Books About Monsters/Creatures

[The Vorpal Tribble]

I'm trying to get a 'monsters' section to my personal library and was wondering if any of you have any suggestions? Preferring those that spotlight a creature in particular, but those that give a detailed account of a number are also fine. Want something beyond a pretty picture book as well if possible.

Particular interests:
- Fey
- Angels
- Native American creatures
- Aborigine creatures


Examples of those in my collection:

The Natural History of Unicorns
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vjF7jzPiL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

Gnomes
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HRC1NV9JL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

A Chinese Bestiary : Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513Ztqx2OdL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

The Mythic Bestiary
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V-haK9ZVL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

[Serpentine]

My library has The Natural History of Unicorns! I went in there once to go to the loo while waiting for a friend, and ended up nearly wetting myself when I started flicking through it and forgot about the whole dunny thing...
Will be back later with what books I own. If you like, I can also check where my two libraries have such things.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

My library has The Natural History of Unicorns! I went in there once to go to the loo while waiting for a friend, and ended up nearly wetting myself when I started flicking through it and forgot about the whole dunny thing...
Hahaha, I love Australians... :smallbiggrin:

Actually, a book on aborigine/australian creatures is one I've wanted for a long time.

[Moglorosh]

Monsters of Magic (as in, Magic, the Gathering) is a pretty nice little anthology. The Lhurgoyf makes an appearance (Ach! Hans, RUN!)

[factotum]

It's not dedicated solely to monsters, but the Encyclopaedia of Things that Never Were (Michael Page and Robert Ingpen) has exhaustive detail on mythical creatures, gods, and other legendary stuff from across the globe. Nice illustrations, too!

[Mystic Muse]

hopefully this doesn't break the "no religion" rule but if you're looking for something on Angels I suggest the Encyclopedia of angels.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Oh, those Encyclopedias look awesome!

Edit: Dang, Rosemary Guiley is quite prolific.

[Icewalker]

I have a friend who has always been particularly interested in and studious of native American mythos and lore, I'll pass the question on to him and see if he has any suggestions.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Thanks Icewalker!


Books I know I gotta get now...
- Encyclopedia of Angels
- The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology
- Shadow World: True Encounters with Beings from the Darkside by Brad Steiger
- A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings: Explore the Mystical Realm of the Little People
- Good Faeries, Bad Faeries

[Rappy]

Heh, I'm currently reading The Natural History of Unicorns myself.

Two books you should look into are Giants, Monsters, and Dragons and Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, both by Carol Rose. They don't have a lot of data for each monster, but they are extensive jumpoff points for more research.

[nanobot_swarm]

There is a book titled Faeries, amd it's very much like the book on Gnomes
If you ever decide to add aliens, there's always Wayne Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials

[Hallavast]

I'm going to assume you are specifically looking for fictional creatures? Thus, you wouldn't want to know about the dreaded Koala; the bloodthirsty, tree-dwelling marsiupial beasts currently engaged in a grand conspiratorial plot to violently overthrow Switzerland in a bid to monopolize Swiss cuckoo clocks?

:smallconfused:

[Cheesegear]

I own a book called The Dragon Chronicles (http://www.thedragonchronicles.com/home/home.htm) (no author...:smallconfused:) that I once bought as a child for all the pretty pictures of dragons within.

When I learned to read properly (and all the...'flowery' text definitely made things difficult) I found there was actually a pretty cool story to be found alongside each and every picture of a dragon. :smallbiggrin:
And a lot of theories on how dragons breathe fire and how they must have hollow bones (like birds), otherwise they couldn't possibly fly.

There's a remarkably similar book I've seen around the bookshops lately. I'll see if I can track it down and buy a copy and get back to you on that one too.

And The Discovery of Dragons by Graeme Base. Includes dragons from all countries. Including a extraordinarily bizarre half-emu, half-dragon looking thing originating in Australia (Here's (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2608453099_45c4de66da.jpg?v=0) an approximation from Spore). It's size in the small box in the corner is relative to a kangaroo, rather than a man. We Australians are awesome. :smallbiggrin:

EDIT: Amazon tells me Dragon Chronicles is written by Malcolm Sanders. If that helps.

[Lykan]

I got a book awhile ago called Giants, Monsters, and Dragons (http://www.amazon.com/Giants-Monsters-Dragons-Encyclopedia-Folklore/dp/0393322114/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259669195&sr=1-1). It has beasties from the world over in it, with several appendices in the back grouping together country of origin, concepts or objects the creatures could be associated with, and animals the creatures are part or slightly resemble. It's really neat and I highly recommend it.

[Bhu]

http://www.amazon.com/Element-Encyclopedia-Magical-Creatures-Fantastic/dp/140273543X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259670055&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-North-American-Monsters/dp/0609800175/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259670097&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Universe-Jonathan-Maberry/dp/0806528133/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259670123&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Cryptopedia-Dictionary-Strange-Downright-Bizarre/dp/0806528192/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259670123&sr=1-2

these are just off the top of my head, I know I have some more somewhere. I think vampire universe might be online via google books

[Athaniar]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/Monster_Manual_540x706.jpg
This one good enough for you?

[warty goblin]

I personally recommend the Enchanted World series, if you can find them. Totally awesome, and with terrific art as well.

