote after serendipity, proverbially winking at you to grab your conspiracy board and join the dots of chance, uncritical, yet cowardly uncommitted... But, fear not! His erudite scepticism extends, unsurprisingly, to the building of the Pyramids... and, it seems, the concept of roads.

« [...] The ‘sacbe’ was the system of flat white roads interconnecting Mayan holy sites and cities, built up with rocks, and levelled and paved over with limestone cement. The roads vary in width from 8 to 30 feet (2.4 to 9 m). However, the Mayan people appear to have had no wheeled vehicles, and nor did they drive herds of domesticated animals between population centres. Reports from the early Spanish conquistadores, e.g. Bishop Diego de Landa, tell us of an elaborate network of all-weather roads that linked Mayan urban sites. Why these roads were built remains a mystery. » (Bolded text and underlinings mine.)

Truly, we might never why one might build roads between cities. Is it aliens, Terry? Is it the chariots of Atlantis? Did the Mayans ride Yetis? Did dinosaurs help? Is it the Thrones of G-D!?!?!?!?! It remains a mystery.

Thus, it goes on. I would urge him to summarize, if I wasn't sure the point would be lost on him: indeed, there are some occasions where he does so... only to keep half-a-page-long citations from Pliny the Elder and Isidore of Seville he has been summarizing.

I picked up the Phantasmagoria looking for varied fantastic miscellany, as inspiration for pen & paper games I might run. (Also, the charming cover might have played a part.) It does that job (by no means efficiently) - which is the only reason why I ever bothered finishing it. Jumping Wikipedia hyperlinks is a far better use of your limited allotment of consciousness. I do not recommend this.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Take a shot every time this man quotes Pliny the Elder

[Eirini · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pliny the Elder

[Jack Varley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a litany of complaints about this book which I will get into shortly but first I have to say how bitterly disappointing it was. Where to even begin? There is not just a reliance but a dependence on authors from ancient history, who are quoted at length repeatedly and without adequate editorial input (particularly from Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, and Isidor of Seville). Perhaps the worst part is that the bibliography lists none of these sources, instead only containing seven books; four of which were written by Breverton himself!

Throughout the book he inserts his own opinions and comments which never contribute anything of value. He insists almost everything and anything is secretly Welsh, from Atlantis to Elvis Presley. His evidence cited for King Arthur having been Welsh provided on page 12 is: "This author has written more than 20 books on Welsh history, and considers that other claimants to be Arthur can be dismissed". Uhm, okay? You can hardly go a page without Breverton going on a tangent about this or that being actually from Wales.

Some of the entries are excellent, but most sadly are not. There needs to be an updated edition if this is going to continue to be printed. At multiple points the forecasted Mayan apocalypse of December 21st, 2012, is referred to ominously in the future tense. There are too many small errors throughout to mention. The author criticises historians for being Eurocentric but vast swathes of this book are devoted solely to Greek mythology and constant repetitions of ancient misconceptions about regular animals.

Although the book is beautifully illustrated - so far as I am aware these are all licensed/public domain images and there appears to be no original artwork inside the book. In spite of these criticisms the book is not all bad; chapters one, three and five are the best. Too many bold claims are made without evidence to back them up besides Breverton's insistence amounting to just 'trust me, bro'. If you are interested in European folklore, you will probably enjoy this book because that's what it principally comprises (if you can tolerate Breverton's insipid personal opinions that is).

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastical compendium that pulls together all the greatest myths and legends from around the world, from magical objects and legendary people and animals to mythical places and hoards of treasure. While this book doesn't have huge amounts of detail for each entry (one could only imagine the size of the book if the author tried that!) it is a superb starting point and the entries do cover the salient points, more than enough to get your imagination flowing. The author uses both contemporary and ancient accounts (Pliny the Elder makes many a guest appearance) giving the entries depth while keeping them as relevant as possible to modern day readers. The author even adds in his own opinions, which normally I don't like but in this case they are so witty and excellently done I have no complaints what-so-ever. The book also comes complete with superb and beautiful line illustrations including plenty of those mythical beasts that the reader may otherwise struggle to picture (some are truly impressive in their complexity and variety of characteristics). Overall this is a fantastic book, perfect for dipping in and out of and leaving on the coffee table ready for diving into whenever you're at a loose end.

[Carm · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a holy friggin' slog to get through. There's a lot of information here... and my tiny walnut sized brain just couldn't be bothered to care about 80% of the time. There were parts that I genuinely enjoyed, but not enough to have made this worth the time or money. That passage on the authenticity of Jesus' foreskin though... chef's kiss. 🙄

[Mitchell Erickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book at times tried to give the impression of a certain allegiance to factuality, which was betrayed by its giving credence to well-known nonsense and an obvious lack of research.
This book, among frequent typos, attempts to be a sort of encyclopedia of the mythological and unusual. For the former, it repeats itself endlessly - information read in one entry makes a return in another and another, making for a dull read. For the latter, controversy in cases regarding monsters, aliens, cryptids etc. are not treated with any degree of sensible application of evidence. Egregious are the sections on the so called 'mystery of the crystal skulls'. The crystal skulls are treated as a sort of world-defining enigma regarding aliens and the meaning of life on this planet. No reference is made to the well-evidenced idea that such skulls were likely made in European workshops in the nineteenth century, as any Google search will reveal.
For cases that have an effect on recent years, Breverton does not address the totality of the available evidence. Breverton does not go into why the Loch Ness monster may be impossible. He merely lists the historical sightings of Nessie and mentions the ones that are definite hoaxes but not the whys or hows of the problem presented of finding an aquatic animal in the vastness of loch Ness. The result is that for more modern unknowns he does not come to the conclusion that myths and legends have an easily-obtained sociological or scientific explanation that doesn't include extraterrestrials or retained dinosaurs - many of his explanations for folk myths include one or the other. That is not to say this is a book full of crackpot discussion of Bigfoot and aliens but that it lacks the discussion of facts that would take it to the level of a good, historically-based book. Breverton definitely offers conventional answers to questions like the origins of mythical animals. This is far from a book that expresses definite ideas regarding the range or diet of Sasquatch. I only feel that the books analysis is very much lacking and where it doesn't miss key pieces of evidence, it does not apply them rigourously enough.
I own a copy of this book, but as such, you would have a hard time of convincing me to read it again.

[Annabel_Hawkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite being in print for over a decade, they've never corrected the slew of spelling and grammar errors. Also, one can only read Pliny The Elder so many times. Repetitive, unorganized, filled with so much sensationalized or outright incorrect material that I instantly didn't trust any entries I wasn't already familiar with.

I rarely return books after I purchase them. I returned this one.

[Kimi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, but it was a mess. The classification is all over the place and it's not very organized. I guess it's fine for what it's supposed to be, but I much prefer the Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, clearly structured, but missed a few things if you ask me.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Pliny the Elder wrote..."

Wanted to love this book, but it felt so much like I was reading someone's list of citations they had lying around rather than anything else.

[Angie Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure trove of Myths, Legends and Fairy Stories, I really enjoyed reading this, as it us full of everything I love, The Bogeyman, we all know about him, children all over the world, have heard stories, been frightened of looking under the bed, here you the reader get read about where the legend began, So if you want to be scared and learn about things that go bump in the night, this is for you.

[Liam Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short story's of mystical creatures of legends all over the world

[Jenn Kause · Rating 5 out of 5]

originally to be used for a book now scrapped, I thought this had a great collection of myths, legends, and animals compiled into one useful reference!

[Apriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up.
Title sounds more interesting than the book really is. Maybe skip if you don’t like reading encyclopedias and learning a whole lot of nothing.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible illustrations and mystifying creatures, this book definitely fascinated me… but only to a certain extent. It had so many quotes from ancient compilers of bestiaries like Pliny the Elder and Isidore of Seville, so many unnecessary repetitions in the descriptions of these creatures, and tedious elaborations on concepts mostly irrelevant to the topic at hand that it felt like reading a textbook at times. That made it quite frustrating. It also has the smallest print which makes it take even longer to read. It could have been written much more concisely and much more pointedly. However, it still gave fascinating insight into obscure understandings like the many, many, many, many, many superstitions held by sailors; Mayan culture including their supposed “end of the world calendar”, and the unique folklore of certain plants and animals (the smoke of the frankincense spice was believed to carry prayers up to heaven; a pelican was believed to kill its children, mourn for three days, and then use her own blood to resurrect them). I’ll definitely go back to this book, but probably only for reference rather than for a full reread for pleasure. “The rowan (or mountain ash) is a tree native to the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In European folklore, it has long been associated with the Otherworld, witches, and magic. In fact, it is also known as the Witches’ Tree.”

[Daniel Greear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, though encyclopedic type books take far longer to read than one realizes. I picked this up last time I was in London at a bookstore and had never heard of the author or book before. Something about the cover drew me in, plus it never hurts to have a book like this in your collection.

Phantasmagoria is a collection of myths, from Atlantis to King Arthur to aliens. This was full of interesting tidbits on a variety of topics, some well-known and some not so well-known. The author relies heavily on Pliny the Elder and Isidore of Seville for many of the information, and he must be Welsh as there is a heavy amount of Welsh mythology in this book.

Phantasmagoria is very well balanced, drawing not just on the well-known Greco-Roman myths but also on Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese, and South American myths as well. The work put into this must have been exhaustive and it feels comprehensive.

Some of it I skimmed, but overall I enjoyed this and will probably revisit it from time to time. This was an accessible and enjoyable read.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think any personal library should have at least some reference material included. This compendium of monsters, myths, and legends by Terry Breverton certainly fits the bill.

While it is most memorable for its collection of creatures, it also includes listings of magical people and places, strange artefacts (sp), odd writings...it really is an entertaining compendium.

There are a lot of contemporary additions as well as notes going back to Pliny the elder. The index included makes it easy to zero in on that special something.

From aliens, centaurs, and Hannibal's elephants to kraken, Mothman, and Sasquatch; and from ancient air ships, charged particle beams, and Ellora caves to Nazca lines, the terracotta army, and Valhalla, there has to be something that sparks the imagination and provides hours of pondering for anyone.

This is one of those books that probably should never find a shelf, instead remaining open on a table or displayed prominently in a well traveled room.

[Katrin Kirilova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Добре. За съжаление не съм преценила колко книги мога да прочета за краткия си престой във Великобритания, и ми се наложи да грабна нещо от тук. Това е една хубаво илюстрована енциклопедия на митовете. Харесва ми, че авторът често свързва мит и наука. Също така се е постарал да вмести в 373 страници възможно най-много. Имаше любопитни неща, които не знаех. Доста исторически препратки. Подразни ме само фактът, бъдейки уелсец, той малко страда от синдромът на макадонеца и тук-там има някои съмнителни факти от гледна точка на действителността... поне на мен ми се струват съмнителни. :) Иначе е интересно четиво и пак повтарям много добре илюстровано ... сякаш четеш някой алхимичен том. Името на книгата е вдъхновено от прожекции през 18в. на страшни и модифицирани същества, върху стени и полупрозрачни платна.

[Eleah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m very disappointed. For a book that says it will be full of interesting facts instead it was a book full of the same thing over and over. I was sick of reading the same fact multiple times after a while. And the typos! Sooooooo many typos!!

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too credulous, and occasionally screws up confirmed historical facts in minor fashion--but the large amount of strange materials and loads of cool etched illustrations make it worthwhile.

[Pascal · Rating 3 out of 5]

To reliant on too long quotes, but if aquired cheap a worthy investment

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myths, fairy tales, monsters, demons, other creatures that go bump in the night or perchance during the day. It is something that has kept mankind occupied since the beginning of time, though over time we began to believe in them less and less.
Nevertheless, there are still those among us who believe that despite the loss of faith, they exist. In our imagination.
This is the truest case for authors, like yours truly, who has been occupied with mythology since she could read. We have never stopped believing in fantastical creatures and phenomena. I even think there is more between Heaven and Earth than we can perceive.
As I said, since the beginning of history and even before that people have believed in all kinds of aspects of the supernatural. Man has spread itself over the planet and formed new stories to believe and created new things that could potentially bring us harm. Terry Breverton has summed it all up in ‘Breverton’s Phantasmagoria’, the best friend any writer and occultist can have to get spooky in an educational way.

Rating: 4 / 5
Writer: Terry Breverton
Title: Breverton’s Phantasmagoria
Pages: 384 pages
Publisher: Quercus Publishing, London
Print: 1st print 2011
Language: English

Story:
There is not much of a story in an encyclopedia, is there? Nevertheless, the information is presented in a pleasant way with short pieces (though some are longer) of text that tell the tale behind the subject.
Breverton has done some thorough research and refers quite often to ancient writers such as Herodotus, Pliny the Elder and other historic writers and their contemporaries. When that is done, one can pretty much assume all that is written is legit.

Characters:
One can say there are no characters in this book or one can say there are too many to sum up. I prefer the latter, because this compendium is not limited to objects, but also covers interesting people of the past, who are characters in and of themselves.

Style & Spelling:
Though written in simple English without the use of any unknown fancy words, the noting of dates is what really bothers me. Normally it is the day + st of month and then the year, in the book it is simply day/month/year. It makes no sense, at all.
Furthermore do adjectives, personal pronouns and prepositions miss on more than one occasion.
Perhaps they should have spent a bit more time of the editing, because then it would have been perfect. For now it is still very informative and a splendid collection of all that we cannot explain, but it lacks in the spelling and grammar department.

Conclusion:
Okay, it might have been a bit weird that I read, if we break it down to the core, an encyclopedia, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will certainly use some of the information in future stories. Especially the less known supernatural occurrences.
So if you are a writer or generally interested in mythology, I highly recommend checking this compendium out to discover the hidden mysteries of this world we think we know.
Perchance you will come to discover as well that it misses an entry on a monster that is very present among us and still requires further investigation, but also that we can understand it a bit better via this book.
See if you can find it and then mister Breverton can expand his brilliant collection a bit more for the world to see.
It is time to go monster hunting.

