The Book of Dragons & Other Mythical Beasts

Not what I was seeking but a fun and interesting book. For the young at heart and lovers of dragon stories and how they came to be in the world, this is a class a publication. Well done.

Great illustrations, very intelligent writing, and not dumbed down. If you are looking for a guide to mythical critters, here's a good one!

For a child or anyone young at heart, this book is an excellent gift choice for dragon lovers. It isn't a lightweight, either -- it's the real deal with tons of information you won't find anywhere else. I highly recommend this book!

I have a couple other books of this sort and compared with those, this book is better as far as illustrations go but does not have as much information. As far as the appearance goes, the dustjacket is gold with colorful pictures of several creatures, (very inviting). I was suprised at the size of the book, I was expecting it to be somewhat bigger. The hardback is good quality and sturdy with the same design as the dustjacket. Inside, the pictures are very colorful. While not all of the illustrations are what I would call "beautiful," they are interesting and pleasant to look at. An interesting feature of the book is a family tree covering two full pages featuring the four branches, or families, of creatures listed in this book. There is also a map of the world showing where these creatures can be found. This is a very nice book, worth having, more for the illustrations than the info, since more detailed information can be found in other books. Similar books I'd recommend: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth by Carol Rose- contains slightly more detailed info and many, many more creatures/beings. This is a true encyclopedia style book. Magickal Mystical Creatures: Invite Their Powers Into Your Life by D.J. Conway- I like this book's style much better than the previous book's. It has more info than Nigg's book but not as much as Rose's. Also, I think this one has more detail in some of it's descriptions than the others.

I really bought this book to do research for a film that I was writing... but it doesn't contain the dense mythological detail that I thought it would. It is however quite informative and well illustrated. All references are well cited.The sections about dragons are particularly interesting - details are well supplied.Don't expect expect a historical text based on mythological references, but this book is still a great read.