From Tiamat, a sea dragon from ancient Mesopotamian myths, to the Jabberwock of Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem, here are 85 beasties--shown in stunning illustrations--of folklore and fiction.

 

How do you slay a dragon? What are the origins of the Loch Ness Monster story? How many heads did Cerberus have? In addition to 45 dragons from Asian, Babylonian, Mediterranean, and Nordic mythology, as well as examples from more recent fantasy literature, like Smaug in Tolkien's The Hobbit, this collection looks at 40 legendary beasts: European werewolves, Chinese giants, Scandinavian serpents, Aztec bats, Inuit wolves, and more. Illustrated with outstanding, full-color art, each spread explores a creature's background, complete with locator maps and information boxes.