Book of Beasts


Book Description

A celebration of the visual contributions of the bestiary--one of the most popular types of illuminated books during the Middle Ages--and an exploration of its lasting legacy. Brimming with lively animals both real and fantastic, the bestiary was one of the great illuminated manuscript traditions of the Middle Ages. Encompassing imaginary creatures such as the unicorn, siren, and griffin; exotic beasts including the tiger, elephant, and ape; as well as animals native to Europe like the beaver, dog, and hedgehog, the bestiary is a vibrant testimony to the medieval understanding of animals and their role in the world. So iconic were the stories and images of the bestiary that its beasts essentially escaped from the pages, appearing in a wide variety of manuscripts and other objects, including tapestries, ivories, metalwork, and sculpture. With over 270 color illustrations and contributions by twenty-five leading scholars, this gorgeous volume explores the bestiary and its widespread influence on medieval art and culture as well as on modern and contemporary artists like Pablo Picasso and Damien Hirst. Published to accompany an exhibition on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center May 14 to August 18, 2019.




Beasts of the Earth


Book Description

James Wade, whose first two novels were praised as “rhapsodic” and “haunting,” delivers his most powerful work to date—a chilling parable about the impossible demands of hate and love, trauma and goodness, vividly set in the landscapes of Texas and Louisiana. Beasts of the Earth tells the story of Harlen LeBlanc, a dependable if quiet employee of the Carter Hills High School’s grounds department whose carefully maintained routine is overthrown by an act of violence. As the town searches for answers, LeBlanc strikes out on his own to exonerate a friend while drawing the eyes of the law to himself and fending off unwelcome voices that call for a sterner form of justice. Twenty years earlier, young Michael Fischer dreads the return of his father from prison. He spends his days stealing from trap lines in the Louisiana bayou to feed his fanatically religious mother and his cherished younger sister, Doreen. When his father eventually returns, an evil arrives in Michael’s life that sends him running from everything he has ever known. He is rescued by a dying poet and his lover, who extract from him a promise: to be a good man, whatever that may require. Beasts of the Earth deftly intertwines these stories, exploring themes of time, fate, and free will, to produce a revelatory conclusion that is both beautiful and heartbreaking.




The Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures


Book Description

Meet your favourite monsters, fairies, heroes, and tricksters from all around the world! Enter the enchanting world of mythical creatures and explore the history behind them in this beautifully-illustrated Greek mythology book for children aged 5-9. You’ll meet an incredible cast of mind-boggling fictional animals from all around the world. Say hello to Bigfoot in the forests of North America and learn about the Native American traditions that inspired its story. Voyage to Japan to meet kitsune, supernatural nine-tailed foxes that can turn into humans. Then jump onboard an ancient storm-battered ship to learn why mermaids were the last thing a sailor wanted to see! Learn about the societies that spawned these legendary creatures, from Ancient Greece to the indigenous tribes of Australia, and find out what the beasts tell us about the people who created them. With magic and mystery in every page, your child can discover: - Facts behind the myths - Insights into cultures from around the world and their creation stories - Stunning full-colour illustrations by Pham Quang Phuc Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures tells you everything you need to know about supernatural animals great and small. Perfect for fans of Harry Potter and other fantasy tales, this mythology book for children is the only kids’ guide to magical creatures that explores the history behind the mythology in both an engaging and educational way. A must-have volume for children aged 5-9 with an interes in fantasy tale, Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures is filled with supernatural stories that brings the history of mythology and magical creatures to life, and explores the societies that birthed these legendary creatures found in narratives from Ancient Greek mythology, Australian and Native American folktales. From narwhal tusks inspiring the legend of unicorns, to dinosaur bones creating rumours of dragons, there is an interesting story behind every magical beast. This beautifully-illustrated fantasy book for kids is wonderful for children who like to delve into enchanting stories and magical creatures.




A World of Beasts: A Thirteenth-Century Illustrated Arabic Book on Animals (the Kitāb Na‘t al-Ḥayawān) in the Ibn Bakhtīshū‘ Tradition


Book Description

The Kitāb Naʿt al-Ḥayawān is the earliest of a group of illustrated manuscripts dealing with the characteristics of animals and their medicinal uses. The present study considers both the confluence of textual traditions within this work and the stylistic and iconographic relationships of its illustrations, which make it a key witness to early thirteenth-century Arab painting. After a re-evaluation of previous approaches, emphasis is placed on relating image to text, on stylistic affiliations, and on the modalities of production, supported by technical analyses undertaken for the first time. In elucidating the particular context of this unique manuscript, the study contributes to our understanding of a critical period in the development of Middle Eastern painting and art.




