Publication Date: September 23, 2008 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up
Are there giants among us? Find their story writ large in a lavish exploration touching on folklore and myth, truth and whimsy.
Ancient Greece had its Titans, the Celts their Green Knight, the Bible Goliath — and for those who know where to look, signs of these legendary hulking creatures still abound. Now comes a hugely engrossing chronicle of giants since antiquity, from their role in forming mountains and causing earthquakes to the mysteries of their sacks (watch out for hitchhiking humans); from their means of employment (how did the Druids built Stonehenge?) to an extensive map of places around the world where giants may likely be found. Exhaustive and lushly illustrated, this enormously valuable resource is sure to fascinate all who open its covers.
"Encyclopedia Britannica was never like this! A visual treat and a browser's delight." --Scholastic Education Plus
"A captivating little book that packs an enormous literary punch." --RoundTableReviews.com
"It might be a stretch to get it into a stocking, but any Harry Potter fan will be glad you did." --Minneapolis Star Tribune
Winner of a 2009 prestigious Notable Award --National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Winner of a 2008 Parent's Choice Recommended Award --Parent's Choice
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Ari Berk is a writer, visual artist, and scholar of literature, folklore, and myth. He has written everything from academic works on ancient cultures to popular books about myths for children and adults. A professor at Central Michigan University, Ari Berk has traveled widely and made friends (of all sizes) in many parts of the world.
Product Details
Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Candlewick; 1st Us Edition edition (September 23, 2008)
Please visit Ari Berk on the web at: www.ariberk.com
Ari Berk is an award-winning writer, folklorist, poet, visual artist, and scholar of literature, iconography, and comparative myth. Deeply dedicated to interdisciplinary writing, teaching, and research, Dr. Berk holds degrees in Ancient History (B.A.), American Indian Studies (M.A.), and Comparative Literature and Culture (Ph.D.). The former student of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer N. Scott Momaday, he has studied at Oxford and traveled widely, making friends in many parts of the world.
By day, he is professor of English at Central Michigan University, teaching courses in mythology, folklore, American Indian studies, and medieval literature, as well as sitting on the board of directors of the Mythic Imagination Institute.
But by night, locked away within a high tower, Ari works tirelessly on his numerous writing projects surrounded by thousands of books and curious artifacts of ages past. To date, he has written the following books which you are most welcome to investigate further:
DEATH WATCH [Book one of The Undertaken Trilogy]
They say the dead should rest in peace. Not all the dead agree.
One night, Silas Umber's father Amos never comes home from work. Devastated, Silas struggles to understand what could make an ordinary mortician disappear from the face of the earth. But he's about to learn that Amos was no mere mortician: he was the Undertaker of Lichport, charged with bringing The Peace to the dead trapped in the Shadowlands and Mist Homes, those states of limbo binding spirits to earth. With Amos gone, Silas and his mother have no choice but to return to Lichport, the crumbling seaside town and necropolis where they all were born, and move in with Amos's brother, Charles, the town's former funeral photographer.
Even while Silas eagerly explores his father's town and its many abandoned streets and overgrown cemeteries, he grows increasingly wary of his uncle. There is something not quite right going on in Charles Umber's ornate, museum-like house--something, Silas is sure, that is connected to his father's disappearance. Determined to find his father, Silas's search leads him to his father's old office, where he comes across a powerful artifact: the Death Watch, a four hundred year old Hadean clock that allows the owner to see the dead.
With the Death Watch in hand, Silas begins to unearth Lichport's secret history--and discovers that he has inadvertently taken on his father's mantle as Lichport's Undertaker. Now, Silas must embark on a dangerous path into the Shadowlands to embrace his destiny and discover the truth about his father, no matter the cost.
***
THE SECRET HISTORIES(tm) Series (Templar UK/Candlewick US) - For thousands of years The Order of the Golden Quills have chronicled and collected knowledge and wisdom of The Huldur or Secret Folk, those races spoken of in legend, about whom little is now known. The Secret Histories(tm) books reveal the wonders and mysteries in the landscapes around us all the time -- the places whose stories are forgotten, or are still waiting to be discovered -- the places where Secret Folk still reside, waiting to shake hands with us again. The first two volumes are: ---THE SECRET HISTORY OF GIANTS The Order of the Golden Quills presents its first volume of study on the mighty Giants. In this tome we discover the life of these titans and the work they have undertaken to shape our world. Explore their secrets, witness their fun... and their fury, and learn where to seek out the noble Great Folk... for they might be nearer than you think. **Winner if the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) 2009 Notable Award. **Winner of the Parent's Choice 2008 Recommended Award ---THE SECRET HISTORY OF MERMAIDS AND CREATURES OF THE DEEP A fascinating compendium investigating the undersea world of the merfolk exploring: oceanic magic, merfolk language and customs, underwater villages, historical evidence of merfolk and their unfortunate capture, maps of the oceanic zones and their various inhabitants, perilous creatures of the sea and how to avoid them, and remarkable revelations about merfolk/human relations.
***
COYOTE SPEAKS - WONDERS OF THE NATIVE AMERICAN WORLD (Abrams, 2008) - Myths, legends and wonder tales from the ancient Native American world to the present. Beautifully illustrated with masterworks of Native American art. Written with Carolyn Dunn (Creek/Cherokee).
***
HOW TO BE A VIKING (Templar UK 2008) -- The account of Ari the Learned, a 12th century Icelandic scholar, written for young and aspiring Vikings to help them navigate the perils and adventures of the Norse world. Lessons include translating and reading runes, skaldic speaking, calendar customs, and safely traversing the nine worlds while avoiding trolls, dragons, and giants!
***
LADY COTTINGTON'S PRESSED FAIRY LETTERS (Abrams 2005) - The recently discovered book of Lady Angelica Cottington's fairy correspondence. Includes letters from such worthies as J.M. Barrie, Rasputin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare, Wendy Darling, Oscar Wilde, Annie Oakley and others. Illustrated by Brian Froud.
***
GOBLINS! (Abrams 2004) - Berk and Froud once again join forces, lifting the moldy latch and opening the door to the world of GOBLINS! Containing Messrs. Berk and Froud's curious experiments and first hand knowledge, this is the single greatest source of information regarding the Goblins' horrible habits, awful art, sticky tricks, bizarre customs, and crude culture (illustrated by Brian Froud).
***
THE RUNES OF ELFLAND (Abrams 2003) - A single word can be a world and every letter a land. The word "rune," long ago, could be a letter, a word, an epic, or a spell. Through this book's charms (poems), tellings (stories), gifts (ponderings), and lavish illustrations (by Brian Froud) we learn that the right words can still open a door into Elfland, into wonder, and that storied landscapes are all around us, even now, waiting to be discovered.
This review is from: The Secret History of Giants (Hardcover)
I have a confession. I love all of Prof. Berk's work, and this lovely new volume is no exception. Like his other children's books, this is a book for readers. The artwork is gorgeous, but it is filled, filled with words. In fact, it's so packed that it took 5 artists to illustrate it! And there's really just everything you could want to know about Giants, and their history and traditions. His study has ranged from the familiar names of ancient Greece to the shyer and lesser known Giants of Wales and China, and even to those no one has ever before heard of except the archivists, scribes, and lore-wardens of the Order of the Golden Quills. (Prof. Berk is the current Magister and Scribe.)
The pages are double thick, which makes it easy for giant fingers to thumb through and also convenient for small ones. And every now and then there are surprises that flip up or fold out with unexpected details about Giantish life, even rules to Giant games, recipes for favorite Giant foods, and a Giants' calendar. And at the very center, a gatefold Zoologica Giganticum (margins lightly scored so they can be folded back safely) presents some of the other giant creatures of the world. You'll spend hours poring over the details, and come back to it again and again to find yet another surprise awaits.
Once again Professor Berk has taken us far from the fields we know to those peculiar places just around the corner. And as always, it's just too much fun!
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This review is from: The Secret History of Giants (Hardcover)
The Order of the Golden Quills exists to archive, study, and collect evidence of the world's Secret Folk--Merfolk, Elves, Dwarves, etc.--as well as honor an ancient promise to protect them. The most recent Magister and Scribe of the Order, Ari Berk, has compiled this stunning and wonderfully expansive encyclopedia featuring the Great Folk, otherwise known as the giants.
Each section of this book tells in careful detail about the giants' life cycle, clothing, habits, rituals, and work ethic along with other interesting tidbits, such as tales of famous giants from around the world. A zoologica giganticum is even included, with descriptions and drawings of animals that giants will often raise as pets. (Yes, you will find wyrms and blue oxen in there, among others.) Bound to the earth, giants will wander for many years before returning to the land of their ancestors, where they will undergo "earthfasting," becoming part of the land once again. We owe much to these large, gentle, and hospitable creatures, who can sing the story found in every stone and who have formed many of our topographical features by the nature of their being. With luck, this comprehensive look at one of the world's oldest races can dispel the less favorable myths that have risen from the misunderstandings between humans and giants in the past.
Fantastic illustrations, a rich design that keeps the eye moving, and intriguing little features--such as flaps that you can pull up and read and a built in tasseled bookmark with embossed cover--make this one delightful book that you will NOT want your fantasy lover to miss.
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This review is from: The Secret History of Giants (Hardcover)
What a wonderful book on a wonderful subject. I loved reading all the info on giants. The book is nicely put together with little flaps, wonderful artwork and a beautiful bookmark. I love looking through my book and never get bored with it. I highly recommend it to any one interested in giants.
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