Here are 95 books that The Lore of the Unicorn fans have personally recommended if you like
The Lore of the Unicorn.
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Ancient mythical animals are all around us in words and images. Following the transformations of such animals through literature and art across millennia has been my passion since the early ’80s. It was then, after years of writing and teaching, that I became intrigued by a winged and fishtailed lion figure on an antique oil lamp hanging in my study. That hybrid creature led me to the eagle-lion griffin and my first published book, The Book of Gryphons. I have followed a host of mythical beasts ever since. My most recent book, The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast, was published in a 2021 Chinese translation.
This first complete English translation of a twelfth-century Latin bestiary has served me well as a partial map for following mythical beasts through time—from when the unicorn, griffin, and other fantastic creatures were considered part of God’s animal kingdom. T. H. White supplements his translation of the moralized Christian bestiary with his own learned and entertaining footnotes and afterword. His “Family Tree” graph of Western animal studies highlights classical and medieval authors and ends with “Sir Thomas Browne’s Vulgar Errors,” the end of bestiary lore and the beginning of modern biology.
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Ancient mythical animals are all around us in words and images. Following the transformations of such animals through literature and art across millennia has been my passion since the early ’80s. It was then, after years of writing and teaching, that I became intrigued by a winged and fishtailed lion figure on an antique oil lamp hanging in my study. That hybrid creature led me to the eagle-lion griffin and my first published book, The Book of Gryphons. I have followed a host of mythical beasts ever since. My most recent book, The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast, was published in a 2021 Chinese translation.
As the late 1970s popularity of fantastic creatures continued to spread, professor Malcolm South edited a research guide that follows twenty imaginary animals and creatures through time. The substantial 1987 book is highly schematic in South’s earnest attempt to sum up what was known about particular mythical beasts and imaginary creatures during their recent surge in popularity. Illustrations, a glossary, and even a taxonomy supplement specialists’ articles and bibliographies about creatures from the unicorn and other major mythical animals to the vampire and werewolf, giants, and fairies.
All my previous recommended books are cited in South’s sourcebook. I’ve been much indebted to it for research leads over the years and highly recommend it as a standard source for any reader following mythical beasts and other creatures.
This serious, scholarly treatment of 20 imaginary beings, from dragon and phoenix to giants and fairies, discusses the origin of each as an idea, its symbolism and lore, and its appearances in art, literature, or film. . . . Extensive bibliographies follow the generally ambitious and erudite essays while a final catch-all article and selective bibliography cover still more ground, at a gallop. . . . [There] are a number of thoughtful and well-written interpretive investigations into the nature and history of some persistent types. Entries on the Basilisk, Harpies, Medusa, and the Sphinx are particularly fine: here one feels…
Ancient mythical animals are all around us in words and images. Following the transformations of such animals through literature and art across millennia has been my passion since the early ’80s. It was then, after years of writing and teaching, that I became intrigued by a winged and fishtailed lion figure on an antique oil lamp hanging in my study. That hybrid creature led me to the eagle-lion griffin and my first published book, The Book of Gryphons. I have followed a host of mythical beasts ever since. My most recent book, The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast, was published in a 2021 Chinese translation.
I love this lavishly produced 2013 book. It overarches my other recommended “best books for following mythical beasts through time.” Titles of early chapters—“What is an Imaginary Animal?” “Every Real Animal is Imaginary,” and “Every Imaginary Animal is Real”—encompass the book’s interplay between nature’s animals, imaginary ones, and human beings.
Open Imaginary Animals anywhere to get a glimpse of its variety and scope. Boria Sax’s interdisciplinary, learned, and conversational text sweeps across folklore, legends, myths, and natural history of worldwide cultures from antiquity to today. Accompanying art, much in color, spans a Lascaux cave painting and a photograph of a human-looking robot; throughout are fantastic creatures in paintings, early natural history engravings, and other pictorial forms.
As Dr. Sax writes, “Imaginary creatures can be overwhelming in their multiplicity.”
Tales throughout the world generally place fabulous beasts in marginal locations - deserts, deep woods, remote islands, glaciers, ocean depths, mountain peaks, caves, swamps, heavenly bodies and alternate universes. Legends tell us that imaginary animals belong to a primordial time, before we had encompassed the world with names, categories and scientific knowledge. This book traces the history of imaginary animals from Palaeolithic art to the Harry Potter stories, and beyond. It shows how imagined creatures help us psychologically, giving form to our subconscious fears as 'monsters', as well as embodying our hopes as 'wonders'. Nevertheless, their greatest service may be…
In 1913, a 15-year-old pregnant girl was found dead of apparent suicide. Dr. James Wilson, a new graduate and the first doctor ever to start a practice in this rural town, feels guilty over her death because of his delayed intervention.
