Giants [Hardcover]

Charles DeLoach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 1995

Over time, peer pressure in academia has practically succeeded in banishing real giants from the pages of history. While they find the mythical giants absolutely fascinating, professors and other scholars have ridiculed to death any belief that a race of huge people once terrified the other inhabitants of Earth. By detailing the principal role they played in humankind's history, however, this volume establishes their existence beyond any doubt. DeLoach has gathered scattered accounts and, for the first time, presents them together in one source.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

DeLoach believes in giants as a separate race of beings. According to the press release, "DeLoach's documentation on the Biblical giants should silence those who regard them as Hebrew fables."

The mixture of types of giants he covers is rich, ranging from the biblical to the mythic, the literary to the documented. The essay "Origin of the Giants--Biblical Account" spells out DeLoach's views on the nature of giants; he believes they are descendants of people who lived before Adam and Eve. The evolutionist will find no encouragement here. Entries are arranged dictionary-style and range from a few lines to essays of several pages. The style is breezy and accessible. Most of the references in the bibliography are to works that can be easily obtained, ranging from travelers' tales to biblical archaeology and scholarly historical works.

DeLoach's fascination with giants is both the work's strength and its weakness. Unfortunately, he has focused so narrowly on the topic that he cannot see it in context or consider the possibility of alternative explanations for phenomena. He accepts without doubt travelers' tales, although explorers are not always reliable in their accounts of the lands and peoples they visited. Historic standards of mensuration do not give an accurate picture of "giant" ; many of the people described as giants may have only been taller than their contemporaries.

Although it is a pleasant browse, this is not a necessary reference purchase except in the most inclusive folklore collections.

Review

This is a book that will likely be of interest to the general reader as well as serve as a useful reference tool. Recommended for all collections. (Public Library Quarterly )

...this guide is well placed to be included in that small range of reference works, not always too well known to the general public, but which prove their worth over and over again to hard-pressed reference librarians. (Reference Reviews )

...style is breezy and accessible...a pleasant browse. (Booklist )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press (April 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810829711
• ISBN-13: 978-0810829718
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,853,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.