THE BOOK OF BEASTS

by T. H.- Translator and Editor White ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 1954

All the birds and the boasts (and reptiles and fish) are here, as they were known through bestiaries up to the 12th century, in spite of the possibilities of mistakes on the part of the copier or the limner. White has made a most readable translation of what certainly must be a closed book to most Americans and this ""serious natural history"" of centuries past holds a treasure of unscientific method and mediaeval lore for the curious minded. The information on how the beasts were named, what are their physical attributes and peculiar qualities, is bound up in religious symbolism; the illustrations of the limner's art have an artless appeal; and the parade of lion, tiger, pard, antalops, unicornis, lincis, castor, bonnacon, satyrs, yale, bos, ybus, psitiacus, basilisk, salamandra, vermis, etc. is a lovely thing, filled with the innocent wonder of its era. A specialty for a well defined market, largely antiquarians and historians.

Pub Date: March 11, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1954

Categories: NONFICTION