Ancient mythical animals are all around us in words and images. Following the transformations of such animals through literature and art across millennia has been my passion since the early ’80s. It was then, after years of writing and teaching, that I became intrigued by a winged and fishtailed lion figure on an antique oil lamp hanging in my study. That hybrid creature led me to the eagle-lion griffin and my first published book, The Book of Gryphons. I have followed a host of mythical beasts ever since. My most recent book, The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast, was published in a 2021 Chinese translation.
Don’t be scared off by this 1646 book. It’s essential for anyone who follows mythical beasts through time. One of the best-known parts of Browne’s influential book is Book III: “Of divers popular and received Tenets concerning Animals, which examined, prove either false or dubious.” By discrediting the classical and medieval authorities that perpetuated them, he considers the griffin, basilisk, unicorn, amphisbaena, and phoenix to be “fabulous,” thus separating them from the actual animal kingdom after centuries of general belief.
The now obscure Alexander Ross, “Champion of the Ancients,” refuted Browne’s book virtually point for point in his 1652 Arcana Microcosmi. Ross lost that Battle of the Books between the ancients and the moderns. Mythical animals rarely appeared in eighteenth-century literature, but they rose again a century later.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been…
When I was writing my first novel, The Garden at the Roof of the World, I tried hard to accurately represent how the unicorn was understood in the medieval world. As my characters transversed Europe, the near east, India, and Nepal, they encountered many people with a strong and abiding love for unicorns. To portray how people understood unicorns, I had to do a lot of research. These books taught me the myths and legends of unicorns that my characters would encounter on their journey. Fans of the novel encouraged the publisher to put out a companion book about unicorns, where I decided to explore the history of the idea of the unicorn from the very real beast that inspired the myths, through the evolution of the myths over time to the present day. I became fascinated, learning how the unicorn was once thought to be the servant of the devil, dragging people to hell. Learning how the Great Khan halted his invasion of India when he was stopped by a unicorn who he believed to be a messenger from the Gods. I even learned that the Sumerian Goddess of Love likened her clitoris to a unicorn’s horn. A far cry from the meek beast that would seek out a virgin.
W.B.J.'s book list on
Why W.B.J. loves this book
This is a delightful look at how people have searched for unicorns across the centuries. While he starts with a smaller review of the literature of unicorns than Shepard, he shows how early scientists hunted for evidence of unicorns, and what they encountered in that search. Lavers also looks at how herders have created unicorns from cows and sheep in different cultures.
For centuries, unicorns have inspired, enchanted and eluded humanity. The beast appears in the Old Testament and there was a brisk trade in unicorn parts in medieval times, with travellers regularly reporting sightings into the modern era. But by the early twentieth century scientists had conceded that the unicorn never existed. It turns out they were a little hasty.
Where did the unicorn come from, and how was it accepted as a part of the animal kingdom for so long? Chris Lavers argues that although the unicorn of our imagination isn't real, traces of its character can be found in…
When I was writing my first novel, The Garden at the Roof of the World, I tried hard to accurately represent how the unicorn was understood in the medieval world. As my characters transversed Europe, the near east, India, and Nepal, they encountered many people with a strong and abiding love for unicorns. To portray how people understood unicorns, I had to do a lot of research. These books taught me the myths and legends of unicorns that my characters would encounter on their journey. Fans of the novel encouraged the publisher to put out a companion book about unicorns, where I decided to explore the history of the idea of the unicorn from the very real beast that inspired the myths, through the evolution of the myths over time to the present day. I became fascinated, learning how the unicorn was once thought to be the servant of the devil, dragging people to hell. Learning how the Great Khan halted his invasion of India when he was stopped by a unicorn who he believed to be a messenger from the Gods. I even learned that the Sumerian Goddess of Love likened her clitoris to a unicorn’s horn. A far cry from the meek beast that would seek out a virgin.
W.B.J.'s book list on
Why W.B.J. loves this book
While Shepard explored literature, Beer explores how the unicorn has been depicted in art across cultures and centuries. He deeply explores the rich symbolism of the art, and the cultures that created it. His work is hard to read at points and his determination to drive home his point causes him to misinterpret some of his evidence, but this is very worth reading.
Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977, and Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977. Both began a historic journey with unique 'time capsules' on board intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record 12-inch gold-plated disk…
When I was writing my first novel, The Garden at the Roof of the World, I tried hard to accurately represent how the unicorn was understood in the medieval world. As my characters transversed Europe, the near east, India, and Nepal, they encountered many people with a strong and abiding love for unicorns. To portray how people understood unicorns, I had to do a lot of research. These books taught me the myths and legends of unicorns that my characters would encounter on their journey. Fans of the novel encouraged the publisher to put out a companion book about unicorns, where I decided to explore the history of the idea of the unicorn from the very real beast that inspired the myths, through the evolution of the myths over time to the present day. I became fascinated, learning how the unicorn was once thought to be the servant of the devil, dragging people to hell. Learning how the Great Khan halted his invasion of India when he was stopped by a unicorn who he believed to be a messenger from the Gods. I even learned that the Sumerian Goddess of Love likened her clitoris to a unicorn’s horn. A far cry from the meek beast that would seek out a virgin.
