The Monsterology Handbook: A Practical Course in Monsters (Ologies) [Hardcover]

Dr. Ernest Drake (Author), Dugald A. Steer (Editor), Various (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Ologies

Are there monsters among us? Comb through this essential handbook to learn the secrets that even respected scientists don’t know.

Is it true that a humble stone can summon a sea serpent to your aid?
Do you know the best way to remedy a cyclops’s "lazy eye"? What bison-like creature burns its enemies with venomous dung (and must be approached from the front)? How does one reliably tell true beasts from false, and what do stitches and glue have to do with it? Even monsterologists who know their bigfoots from their bakus can be stymied by the unexpected, and here is a no-nonsense source brimming with fun hands-on lessons guaranteed to leave the reader confident and prepared. Among this lavish handbook’s special features are:
— two envelopes with pull-out surprises
— a removable certificate of achievement
— four pages of monstrous stickers
— fact files on beasts of the earth, water, and air — as well as monsters that are semi-human

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dugald A. Steer, Editor: "With what trepidation I sat down to give my editorial attentions to what was clearly the masterwork of a very erudite man, should be obvious to all who read this book." So begins a letter, written in 1894, from Dugald Steer to an Oxford friend. The letter goes on to explain how a chance meeting with Dr. Ernest Drake at the BULL'S HEAD TAVERN in Dorking, Surrey, made him more than a little curious. Skeptical at first, he took up Dr. Drake's offer to meet him at his house and St. Leonard's Forest, and to attend one of the S.A.S.D. meetings in London. There, he became further involved in Dr. Drake's work, joining him on an expedition to Scotland to try and estimate the hunting range of the Dornoch Wyrm. As he writes, the trip was, "a cause of some emotion, as many of my relative, particularly the Ross branch, come from so near."

Douglas Carrel, Chief Draughtsman: A native of Scotland, Douglas Carrel was clearly a dragonologist of some standing, and often accompanied Dr. Drake on some of his more fruitful expeditions. In a letter from Constantinople to the editor he says, "It is with considerable sense of honour, and no small amount of pride, that I lend my hand to the compiling of this most worthy volume . . . Ultimately, I feel that all of us—within this privileged circle in particular—are duty-bound to preserve and perpetuate the love and lore of dragons."

Helen Ward, Scientific Artist: Helen Ward trained as an illustrator at Brighton School of Art, although it is not known exactly when she came into contact with Dr. Drake. However a quote from her autobiography makes some things clear: "As a child I dreamed of dragons. When age allowed, I traveled. Unfortunately, several expeditions to Europe and one to that part of Russia known as Finland specifically to capture the likeness of a live dragon have ended in failure. The creatures seemed deliberately elusive . . .. With the help of descriptions, notes, and detailed drawings made by others I have managed to illustrate these majestic creatures to the satisfaction of those more fortunate and better-informed dragonologists."

Wayne Anderson, Pictorial Artist: Interested in cryptozoology from an early age, Wayne Anderson first came into contact with S.A.S.D. at one of their meetings in Wyvern Way in London. It was after a couple of trips with Drake—to the Alps in 1878 and to Scotland in 1880—that Wayne realized his early dragon drawings were, in fact, more life-like than he could have realised. Like most of the other collaborators on DRAGONOLOGY, he has contributed to many other books for children. He enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with Helen Ward that resulted in books such as THE TIN FOREST and THE DRAGON MACHIINE.

