Beasts Factual & Fantastic (Elizabeth Morrison)

I love illuminated manuscripts common in the medieval era.  Before the age of the printing press, books were done by hand, therefore expensive, and thus signs of wealth.  The amount of detail in each page (an example is below) makes each a work of art.  The Gutenberg Museum (in Mainz, Germany) has an excellent display of such works.

But on to today's review.  One common feature of medieval books is drawings of animals.  Why?  " . . .  animals, both real and fanciful, were such an important part of medieval culture.  Animals played an integral role in daily life and thought, and their depiction in manuscripts offers insights into both human nature and the medieval imagination."  This quote introduces Beasts Factual & Fantastic , a neat overview of medieval animal illustrations.  In about 100 pages, we see a variety of beasts in three categories:

animals in daily life (farming, hunting, hawking, etc.)
symbolic creatures (as described in the Bible, astrology, etc.)
fantastic beasts (as found in the margins of illuminated manuscripts, etc.)

This book is done well, of high quality, and an excellent overview/introduction to the topic.  My only complaint: I wish it were longer, and had more examples- I could look through this all day.

Rating: A-