[Bhu]

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Cryptozoology-Global-Animals-Pursuers/dp/0786420367/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259747358&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Spirits-Ultimate-Fairies-Goddesses/dp/0061350249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259747388&sr=1-1-spell

http://www.amazon.com/Yokai-Attack-Japanese-Monster-Survival/dp/4770030703/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259747405&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Pandemonium-Parade-Japanese-Monsters-Culture/dp/0520253620/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259747405&sr=1-3

[Innis Cabal]

http://www.amazon.com/Element-Encyclopedia-Magical-Creatures-Fantastic/dp/140273543X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259670055&sr=1-1


I hearitly endorse this book. Its wonderful, beyond wonderful. This book was the first to spring instantly to mind, well above the literal stacks of books I have going over chinese and korean myth.

[Serpentine]

Actually, a book on aborigine/australian creatures is one I've wanted for a long time.You know, I don't think I've ever actually seen a book on Aussie monsters... There's anthologies of Aboriginal stories around, but they're mostly about Dreamtime animal-people-spirits.

And The Discovery of Dragons by Graeme Base. Includes dragons from all countries. Including a extraordinarily bizarre half-emu, half-dragon looking thing originating in Australia (Here's (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2608453099_45c4de66da.jpg?v=0) an approximation from Spore). It's size in the small box in the corner is relative to a kangaroo, rather than a man. We Australians are awesome. :smallbiggrin:Dunno whether this'd be the sort he's looking for, though, as those are nearly completely made-up. By him. Not by anyone who ever actually believed in them... You know what I mean.

I personally recommend the Enchanted World series, if you can find them. Totally awesome, and with terrific art as well.That was going to be the first thing I suggested. Also each book has a comprehensive bibliography for further reading. From the one entitled Magical Beasts (it's the one that's been read so much that the word "beasts" has been rubbed right off:
Ashton Curious Creatures in Zoology
Barber, A Dictionary of Fabulous Beasts
Borges, The Book of Imagirnary Beings
Clair, Unnatural History: An Illustrated Bestiary
Costello, The Magic Zoo: The Natural History of Fabulous Animals
and so on.
I also have:
A Field Guide to Irish Fairies by Bob Curran
Dragons: A Natural History by Dr. Karl Shuker, and
Encyclopedia of Monsters by Daniel Cohen
as well as some Cryptozoology books, but I don't think that's really the same thing.

From my libraries, to give an idea of where things are in the Dewey-Decimal System, there are:
UNE
Bunyips : Australia's folklore of fear at 398.0994/H726b
Dragons : truth, myth, and legend at CR398.2454/P287d
A BOOK OF DRAGONS at 398.2454/D759/1973
The fairies in tradition and literature at 398.45/B854f
The historie of fovre-footed beastes. : Describing the true and liuely figure of euery beast, with a discourse of their seuerall names, conditions, kindes, vertues (both naturall and medicinall) countries of their breed, their loue and hate to mankinde, and the wonderfull worke of God in their creation, preseruation, and destruction. / Necessary for all diuines and students, because the story of euery beast is amplified with narrations out of Scriptures, Fathers, phylosophers, physitians, and poets: wherein are declared diuers Hyerogliphicks, emblems, epigrams, and other good histories, collected out of all the volumes of Conradvs Gesner, and all other writers to this present day at Q094.2/E58/561 (want this one)
Both the Enchanted World books at the uni are at 398.2x

Town
Bunyips : Australia's folklore of fear 001.944/HOL
The Time-Life encyclopedia of things that never were : creatures, places and people R/398.3/PAG
The natural history of unicorns 398.469/LAV
The book of the dragon 398.469/ALL
Dragons 398.469/HOG
Dragons Q/398.2454/DRA
Mythical beasts 398.2454/LLO


Looks like they belong around 398.

[Manicotti]

Does anyone object to the Harry Potter spinoff "textbook" version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? :P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Beasts_and_Where_to_Find_Them

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Serp, this is America, Dewey was bludgeoned to death with a 50 lbs dictionary and fed into a computer program ;)

(well, least it's that way in Georgia)

[Serpentine]

If you're gonna make your library have a mythological creatures section, it's gonna be at 398 :smalltongue:

Are you sure your library doesn't already have at least some?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

My 'personal library' is the one in my house. I have many hundreds of books, lol

[Bhu]

http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Mythology-Encyclopedia-Myth-Legend/dp/026166655X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259838164&sr=1-1

http://myaquabooks.com/newbooks0716.php (scroll down to Giants and Fairies)

[Serpentine]

My 'personal library' is the one in my house. I have many hundreds of books, lol<.<
>.>

Icy.

In that case, the ones I mentioned I own are all pretty great. The Encyclopedia of Monsters seems to be a part of a bit of a series or something - I also have a similar-looking and -set up Encyclopedia of Ghosts. And the Enchanted World series is an absolute must, if you can find it.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Woo hoo! For Christmas got...

Encyclopedia of Angels
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FU5A2RgJL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg


Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book
(cracked me up so bad)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TZQRN9PGL._SL500_AA240_.jpg


And my favorite of them all...

The Werewolf's Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61wf93FoKmL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

The above was so sweet :smallamused:

[bosssmiley]

Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book
(cracked me up so bad)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TZQRN9PGL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

I remember seeing that one on the shelves of Waterstones back in the day. Hilariously bad taste. The weird and whimsical elements make me thing DiTerlizzi.

Oh, Brian Froud's World of the Dark Crystal (http://www.amazon.com/World-Dark-Crystal-Collectors/dp/0810945797) is an old favourite on mine. Weta Workshop's World of Kong a more recent one.