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Encyclopedia of Legendary Creatures
Presents, in encyclopedia format, monsters and supernatural beings from Abominable Snowman to Zombi.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1981
3 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Tom McGowen
97 books13 followersTom McGowen worked in advertising in the Chicago, Illinois, area until 1969. He then became a senior editor at World Book, Inc. Mr. McGowen now writes and lives in a northwest suburb of Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 21, 2013
One of my favorite books as a kid. Bought it in Bermuda at age 8 and now reading it with my 9 year old daughter. Beautiful, chilling illustrations. Hopefully she'll read it with her kids.
March 30, 2021
When I saw this book pass through the library, I was struck with a feeling of nostalgia. I didn't think I had read it before, but it seemed like the sort of thing I would have read when I was younger. So too, the style of illustration seems familiar, but none of the works listed here for the illustrator seem like ones I've read.
Anyway, it is a fun sort of book, especially for its time and target audience. I like that it includes monsters from a variety of cultures, though I imagine there could be issues with how it is done. An obvious example is how the entry for "Abominable Snowman" defines Yeti as "all-devouring things," a translation which seems to have no basis in fact.
There are two things the book is lacking in my opinion: one is sufficient art. The art that it has is fun, sort of cartoonish but grim. But only a small number of creatures receive illustrations and there is fair amount of repetition and redundancy within those illustrations: Werewolf has two illustrations, though both just appear to be wolves--vicious yet strangely fluffy and cute as well-- and the only distinction between the drawing of Fenris and them are the chains that bind him; Ghouls as well receive two illustrations, one a fairly good picture of a ghoul itself, the other of a (human) desert traveler stalked by ominous silhouettes in the background; the design of Fafnir is hardly distinct from that of the generic Dragon, except rendered in red instead of muddy green; and the illustrations of Gnomes, Goblins, Dwarfs, and such (monsters that might be described as resembling little old men) are hardly distinguishable at all.
The other thing it lacks is sources. Knowing the source of the information for some of the creatures would, I think, show a greater amount of respect for the cultures behind some of the less common ones. And I'm also just curious to know more about some of the stories (like a giant called Torch apparently from Armenia), or wonder about seeming errors, like how Gorgons are described as scaly bulls with deadly breath-- a conception most strongly associated with D&D in my experience-- and made stranger by the fact that the entry for Medusa in this book says she was a Gorgon, describes them as they existed in Greek myth, and comments not at all on the contradiction with the entry on Gorgon earlier in the book. There are some other gaming related oddities that I wonder at, like the Su (a rather obscure monster I first encountered in D&D, though I have found traces of it in other places) or the Bay-kok (Pathfinder, a D&D variant, has a creature based on this-- and a miniature for it-- a sort of undead archer seemingly, and I had had no idea there was a real mythical basis for it before).
Anyway, it is a fun sort of book, especially for its time and target audience. I like that it includes monsters from a variety of cultures, though I imagine there could be issues with how it is done. An obvious example is how the entry for "Abominable Snowman" defines Yeti as "all-devouring things," a translation which seems to have no basis in fact.
There are two things the book is lacking in my opinion: one is sufficient art. The art that it has is fun, sort of cartoonish but grim. But only a small number of creatures receive illustrations and there is fair amount of repetition and redundancy within those illustrations: Werewolf has two illustrations, though both just appear to be wolves--vicious yet strangely fluffy and cute as well-- and the only distinction between the drawing of Fenris and them are the chains that bind him; Ghouls as well receive two illustrations, one a fairly good picture of a ghoul itself, the other of a (human) desert traveler stalked by ominous silhouettes in the background; the design of Fafnir is hardly distinct from that of the generic Dragon, except rendered in red instead of muddy green; and the illustrations of Gnomes, Goblins, Dwarfs, and such (monsters that might be described as resembling little old men) are hardly distinguishable at all.
The other thing it lacks is sources. Knowing the source of the information for some of the creatures would, I think, show a greater amount of respect for the cultures behind some of the less common ones. And I'm also just curious to know more about some of the stories (like a giant called Torch apparently from Armenia), or wonder about seeming errors, like how Gorgons are described as scaly bulls with deadly breath-- a conception most strongly associated with D&D in my experience-- and made stranger by the fact that the entry for Medusa in this book says she was a Gorgon, describes them as they existed in Greek myth, and comments not at all on the contradiction with the entry on Gorgon earlier in the book. There are some other gaming related oddities that I wonder at, like the Su (a rather obscure monster I first encountered in D&D, though I have found traces of it in other places) or the Bay-kok (Pathfinder, a D&D variant, has a creature based on this-- and a miniature for it-- a sort of undead archer seemingly, and I had had no idea there was a real mythical basis for it before).
April 9, 2023
I admire the art of Victor Ambrus and this book had been mentioned in a novel I was reading so I tracked down a copy. As it turns out, the text is also a delight and so the volume has taken a place of honor on my coffee table. Just the thing to pick up and savor in small bites.
December 26, 2020
Note: This rating comes from my 12 year old self, in a recently discovered school assignment.
July 19, 2022
Great for kids , really sparks interest
February 19, 2017
Een oud boek, na veel zeuren tijdens een zomervakantie hebben mijn ouders het voor me gekocht (zeuren werkt). nu lees ik het voor mijn kind. Het is enig, een encyclopedie van allerlei beesten en monsters, waar mensen in geloofden. Met mooie, fantasievolle tekeningen van Victor Ambrus.
Dit heeft mij mijn eerste stapjes op mijn latere weg richting fantasy doen zetten.
Dit heeft mij mijn eerste stapjes op mijn latere weg richting fantasy doen zetten.
March 21, 2014
A great collection of creatures from all over the world!
The pictures are beautiful and the creatures are interesting. I spent hours just flipping through the pages and reading about every single one of them over and over. A lot of fun for kids, adults and anyone in between!
The pictures are beautiful and the creatures are interesting. I spent hours just flipping through the pages and reading about every single one of them over and over. A lot of fun for kids, adults and anyone in between!
April 16, 2012
What a beautiful collection of illustration and myths!! Induced dreams of big spiders.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews