Dragons: A Natural History [Hardcover]

Karl P. N. Shuker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995

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 on:

Dragon dwellings: These magnificent beasts have been found in an astounding number of places. Dragons and their near relatives have found niches in every ecosystem on the planet -- from the mountains of Greece to the forests of northern Europe to the volcanic plain of Mesoamerica to the river valleys of China -- and have, as a consequence, become deeply embedded in human culture.

Dragon variety: Here are five main types of dragons, emerging from the floods or flames of history -- the frightening Serpents, Wyverns, and Classical Dragons of the West; the Sky Dragons, including beneficent Chinese Dragons, Amphipteres, and winged New World species; the Neo-Dragons such as the Basilisk, Salamander, and the like; as well as dozens of varieties and subspecies, including orms, guivres, lindorms, and more.

Dragon traditions: From St. George's batwinged, scaly-legged adversary to Wagner's Fafnir to Quetzalcoatl, mythic dragons have been a powerful presence in the legends of humanity. Each of them is described and illustrated in Dragons: A Natural History.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

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. Patricia Monaghan

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684814439
• ISBN-13: 978-0684814438
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Visual Delight!, March 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dragons: A Natural History (Hardcover)

As both a professional graphics designer and a fan of all things dragonian, I cannot praise this book enough! It is one of the most beautiful-looking books I have ever seen, and for dragon lovers everywhere it is THE book to get if you want to have all the best illustrations of dragons together in one book. With page after page of glorious full-colour masterpieces by such artistic geniuses as Leonardo da Vinci, Uccello, Fuseli, and many other world-famous classic painters, as well as modern artists like Arthur Rackham, it is very difficult to take your eyes away from the pics and read the text! But you should do, because Shuker does a great job retelling famous and not-so-famous dragon legends and folkstories, and adding lots of fascinating factual info too. If there is anyone out there who doesn't like this book, especially its artwork, they have no understanding or love of art or beauty, because this wonderful book is filled with both. A real joy and treasure to view and to own. Well done to the author and the publishers! And don't take too long before you bring out another one like it!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, June 7, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Binghamton, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragons: A Natural History (Hardcover)

Fans of DR. Shuker should be advised that this book is about dragons as they are thought of in culture and mythology. While an excellent text in that area, it is not a book in his usual field of cryptozoology.

Many people who have read other works by the author will expect the book to be about surviving dinosaurs, winged serpents, and other dragonlike entities reported to exist in parts of Africa and elsewhere. anyone expecting this will come away disapointed.

If you are a fan of cryptozoology, this book is not for you. If however, you are looking for mythological references and the like, you will be very pleased with this book. in that regard, it is unsurpassed.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not Great, January 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dragons: A Natural History (Hardcover)

This book is pretty good, but it's not what the title says. It is not a 'natural history' of dragons. It's more of a collection of dragon myths. I thought it would be a natural history. It's really not. If you want something like that, get Karin Johnsgard's 'Dragons and Unicorns: a Natural History'. Karl Shuker's book is a good collection of myths, however,and I suggest it to dragon lovers.