Customer Reviews

The Lore of the Unicorn

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i wanted an indepth look at the history and origin of the unicorn. i got it. this book is incredibly well reaserched and very thorough. probably the best book on mythological animals i have ever seen. the only complaint i had was that the author seemed a bit taken with himself. i kept a dictionary next to the book and used it on an average of once every two to three pages. he also tended to quote from the greek and latin, and neglect to translate it. but for a serious knowledge quest or research on a paper, this is the book you want.

I've been looking for a while for an all-encompassing, in-depth text on the historical significance and study of the unicorn. This book is it. It is filled to the brim with hundreds and hundreds of facts, accounts, testimonials, examinations and analyses of the unicorn throughout history. I was deeply disappointed in reading Roy Wilkinson's sappy "Are You A Unicorn?" This book compensates extensively where other books about the unicorn have failed. Especially interesting are juxtaposed conjectures and certainties of the unicorn. Wonderfully written and thoroughly researched, this is the truest guide to the Unicorn if ever there was one.

I recieved my first copy when it first came out! It was one of my first unicorn books, and i was just a kid. I loved it, it got me into history, mythology and helped me understand a lot about the unicorn in general.

this book is a great reference for unicorn mythology, lore, pictoral reference and anything else you can use it for. I have actually used it in my own artwork , i have done illustrations of all the unicorns in the book, as a kid i had made it a goal, the unicorn, monoceras, kirrin, abath, re'em and everything in between. it was actually a book that got me to get up and do something. it got me to study that mythical beast that is always in my dreams and near me in some way...

from the mythology of the unicorn's creation, to Jesus, to Satan to whatever else this creature has pranced though

You can tell so much how dedicated this author was, i have even found references in fiction and fantasy books about this author and his wonderful book (Unicorn Mountain). this book is a must-have, must-read book for anyone who likes unicorns. It is always in the bibliography section of unicorn books, and it itself has a great bibliography, which i love so that i can get those books!!

i recommend this book above all others if you like the rich history of the elusive and magnificent Unicorn!

Have you ever looked at those unicorn posters for sale in poster shops, read "The Last Unicorn," seen "Legend," scrutinized the British Royal Arms, or otherwise come across a unicorn and wondered from where the notion of a magical horned horse came, how the legend originated?

"Lore of the Unicorn" will tell you, in great detail, all that the author has uncovered through years of literary and historical research. It traces the unicorn legend from its origins in Greek travelogues and the Old Testament, through such historical times as the Bubonic Plague and the poisoner-infested Italian Renaissance, to the present day. Complete with illustrations and copious footnotes, this book is an incredibly meaty resource on almost all aspects of the magical unicorn.

Though sometimes a bit dry and scholarly, "The Lore of the Unicorn" is gifted with its author's dry wit, and Shepard's reverance and respect for the legend shows through on almost every page. Though I would have liked to see some color plates and a discussion of the unicorn in modern literature, the book is more than sufficient in what it covers to make it an invaluable resource to unicorn-lovers and historical scholars everywhere.

If you have any experience with Dover publications, you'll know to expect something terrific. You won't be mistaken. Odell Shepard presents a work of such thorough, painstaking scholarship, it should be held up as a model for what scholarship ought to be. In fact, you get a pretty good sense of the history of scholarliness itself, reading this. If you find yourself sort of hypnotized by the excitement of looking over the shoulders of centuries worth of savants, I recommend you also read anything by Anthony Grafton, who writes about issues in the history of Renaissance scholarship. Another thing -- what a beautiful writing style this Odell Shepard possesses. His prose is characterized by an exacting usage of language (languages, I should say, because he apparently has a fluency with Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and probably other languages as well), and also by a taste for baroque, nineteenth century sentence structure. Really beautiful stuff. He loves his subject, and he loves the way it has been handed down through the ages. Two thumbs up.

This is a very academic, dry text so not especially suited to light reading. However, if you want to know unicorns inside and out, this is the book to go too. It's extremely in-depth and covers many, many myths and beliefs of unicorns across time and culture. Anyone who really wants to understand unicorns and their position in history and culture should make an effort to read this book.

I used this book for a presentation on children's literature as background history on the impact unicorns have had in literature today. This book was incredibly well researched and has a wonderful bibliography for further research into the depths of your interest, whether it be involving the Bible, eastern sources, or the more modern European mythologies.