The Big, Bad Book of Beasts


Book Description

The world's wildest collection of animal knowledge and lore! Lions, and tigers, and bears . . . and dinosaurs, dragons, and monsters. Oh my! For hundreds of years, the most popular books in the Western world next to the Bible were "bestiaries," fanciful encyclopedias collecting all of human knowledge and mythology about the animal kingdom. In these pages, eagles and elephants lived next to griffins and sea monsters. Now, in The Big, Bad Book of Beasts, award-winning author Michael Largo has updated the medieval bestsellers for the twenty-first century, illuminating little-known facts, astonishing secrets, and bizarre superstitions about the beasts that inhabit our world—and haunt our imaginations. You'll learn about the biggest bug ever, the smallest animal in the world, and the real creatures that inspired the fabled unicorns. You'll discover how birds learned to fly, why cats rub against your legs, and a thousand other facts that will make you look at nature in a wonderfully new way. Did you know? The fastest animal in the world is the peregrine falcon, which reaches speeds of over 200 miles per hours. Circus ringmaster P.T. Barnum fooled many when he displayed a "mermaid" carcass that was later proved to be monkey bones sewed together with the body of a fish. Discovered in a remote volcanic crater in New Guinea, the Bosavi wolly rat grows to the size of a cat. President Andrew Jackson bought an African gray parrot to keep his wife company. The bird outlived them both and was removed from Jackson's funeral for cussing in both English and Spanish. A to Z: From Aardvark to Zooplankton! For all ages! Includes 289 illustrations!




The Fantastical World of Beasts


Book Description

Watch incredible, legendary beasts come to life in amazing CGI images and enjoy a rare glimpse of winged wonders, undersea monsters, forest dwellers, and even fairies and werewolves. Detailed spreads display glass-box showcases of their most interesting features, including horns, tails, claws, scales, and skin. Children will love this fantastic world filled with all things mythological and magical!




Strange Beasts of China


Book Description

A New York Times Editors' Choice and Notable Book of 2021 "Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror of 2021"—The Washington Post From one of the most exciting voices in contemporary Chinese literature, an uncanny and playful novel that blurs the line between human and beast… In the fictional Chinese city of Yong’an, an amateur cryptozoologist is commissioned to uncover the stories of its fabled beasts. These creatures live alongside humans in near-inconspicuousness—save their greenish skin, serrated earlobes, and strange birthmarks. Aided by her elusive former professor and his enigmatic assistant, our narrator sets off to document each beast, and is slowly drawn deeper into a mystery that threatens her very sense of self. Part detective story, part metaphysical enquiry, Strange Beasts of China engages existential questions of identity, humanity, love and morality with whimsy and stylistic verve.




Magnificent Magical Beasts


Book Description

With legendary magical beasts making the leap from page to the silver screen, this beautifully illustrated guide to fantastical creatures is the perfect gateway into their mysterious world . . . Step into the enchanted, cinematic world of dragons, werewolves, mermaids, and dozens of other creatures in this spellbinding, fully illustrated guide to magical beasts. And prepare to see magical beasts from around the world in a brand new way! Discover why the phoenix sings an enchanting song, how to tame a unicorn, the best way to defeat a basilisk, and much more, in full color illustrations so vivid that each creature seems as though it's leaping off of a movie screen. This book is a must-have on every aspiring magical beast expert's journey to immersing themselves in this thrilling new world.




The Book of Beasts


Book Description

Matt and Emily Calder’s travels through time come to a thrilling conclusion in the third book of the Hollow Earth trilogy as the siblings struggle to close Hollow Earth—and keep the monsters inside. Twins Matt and Emily Calder may be divided by time, but they are united in their mission to close Hollow Earth before the monsters inside can destroy the world. The key to success lies with their Animare talents: they can draw things into life and travel in time through art. But there are monsters outside Hollow Earth as well. Monsters intent on taking control of the beasts for themselves. And the worst monster of all is their own father…




Beasts of Britain


Book Description

Beasts Of Britain is a book by Andy McGrath, a Cryptozoology 'enthusiast' who has spent over 25 years of researching and obsessing about the unknown creatures living right under our noses here on this tiny island in the North Atlantic. From a wildlife point of view, the accepted fauna of The British Isles were discovered and catalogued in their finite and immovable state in the 19th century. Nothing has really been added to this list or considered worthy since and the continual reports of Water Monsters, Bigfoot, Mystery Big Cats and U.F.C's (Unidentified Flying Cryptids) are largely ignored or used as newspaper fillers to entertain us. Andy's focus is on current research and sightings, pictures, videos and eyewitness accounts of the many cryptids of the British Isles. Although vast advancements in science and technology have brought great discoveries in other lesser known parts of the world, our island lies largely underexplored and overlooked. At night, outside of the busy cities and next to the unlit lakes and lonely mountains it is an island in darkness, where nobody ventures into the woods anymore and the pervading paradigm scare all but the most foolhardy scientists away from any serious investigation of the many yet to be discovered - Beasts Of Britain.




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