Nghiem Ta, Artistic Direction: Dr. Drake met Nghiem Ta in the Fukien (now Fujian) Province of China where she was working in her grandfather's bookshop. Their shared interest in dragons became evident when he showed her a copy of the fabled DRAGON SUTRA of Hong Wei, which the monks of that monastery made for him as a gift. He asked Miss Ta if such a revered object could be bound into a book and was so impressed with her work that he later invited her to London to oversee the creation of DRAGONOLOGY.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763646229
• ISBN-13: 978-0763646226
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.6 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Ernest Drake is said to have lived in St. Leonard's Forest, Sussex, England, in the late nineteenth century and to have issued a very limited run - some 100 copies - of DRAGONOLOGY in 1895. A noted dragonologist and a founding member of the Secret & Ancient Society of Dragonologists in London, Dr. Ernest Drake was determined to bring the subject of dragons under the burgeoning umbrella of the nineteenth-century natural sciences. He had absolutely no doubt that dragons exist, and his notes suggest that he had no little experience of them. Apparently, only one copy of DRAGONOLOGY ever appeared in public, surfacing in the basement of a secondhand bookstore in London in 1987. The book was accompanied by a letter, dated 1904, addressed to an unnamed apprentice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliantly Imagined and Beautifully Executed Book, November 2, 2009

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Monsterology Handbook: A Practical Course in Monsters (Ologies) (Hardcover)

THE MONSTEROLOGY HANDBOOK is designed to educate students who have recently arrived at Dr. Ernest Drake's newly established Sanctuary for Fabulous Beasts in St. Leonard's Forest, Horsham, for a three-month-long stay. The year, it should be noted, is 1905. The aspiring monsterologist must begin by taking an oath swearing to protect all monsters and beasts, never revealing their hideouts to unbelievers or to those who seek to exploit them, and studying them only for the sake of science. A provisional license that a student can fill out with his or her own name and photograph makes the process official.

The handbook consists of four sections: dealing with beasts of the Earth, another for beasts of water, a third for beasts of the air, and the final for dealing with semi-human beasts. Thus, the classification is based on habitat rather than on their biological features since the purpose of the book is to prepare one to encounter the beasts in their natural surroundings. Each lesson comes with a homework activity to be completed at a later time --- for once, kids will actually look forward to doing homework. Each section contains fascinating details about "supposedly" mythical beasts. For instance, did you know that the chimera's three heads (goat, snake and lion) do not "see eye-to-eye"? Or that the shy anteater-like baku can devour nightmares and induce calm?

This volume is crammed full of utterly valuable tips for the aspiring monsterologist. One will learn that it is never a good idea to try to trick bigfoots by wearing a monkey suit to sneak up on them (they will not be amused). A good way to calm down a screeching baby yeti is to feed it ice cream to cool it down, whereas baby unicorns need a steady diet of pomegranate juice until they are five months old. Sensible students will learn that sailors would be wise to stay away from a scylla since they form the monster's favorite form of food. It also turns out that everyone would be wise to stay away from the bison-like bonnacon since its main mode of attack is by spraying flesh-burning, venomous dung. As it so happens, there are many perfectly good uses for bonnacon dung, such as dissolving metals ("such as locks"), curing tough dragonhide to make it soft and pliable, and effectively clearing the groundcover in any area for several years. An especially valuable section of the book deals with learning to spot real monsters from the fake ones. One must always be wary of stitches, glue, paint, too many suspiciously identical bones, and those asking for money.

Gorgeous color illustrations scattered throughout the book, small envelopes holding surprises, four pages of stickers, diary entries from Dr. Ernest Drake himself, and many other neat features make THE MONSTEROLOGY HANDBOOK a natural for kids. This is a brilliantly imagined and beautifully executed book designed to give both adult and child readers many, many hours of pleasure. But be warned: this utterly engrossing take on mythical monsters may just make a believer out of you!

--- Reviewed by Usha Reynolds

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed in Monsterology, December 27, 2011

By 

Pat O'Mahoney - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Monsterology Handbook: A Practical Course in Monsters (Ologies) (Hardcover)

The delivery was quick, but this book was NOT like any of the other "ologies". I purchased it for my elementary students at school, but found it to be on a higher level. Also, it was small (not much bigger than a paperback) & without the charm of the others. Boo :)

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, November 2, 2011

By 

Sv - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Monsterology Handbook: A Practical Course in Monsters (Ologies) (Hardcover)

My son loves this series of Ology books. We enjoy our reading time. And it came in a record time. Thank you so much