Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : Henry Holt and Co., 1999.
Description
Did you know the Mbulu of South Africa has a razor sharp tail with a mind of its own? Or that the Kuru-Pira of Brazil has eyes that glow like embers, and fangs ripping from its mouth? In this updated edition of A Field Guide to Demons, Carol and Dinah Mack bring to life some of the most horrific and fascinating creatures ever described in mythology and legend. With a deft pen and global perspective, the Macks profile over ninety bogies including: mermaids, ghouls, vampires, kelpies, werewolves, and more. Readers will delight in exploring the origin, characteristics, and cultural significance of each creature. Organized by "habitat," this book will entertain readers of all ages, while shedding light on religious and cultural ideals from around the world. With vivid details and highly researched entries, A Field Guide to Demons is a must have for academics, writers, students, and anyone interested in mythology or the occult.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Crowyhead
This is a totally fun, fascinating look at demons and malevolent spirits from all over the world. At times it is of necessity disappointingly brief in its descriptions, but the wide-ranging bibliography at the back of the book provides more than enough fodder for those who want to delve deeper into
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LibraryThing member WillyMammoth
The Field Guide is a decent primer for anyone wanting an overview of various figures of myth and folklore. The book is written in a style similar to Max Brooks's "The Zombie Survival Guide," in that it purports to be an actual guide for such creatures. And while it may be entertaining for a few
I would have liked to see deeper information about the mythology behind the creatures, the tales that they come from, etc. But for what it is, the book was pretty decent. Several of the entries also came with interesting illustrations of historic woodcuts, which was a nice touch.
Overall it was a decent read, and it went by fairly fast. It has some interesting information, but at the same time, the book isn't for the serious student of mythology.
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pages, this kind of tongue-in-cheek treatment diminishes the depth of information that the book offers. I would have liked to see deeper information about the mythology behind the creatures, the tales that they come from, etc. But for what it is, the book was pretty decent. Several of the entries also came with interesting illustrations of historic woodcuts, which was a nice touch.
Overall it was a decent read, and it went by fairly fast. It has some interesting information, but at the same time, the book isn't for the serious student of mythology.
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LibraryThing member hrtsmom
I got this book hoping for the sort of folklore exploration in the Time-Life Enchanted World series, or William Butler Yeats's "Irish Fairy & Folk Tales", but I was sorely disappointed. I found the format of this book much too repetitive, and it seemed the authors were so determined to get a lot of
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material in that they didn't cover any of it in much detail. In addition, it could have used better editing. The tiny section on mermaids presents selkie lore as mermaid lore; pretty much an unforgivable mistake as far as I was concerned. I admit I didn't even finish the book. I gave up on it after I read a description of an attack that included the phrase "whammed him with her mace". "Whammed"? I wasn't aware I was reading a comic book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Andy5185
Loved this book full of dark history and lore! It was fun to read and I appreciated the diversity in subjects. It was most especially pleasing to me to read of the demons of our psyche - our internal battles! Interesting and accessible reading.
LibraryThing member damsorrow
the only thing i learned from this book is that i need to solicit a huge grant to go around the world studying demons and possession and then turn that into a well-written and comprehensive yet fascinating tome because apparently nobody else can pull it off, cough cough carol mack.
LibraryThing member Archonstone
Extremely parochial and does a disservice to mysticism, Christianity and other religions. Poor
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
A wonderful book for that person who is interested in subversive spirits from all parts of world - one part mythology, one part field guide, and one part story - this book has everything for a person interested in the topics of insidious supernatural creatures.
LibraryThing member michaeladams1979
Have had this for years. Primarily use it as reference material for quick synopses of supernatural entities, although I've read a lot of these entries are very over-simplified and sometimes conflicting. Still a fun little tome for snapshots of the strange and dark entities of the worlds oldest
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myths. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
xxxvii, 296 p.; 21 cm
ISBN
080506270X / 9780805062700
Local notes
PKB
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