The Secret History of Giants

What a wonderful book on a wonderful subject. I loved reading all the info on giants. The book is nicely put together with little flaps, wonderful artwork and a beautiful bookmark. I love looking through my book and never get bored with it. I highly recommend it to any one interested in giants.

While I'm admittedly biased because I know the author, my 11 year old nephew has never met Ari Berk and loves this book, so I'm using his rating here. There's much to learn and enjoy about giants, with new discoveries each time you open the pages (and then open the flaps). I'm still studying the illustrations as they add whimsy as well to this delightful book. Reading is clearly an act of discovery here in the best possible way.

The Order of the Golden Quills exists to archive, study, and collect evidence of the world's Secret Folk--Merfolk, Elves, Dwarves, etc.--as well as honor an ancient promise to protect them. The most recent Magister and Scribe of the Order, Ari Berk, has compiled this stunning and wonderfully expansive encyclopedia featuring the Great Folk, otherwise known as the giants. Each section of this book tells in careful detail about the giants' life cycle, clothing, habits, rituals, and work ethic along with other interesting tidbits, such as tales of famous giants from around the world. A zoologica giganticum is even included, with descriptions and drawings of animals that giants will often raise as pets. (Yes, you will find wyrms and blue oxen in there, among others.) Bound to the earth, giants will wander for many years before returning to the land of their ancestors, where they will undergo "earthfasting," becoming part of the land once again. We owe much to these large, gentle, and hospitable creatures, who can sing the story found in every stone and who have formed many of our topographical features by the nature of their being. With luck, this comprehensive look at one of the world's oldest races can dispel the less favorable myths that have risen from the misunderstandings between humans and giants in the past. Fantastic illustrations, a rich design that keeps the eye moving, and intriguing little features--such as flaps that you can pull up and read and a built in tasseled bookmark with embossed cover--make this one delightful book that you will NOT want your fantasy lover to miss.

I have a confession. I love all of Prof. Berk's work, and this lovely new volume is no exception. Like his other children's books, this is a book for readers. The artwork is gorgeous, but it is filled, filled with words. In fact, it's so packed that it took 5 artists to illustrate it! And there's really just everything you could want to know about Giants, and their history and traditions. His study has ranged from the familiar names of ancient Greece to the shyer and lesser known Giants of Wales and China, and even to those no one has ever before heard of except the archivists, scribes, and lore-wardens of the Order of the Golden Quills. (Prof. Berk is the current Magister and Scribe.) The pages are double thick, which makes it easy for giant fingers to thumb through and also convenient for small ones. And every now and then there are surprises that flip up or fold out with unexpected details about Giantish life, even rules to Giant games, recipes for favorite Giant foods, and a Giants' calendar. And at the very center, a gatefold Zoologica Giganticum (margins lightly scored so they can be folded back safely) presents some of the other giant creatures of the world. You'll spend hours poring over the details, and come back to it again and again to find yet another surprise awaits. Once again Professor Berk has taken us far from the fields we know to those peculiar places just around the corner. And as always, it's just too much fun!