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Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were: Creatures, Places, and People | 
 enlarge | Authors: Robert Ingpen, Michael Page
Publisher: Studio
Category: Book
Buy Used: $26.50
Used (5) from $26.50
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 369899
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 11.9 x 8.8 x 0.6
ISBN: 0140100083
Dewey Decimal Number: 398.03
EAN: 9780140100082
ASIN: 0140100083
Publication Date: July 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Hardcover sales of more than 70,000 copies have made the Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were a classic illustrated reference to myths and legends from all corners of the world. Here--culled from mythology, literature, and folk tales--is the mystical realm that has populated humanity's imagination for centuries. Over 400 entries, engagingly written and organized by type of entity, make this a complete source of information and a visual feast. Among the entries are: from "The Cosmos," Quetzalcoatl and Scorpio; from "The Ground and Underground," centaurs, elves, and unicorns; from "Wonderland," Atlantis and El Dorado; from "Magic, Science, and Invention," flying carpets and the Trojan horse; from "Water, Sky, and Air," Pegasus and Moby-Dick; and from "The Night," a host of shuddersome creatures from vampires to the golem. This is a wild and wondrous gift for any visionary.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Story Time July 19, 2007
Rosa Aybar (Dominican Republic)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I absolutely love this book. After a hard day s work, you need a little fantasy to help you relax and share with family. It simply great.
Buy It For The Fantasy January 26, 2007
Basil MacDougal
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book, although I only have the paperback edition, is one of my most treasured books. The illustrations are fantastic. It is easy to see how Robert Ingpen became the illustrator of more than 100 books. There is a definite transcendental quality to each and every picture. Often, I will flip through the book at night before going to sleep and allow the pictures to create stories in my mind--a peaceful way to fall asleep. br /Like several other reviewers, I too have found some of the information in the book to be debatable if not totally inaccurate. It is well written from an entertainment perspective and does not read at all like an encyclopedia. However, the misinformation found in several entries leads one to question ALL of the information. I find that to be rather distracting. The title of the book also distracts one from delving too deeply and getting too lost in the fantasy by suggesting that all contained here are, "Things That Never Were."
...!!!!!..... January 1, 2007
Olivia A. Hedrick (Seattle, WA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've loved this book for most of my life. It has great pictures, and regardless of its accuracy, it is a fascinating read.
Great introduction to mythology October 3, 2006
B. Baker (Maryland)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I accidentally stole this book from my college library, when I put it in my bag and forgot it was there until I got home (how I got it through the electronic sensors is an unsolved mystery). Once I realized the mistake though, I couldn't bring myself to return it. It is true that, as other reviewers have pointed out, this book is anything but comprehensive, and is certainly not an academic or reference work. However, it is the most beautiful, entertaining book on mythology I've yet seen, and will probably inspire many who read it to track down some of those more scholarly references. Apart from the fanciful illustrations, I found the democratic scope of the work particularly commendable- the authors pull many of their entries from the usual sources, such as the folklore of the British Isles and Egyptian mythology, but they also look to more unusual inspiration such as contemporary American hobo mythology. I also like how the conceit of the book- to discuss these "things that never were" as if they really existed- is applied not only to subjects culled from ancient mythology, which presumably were at some point viewed more or less as factual, but also to those created whole-cloth for relatively recent works of literature. Given that the focus of the book is so free-ranging, it is inevitable that there are some weird omissions and emphases- no separate entries for the bulk of the Greek pantheon, but page after page of detailed notes on locations featured only in Gulliver's Travels, for example- but this same quality means that even the most seasoned mythology afficionado is likely to find something new or surprising here. A truly entertaining work.
encyclopedia of things that never were:creatures, places and people July 22, 2006
chuss (Gawler,South Australia,Australia)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I purchased this book when I was about 17 years old(21 years ago!)and loved every minute that I spent reading and looking at the fantastic illustrations of this wonderful book.I shared it with my children and they were hooked as well. I recommend it to any body who loves fantasy and mythology,you will not be disappointed.
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