The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures Paperback – January 1, 2001

This book is really interesting. It's a full encyclopedia with decent amounts of information on more than 1,000 entries of cryptozoological creatures. Most books I've read, typically focus primarily on the Loch Ness Monster and the damn Sasquatch and that's about it. However, this book contains viable information for each of its entries. The ones that have more history behind them will have more information than some others, which offer only a short paragraph about it, but it will at least give you an "awareness" of some of the rarer creatures. So if you want more information on those, using the internet sometimes comes in handy. But you'll most likely not find much more information on them anyways as modern man does not know as much about them as the ancients did. This is by far the LARGEST and most comprehensive collection of mythical animals and creatures I have ever seen. It's THICK, too. with 643 pages of creatures, plus a bibliography and index. The print is large as well, plus there are big margins to write in notes if you like, with extra information you may have found about the beasts elsewhere (This is what I do). I only wished that it was illustrated. It does have a few drawings in there, but they are very random and not specified towards any certain creature, nor are they labled. I believe that a pronunciation guide for the names of the creatures would have been a nice feature as well as I struggle to pronounce the names as they are written, but overall, John and Caillin Matthews did a terrific job on compiling and writing this fantastic book, which has no equal or rival in my search for books like this. If I could rate it higher than 5 stars, I would. Pliny the Elder and Younger would both be very impressed with this excellent book.

I bought another book earlier wasn't what I was looking for then I found this one perfect for what I was needing it for my children's home schooling

Wonderful book, full of magical details and information.

what I want to large book side is 11 x 8 1/2 look for

I previously owned this book and hated parting with it. I had to purchase another copy. This is one of my favorite books in this style of format. Very informative and interesting, there are literally thousands of terms, characters, creatures, etc to glean from the pages. While not overly descriptive, I think the book does its job of covering the basics. I often use it as a great reference for particular creatures/beasts/characters and continue researching the subjects on the internet. This thick, heavy book may not have "everything", but it's certainly close enough.The reading style is simple, yet not childish. Youths with decent reading skills ages 12+ should find it easy to use. I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in mythology, folklore, legends, ancient religions, beliefs, etc.

I was looking for a book like this! There are soooo many creatures in the book and it was so interesting to read. The explanation of each creature was in depth and not short at all. It’s oil to see how many creatures I actually already knew about from watching movies and tv shows! I have purchased other books along these lines, but I was disappointed, so if you are looking to read about mythical beasts, I would get this one! There’s so many in there (like all the mythical beasts) so the book is a little heavy haha!

I love reading and will read about pretty much any subject. Whether you are seriously interested in the variety of mythical creatures that "exist" or just want to read some fun and interesting information, this book is great. It's pretty basic information, but a good read nonetheless.

I just wanted to research dragons for a children's book.Well, I got dragons, and a slew of other creatures I never knew existed, that give me ideas for a dozen other books.I imagine this would be a hit with any child interested in mythological beasts and spark their curiosity and imagination.... maybe even take a breather from those mind numbing computer games and use their brains creatively. Who knows, you might find reading it yourself.

Alles bestens, gerne wieder!

This book is extremely useful for not only writing, but looking up things that I find in the media and it came quickly! Thanks!

Great book, with a large variety of creatures described. As an artist I find it's a good source of inspiration for any creative person looking for an idea or for something to draw. It's also interesting for anyone if they just wanted to pick it up and read at random. It does lack pictures, and it would be nice if there were a few scattered throughout the book but I can't say this bothers me that much. It's good sometimes to not have your own imagination influenced by someone else's interpretation. Plus you could always do further research if you wanted to look some of them up in more detail.

We got this book for my son on his Kindle and he really likes it.

When I found the brown parcel lying on the ground i was so excited! I opened it up and found that it was in perfect condition and, as it has rounded corners, easy to keep. When I began to read it, I found a wealth of information far beyond my expectations. There were descriptions, stories and facts about every magical creature in the world (or so I believe). This book is brilliant for people who are into writing fantacy stories as it provides sooo much inspiration and is a really useful sourcebook. It has very few, small pictures which I like as I can picture things better on my own but others might like some illustrations.All in all, the best book I have yet!(Hope this helps :D)