Mythical creatures drawn largely from medieval travellers' tales, but
encompassing civilisations from the Sumerians to the Wild West.
A dictionary? No, this is really an astonishing ark filled with beasts
from a fabulous zoo far more varied and entertaining than anything from
ordinary natural history. From Abaia and Abath to Ziz and Zu, from the
microscopic Gigelorum that nests in a mite's ear to the giant serpent
Jormungandor who encircles the whole globe, there are beasts from every
corner of man's imagination: the light-hearted Fearsome Critters of
lumberjack tales find a place alongside the Sirrush of Babylon and the
Winged Bulls of Assyria. Some of the fabulous beasts turn out to be real
creatures in disguise - a Cameleopard is a kind of glamourised giraffe
-while others are almost, but not quite, human. Among the six hundred
entries are some which are full-scale essays in their own right, as on
Phoenix or Giants; and just in case it seems as though the authors
dreamt up the entire book, there is a detailed list of books for the
would-be hunter in this mythical jungle.