What do you think?
Rate this book
Mermaids
Our volume is a compilation of succinct and insightful extracts from the literature of mermaids, and also some of our favorite images of mermaids. The pictures are by a variety of painters (including Waterhouse, Bocklin, and Burne-Jones) and book illustrators (including Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and W. Heath Robinson).
39 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1999
95 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 11, 2020
A nice collection of mermaid paintings and illustrations. The poetry and prose was fine. I didn’t like how the illustrations were cited at the back. It made me worried there were being used without permission as I read.
February 17, 2019
This is a little book that mermaid lovers might find inspirational. It's a collection of poems, songs and bits of lore and culture revolving around mermaids. The writings include notes from Jane Yolen, Oscar Wilde and Shakespear and art by various artists such as Kilmt, Chagall and John Williams Waterhouse. I especially love the cover, which is one of Rackham's paintings. This isn't something I would have purchased for myself, but it's something I can see myself turning to if I'm looking for some inspiration when writing.
December 22, 2018
This was a very beautifully illustrated book on the folklore surounding mermaids from varying cultures and countries. With many famous poets such as, W.B. Yeats, Hans Christian Anderson, T.S. Eliot, Alfred Lord Tenyson, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Walter De La Mare and more, adding their own verse to the romance of the myth. The artwork is spectacular and although a very quick read of only around 56 pages, this little book I enjoyed very much. Recommended.
August 31, 2012
I never find it easy to rate a book that is a collection of images and quotes. I love that the contents are from varied time periods (mostly late 19th early 20th century) and give a nice taste of mermaid lore (mostly Western). It's a beautiful book, which is why I bought it, and my only wish is that the book itself was BIGGER. When you're ogling something this pretty, you always wish it were bigger. ;)
May 16, 2011
Short and sweet collection of art featuring mermaids, interspersed by quotes and poems. Author gets points from this New Ager for including a passage acknowledging that mermaids embody the elements of air and water, which are the elements of impermanence. (I just love ripping air and water signs for this weakness.)
March 23, 2019
This a small and beautiful book of artwork, poems, and prose excerpts on mermaids. A very quick read, I read the whole thing in maybe 20 minutes, though to appreciate the artwork I could definitely spend a longer amount of time with this book.
Text wise there are quotes from Shakespeare, Meri Lao (author of _Seduction and the Secret Power of Women: The Lure of Sirens and Mermaids_ which I recommend for a much more in depth look at the history and mythology of mermaids), Henry Hudson (one of the few to note the lower half of a mermaid being not like a fish but a porpoise, and this from what he said was an actual sighting, quoted here), W. B. Yeats (“Forgot in cruel happiness…That Even lovers drown”), Hans Christian Andersen (though I would have picked a better quote and more than one quote at that), T. S. Eliot (“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each…I do not think that they will sing to me,” sticking close to the siren origins/role for mermaids), Alfred, Lord Tennyson (“I would be a mermaid fair”), Oscar Wilde (with a rare for the book mention of mermen), and Walter De La Mare (“And they pluck sweet music…With sea-cold hands,” one of my favorite lines of poetry in the book) among others.
The crowing jewels of the book though have to be the artwork. Some were familiar and I would expect to see them included but that does not make them any less welcome, others were new to me. Favorites include the front cover, “Jewels from the Deep” (1909) by Arthur Rackham, an artist whom I love so much I have bought two books dedicated to his brilliant fantasy artwork, the truly classic and beloved “A Mermaid” (1900) by John William Waterhouse, another favorite artist of mine, his “The Siren,” not strictly speaking a mermaid but also a very welcome piece, “Ulysses and the Sirens” (1909) by Herbert Draper, another classic piece that the book might feel incomplete without, and “The Mermaid” by Howard Pyle, not one I was especially familiar with. The style most often in the book was of the late 19th and early 20th century Pre-Raphaelites or to my untrained eye art like their work or in the style of the many well illustrated children’s books from the Golden Age of British book illustration, with only a few pieces later than the first two decades of the twentieth century, most ranging from the 1840s to 1910 or so (and that was fine with me).
The artwork is all western (as are all the quotes). Though many as noted are from children’s books or would be child-friendly, there were some definitely more adult ones (Waterhouse for one, Daniel Maclise’s “The Origin of the Harp” circa 1842 for another) but I wouldn’t call any of the artwork except maybe the Maclise piece really erotic.
Text wise there are quotes from Shakespeare, Meri Lao (author of _Seduction and the Secret Power of Women: The Lure of Sirens and Mermaids_ which I recommend for a much more in depth look at the history and mythology of mermaids), Henry Hudson (one of the few to note the lower half of a mermaid being not like a fish but a porpoise, and this from what he said was an actual sighting, quoted here), W. B. Yeats (“Forgot in cruel happiness…That Even lovers drown”), Hans Christian Andersen (though I would have picked a better quote and more than one quote at that), T. S. Eliot (“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each…I do not think that they will sing to me,” sticking close to the siren origins/role for mermaids), Alfred, Lord Tennyson (“I would be a mermaid fair”), Oscar Wilde (with a rare for the book mention of mermen), and Walter De La Mare (“And they pluck sweet music…With sea-cold hands,” one of my favorite lines of poetry in the book) among others.
The crowing jewels of the book though have to be the artwork. Some were familiar and I would expect to see them included but that does not make them any less welcome, others were new to me. Favorites include the front cover, “Jewels from the Deep” (1909) by Arthur Rackham, an artist whom I love so much I have bought two books dedicated to his brilliant fantasy artwork, the truly classic and beloved “A Mermaid” (1900) by John William Waterhouse, another favorite artist of mine, his “The Siren,” not strictly speaking a mermaid but also a very welcome piece, “Ulysses and the Sirens” (1909) by Herbert Draper, another classic piece that the book might feel incomplete without, and “The Mermaid” by Howard Pyle, not one I was especially familiar with. The style most often in the book was of the late 19th and early 20th century Pre-Raphaelites or to my untrained eye art like their work or in the style of the many well illustrated children’s books from the Golden Age of British book illustration, with only a few pieces later than the first two decades of the twentieth century, most ranging from the 1840s to 1910 or so (and that was fine with me).
The artwork is all western (as are all the quotes). Though many as noted are from children’s books or would be child-friendly, there were some definitely more adult ones (Waterhouse for one, Daniel Maclise’s “The Origin of the Harp” circa 1842 for another) but I wouldn’t call any of the artwork except maybe the Maclise piece really erotic.
April 2, 2022
I got this copy preloved but still in a very good condition. I feel lucky for having this book on my shelf.
The most important thing which has caught my attention is that a lot of amazing illustrations with different styles!!! But, most of them are naked UwU I don’t think you can give it to kids under 13 years old.
Also, I really concerned about the illustrations given inside because the credits are written in the last part of the book. Sigh. Poor the artists.
However, the content of the books are also quite complete with mermaids lore and poems.
Really wanna read this again next to the seashore.
The most important thing which has caught my attention is that a lot of amazing illustrations with different styles!!! But, most of them are naked UwU I don’t think you can give it to kids under 13 years old.
Also, I really concerned about the illustrations given inside because the credits are written in the last part of the book. Sigh. Poor the artists.
However, the content of the books are also quite complete with mermaids lore and poems.
Really wanna read this again next to the seashore.
January 1, 2023
This was a beautifully illustrated esoteric art book.
(2020)
(2020)
January 23, 2016
I had my eye on this book for quite some time when I ordered it a couple months ago. I was looking for a book with mostly pictures and not too much text on mermaids. This is perfect. I only wish it was longer. This book has page after page of beautiful pictures. There are also poems and quotes from books, journals, etc about merfolk.
If you're interested in learning more about all the different types of merfolk and other mythical water creatures, I recommend Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures Invoke the Magick of the Waters, by D.J. Conway.
If you're interested in learning more about all the different types of merfolk and other mythical water creatures, I recommend Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures Invoke the Magick of the Waters, by D.J. Conway.
May 4, 2008
awesome art!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews