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The Book of Beasts: Being a Translation from a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth Century

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The Book of Beasts: Being a Translation from a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth CenturyIf a serpent swallows the spittle of a fasting man, it dies. Trees felled in the wrong season breed termites. If eels are drowned in wine, those who drink it get a loathing for liquor. These and similar flights of fancy were articles of faith in the twelfth century the era of the fascinating Latin prose bestiary translated in this volume. The translator is T. H. White, author of The Once and Future King and outstanding medievalist. Of The Book of

If a serpent swallows the spittle of a fasting man, it dies. Trees felled in the wrong season breed termites. If eels are drowned in wine, those who drink it get a loathing for liquor.
These and similar flights of fancy were articles of faith in the twelfth century -- the era of the fascinating Latin prose bestiary translated in this volume. The translator is T. H. White, author of The Once and Future King and outstanding medievalist. Of The Book of Beasts, White writes: No Latin prose bestiary has ever before been printed, even in Latin. This is the first and only English translation in print.
The bestiary was a bestseller in the Middle Ages, a kind of natural history cum-zoological survey that presumed to describe the animals of the world and to point out the human traits they exemplified. Combining the surprisingly accurate with the endearingly phantasmagorical, the bestiarists came up with a bewildering array of real and exotic creatures. The behavior or attributes of the animals often functioned as a metaphor for teaching religious, moral, and political precepts.
In addition to a multitude of real mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish, described here with varying degrees of zoological accuracy, the bestiarist introduces a swarm of fanciful denizens thought to haunt the Dark Ages: manticore, a creature with a man's face, a lion's body, and a ravenous appetite for human flesh; dragon or draco, the biggest serpent and the embodiment of the Devil; amphivia, a fish that could walk on land and swim in the sea; jaculus, a flying serpent; the familiar phoenix; the griffin; and other exotic fauna. Much of the charm of this edition lies in the copious footnotes compiled by T. H. White. With immense erudition, wit, grace, and a singular lack of condescension, the author illuminates literary, scientific, historical, linguistic, and other aspects of the bestiarist's catalog. He further enhances the volume with informative discussions of the history of the bestiary from its origins in remote oral traditions; through Herodotus, Pliny and Aristotle; during the medieval period and the Renaissance; and up to Sir Thomas Browne's Vulgar Errors (1646). Both amusing and amazing, The Book of Beasts is not only a rich survey of the proto-zoology on which much of our later science is based, but also a revealing, illustrated examination of how pre-scientific man perceived the earth's creatures.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 12/22/2010
ISBN: 9780486246093
Pages: 320
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 8.24h x 5.66w x 0.69d
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SKU: 62677757601

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Sweet Simple Book
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I gave this to parents who are going to start reading to their baby before she is born. It's great for that and for early readers. The illustrations are very nice. I'm pleased with the book.
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Bought this as a surprise for my husband, it was not a disappointment.
This is one of the most touchingly sweet books I've ever seen and allows the reader (Dad), to reaffirm his bond and his love every night at bedtime (or anytime really) in a way that not only educates the child, entertains the child, but forms lasting memories for the child. It's the perfect pre-bedtime story, and its great with my 6 month old already. I waited until my husband arrived home from work to make sure he agreed with my assessment, and he actually used the word perfect when describing it. My husband is not an overly emotional man so that says a lot. I even suggested to my husband that we keep this book in very good condition, and when our son has a little one, pass it on to him. It's that amazing!
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Janet S
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Very sweet book! Grandson loves!!
Format: Board book
Such a sweet book and perfect for infant or toddler. I got it for my grandson who is 8 months old and adores being read to. This was a Father's Day gift to my son so he could read it to his little boy. Both of them really like it. Colorful. Simple words. Ample pages. Board Book.
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Priscilla W
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 4
Repeated page, overall great and simple
I really like the simplicity of this book, we bought it for my 9 month old and she loves it! There is only one picture on each page and it is a very simple book so it's great for younger babies. My only issue is that I had a repeated page in my book, but it must have been a misprint since I haven't seen anyone else say they had a repeated page.
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Rose H. 🌈
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Great father's day gift
I bought it for my husband for father's daypl0k from our two years old son.  Sweet and simple book for a father to read to with his baby or toddler. Each page has a different daddy and baby animal with a simple and short phrase and cute pictures.  My son picks this one out to be read to him from his dad as part of his regular rotation. I highly recommend
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Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2020

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