Dragons: A Natural History Book

For millennia, few animals have fascinated mankind more than dragons. But until now, no rigorous survey has captured them in all their glorious variety. Dragons: A Natural History is that survey . . . a one-of-a-kind book, bringing these captivating creatures to life with lavish illustrations and vivid commentary. This marvelous compendium will take you on a journey that begins with the earliest serpent dragons and continues to the present day. Along the way, Dr. Karl Shuker, one of the world's leading experts on dracontology, shares his wealth of knowledge.

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If you ever encounter a dragon, it would be good to have this book on hand. Thanks to it, you will be able to recognize the particular species of the beast you have met, whether worm, basilisk, cockatrice, tarasque, peluda, or mere dragonet. Knowing such information could keep you from accidentally feeding a baby wyvern, as a girl named Maud did in Herefordshire, whereupon it grew into a winged monster that terrorized the countryside until it was finally dispatched by a fearless knight. Charmingly written and gorgeously illustrated with dragons ranging from Babylonian Ishtar's guard dragon as portrayed in mosaic bas-relief to Quetzalcoatl in Mayan codices to the creature Saint George famously fought, this is an excellent popular folklore tome.