Books like Treasury of fantastic and mythological creatures by Richard Huber

An anthology of varied short stories under the title "Fantastic Creatures".

Medieval authors placed fantastic creatures in the borders of manuscripts, since they mark the boundaries of our understanding. Tales throughout the world generally place fabulous beasts in marginal locations. According to apocalyptic visions of the Bible, they will also proliferate as we approach the end of time. Because they challenge our conceptual powers, fantastic creatures also seem to exist at the limits of language. Legends tell us that imaginary animals belong to a primordial time, before we had encompassed the world in names, categories and elaborate conceptual frameworks. This richly illustrated book shows how, despite their liminal role, dog-men, mermaids, and many other imaginary creatures are socially constructed through the same complex play of sensuality and imagination as "real" ones. It traces the history of imaginary animals from Palaeolithic art to the Harry Potter stories. These figures help us psychologically by giving form to our amorphous fears as "monsters", as well as embodying our hopes as "wonders."

A visually intense handbook about legendary beings. Who is the creepy shape-shifter that haunts the mysterious jungles of South America? What grotesque creature has the body of a lion and the head of a hawk? Why does a monstrous being from Greek mythology have locks of hair made of deadly, writhing snakes? Using the magic of 3-D computer-generated art--the kind used by Hollywood's top special-effects experts--noted British illustrator David West creates a visually stunning universe, the likes of which you've never seen.

Starting with basic drawing techniques, readers will follow a series of step-by-step projects to create wizards, warriors, sorceresses, dwarves, elves, goblins, and other astonishing figures that virtually leap off the page. By the end, theyll create whole scenes, including a dramatic showdown between a wizard and a dragon.

Explore how Celtic peoples revered animals—wild and domestic—through rituals, mythology, and daily life, using archaeological and literary evidence.

"The Grand Medieval Bestiary: Animals in Illuminated Manuscripts is a splendid pageant of the animal kingdom as the Middle Ages saw it, illustrated with miniatures of every period and style, many never before published. Noted art historian Christian Heck explains that the prevalence of animals in illuminated manuscripts reflects their importance in medieval thought, an importance due in part to the agricultural society of that age, in which a variety of species--and not just docile pets--were the daily companions of man. The main part of the book explores the complex and fascinating iconography of the individual creatures most frequently depicted by medieval miniaturists. It is arranged in the manner of a proper bestiary, with essays on one hundred animals alphabetized by their Latin names. The selection includes a number of creatures that would now be considered fantastic, including the griffin, the manticore, and of course the fabled unicorn, tamable only by a gentle maiden"--