[Alessio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recensione pubblicata originariamente sul mio blog Arte della Lettura
Recensione Breverton's Phantasmagoria senza spoiler
Breverton's Phantasmagoria è un libro, disponibile solamente in lingua inglese, che consiste in un "compendio di oltre 250 animali mitologici", secondo la descrizione ufficiale. In realtà questo libro contiene molto di più: descrizioni di miti e leggende, spiegazioni con tanto di albero genealogico di divinità passate, biografie di personaggi famosi o mitologici e molto altro.

Ogni voce del libro è descritta dettagliatamente, sia grazie a fonti certe che leggende e miti. Le pagine sono inoltre correlate di immagini.
Edizione
Il Phantasmagoria si presenta in un'edizione con copertina rigida e pagine spesse e di alta qualità. Sono inoltre presenti molti disegni e raffigurazioni. Un'ottima edizione, anche considerando il prezzo.
Conclusioni
Il Breverton's Phantasmagoria è un ottimo libro da tenere come referenza o per leggere qualcosa di interessante ogni tanto.
Altre recensioni sul mio blog Arte della Lettura

[Tanwen Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interested dip into many different monsters, myths and legends. The book is laid out like an encyclopedia, with topics listed alphabetically with a short description of their myth and history. Some of these entries were quite fun while others were a bit more dry and academic, but on the whole they were eminintly readable. These are then separated by topic such as Sea creatures, lost treasures etc. While there were a smattering of creatures from around the world, the book is very much focused on European and classical antiquity (Egypt, Greece, Roman Empire) and these are the ones Breverton has gone into in the most detail.

I did feel it was let down by the final section about the Reality of the myths. Many of these entries were just large chunks of text quoted from classical sources (which I find difficult to read) about real animals or places. There was also a distinct muddying of which parts of the entries were reality and which were myth which extends throughout the book. In the rest of the book I could sort of forgive that (even if I didn't like it), but given it was the point of the section - I was irked.

A good starting point for researching the mythological, but very much a starting point too.

[Siri Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much what it says on the cover: a compendium of everything spooky, mysterious, legendary and occult with chapters on mysterious people, mythological creatures, mythical places, legends of the skies, legends of the seas, strange artifacts and hidden treasures. The book is very complete and introduces the reader to a wonderful collection of the strange, mysterious, legendary and magical. However, the treatment of each subject ranges from very thorough to very short indeed, and the entries are ordered alphabetically within each chapter rather than, say, according to the culture or area from which they stem. This makes it very much a compendium, a book designed to give you a brief overview and a short introduction rather than a thorough walkthrough. But then again, it's very good at these brief introductions and then it's always possible to find additional material yourself if something should catch your attention. Recommended for everyone in love with the spooky, legendary and occult.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

The assortment of things covered in here is quite random, but I think it benefits from a broad approach. My favourite aspects were the entries regarding technology and places that had been built long before the technology is believed to have existed (I love the idea of ancient civilizations possessing more knowledge than they're generally credited with), but there's plenty of other things in there to fascinate, whatever your interests. The only flaw was that a couple of the entries repeated/overlapped a bit, and there were a couple that I didn't think belonged under the chapter heading they were put under. There was also an entry which just consisted of an assurance that there was a lot of information on the topic, and a reference to other sources, which struck me as odd. Overall, though, a gripping read considering it's basically a kind of encyclopaedia.

[Ava Courtney Sylvester · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Work of Fiction that Treats Myth as Fact

I was happy to buy this book on the strength of its remarkable introduction. While it is charming and entertaining at times, it consistently strains credulity when it presents real historical figures in the same "encyclopedia" as cryptids. I'd say a quoting medieval bestiaries for fictional creatures is fine, but when they're cited as sources for bees and ostriches, it diminishes the trust I have for all other entries, even those covering verifiable facts.

Take and enjoy this book as a fun work of fiction, and don't look too much into the unsubstantiated assertion that data Vinci's The Last Supper predicts the end of the world (and on November 1, 4006, no less). Oh, also? Beware the author who cites more of their own books than those of others. Just, a little red flag for reliability there.

[Retta Hamman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really good as folklore itself, but presents itself as nonfiction, and has 'scientific facts,' and 'historical facts' but has virtually no bibliography, though he does have a reference section which is basically his own books and some websites, and doesn't cite authors whose works he QUOTES (also where he gets the quotes are not in the references), though he will sometimes say the name of the author he's quoting. He, also makes claims that are fully unsubstantiated. Also, there are a lot of typos in this book (obvious ones like the same word written twice), and there are a couple of sections that are literally repeated verbatim from previous sections