W.B.J.'s book list on
Why W.B.J. loves this book
Brown is the first to explore the myths of the unicorn, looking as far back as ancient Sumer. He tries hard to show the relationship of these myths to each other across cultures and the centuries. The illustrations are marvelous.
In this comprehensive study of the mythical unicorn, Brown explores the origins and evolution of this beloved creature in folklore, art, and literature. He offers a nuanced reading of the unicorn as a symbol of purity, spiritual power, and transformation, as well as a reflection of the human imagination.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute…
When I was writing my first novel, The Garden at the Roof of the World, I tried hard to accurately represent how the unicorn was understood in the medieval world. As my characters transversed Europe, the near east, India, and Nepal, they encountered many people with a strong and abiding love for unicorns. To portray how people understood unicorns, I had to do a lot of research. These books taught me the myths and legends of unicorns that my characters would encounter on their journey. Fans of the novel encouraged the publisher to put out a companion book about unicorns, where I decided to explore the history of the idea of the unicorn from the very real beast that inspired the myths, through the evolution of the myths over time to the present day. I became fascinated, learning how the unicorn was once thought to be the servant of the devil, dragging people to hell. Learning how the Great Khan halted his invasion of India when he was stopped by a unicorn who he believed to be a messenger from the Gods. I even learned that the Sumerian Goddess of Love likened her clitoris to a unicorn’s horn. A far cry from the meek beast that would seek out a virgin.
W.B.J.'s book list on
Why W.B.J. loves this book
Suckling is the first author to connect the unicorn with Elasmotherium. This is a short and delightful book that does a quick look at literature, mythology, and natural history, as well as the only scholarly look at the cult of the invisible pink unicorn.
Though the legend of the Unicorn is shrouded in mystery, it continues to seize the imagination and inspire artists-as it has for millennia. At last, there is a magnificent volume that gathers all that is known about these sublime creatures. Filled with remarkable illustrations by Linda and Roger Garland, this definitive study charts the mythology of the Unicorn through the ages and in different civilizations, and explores both the myths as well as documented sightings. A wealth of beautiful paintings capture both the ferocious nature and the mystic isolation of this ethereal animal, bringing it fully to life. A treasure…
Growing up as an only child, books and animals were hugely important to me – they were my friends and I really wanted to believe in a magic that would allow me to talk to animals and them to me. I have now written over 250 books and pretty much all of them have either magic or animals in or a combination of both – unicorns, ponies that turn into magical horses, star animals who teach the children they bond with how to do magic, mermaids with sea creatures as pets. I really love to write – and read – about magical animals and their very lucky human friends!
I wanted to choose a book about unicorns (given they’re one of my favorite things to write about!) and this is the second book in a great magical series perfect for middle-grade readers who prefer shorter chapter books. Ava and her friends live in Arramia along with many magical creatures such as unicorns, dragons, firebirds, and star wolves. In this book, Ava sets out on a daring adventure to rescue a gorgeous baby unicorn who has been stolen from his herd by an evil villain. Paula Harrison is a brilliant writer for readers who like reading about magic and animals. She creates wonderful worlds and her books are hard to put down. The Royal Rescues is another great series too.
A brilliant series for 7+ readers full of adventure, magic and friendship from Paula Harrison, author of the Rescue Princesses and Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue series.
Maya is a dancer with a travelling troupe of entertainers. When Clover, a little unicorn, is trapped by Sir Fitzroy and used to lure the other unicorns into danger, Maya hatches a cunning plan. She and Sophy will disguise themselves and foil Sir Fitzroy's plot, and the unicorns will be safe!
Beautifully illustrated throughout by Sophy Williams, this is the perfect book for young readers who love magic and animals!
Deputy Jenna Hart has only been working in her sleepy hometown of Pearl Springs for seven months when city officials begin to be targeted by a killer. Twenty years ago, the construction of a dam caused people to lose their land to eminent domain. That wound has not healed with…
No one would ever describe me as a unicorn. I’m not graceful. My mane of hair is half an inch long. And I rarely (if ever) prance. I’m a donkey in a party hat and that’s perfectly okay with me. But sometimes it can be kinda rough in a world that tells you that you must be gorgeous instead of goofy, fabulous instead of funny. So I love stories that make me feel a little less alone in my awkwardness – that remind me that all of us, from the most beautiful unicorn to the weirdest little goblin, are not quite what they seem.
Kevin the Unicorn is having a disastrous, non-magical, totally not-sparkly day. And you know what? That’s okay. Uber-talented author/illustrator Jessika von Innerebner’s vibrant illustrations and sparkling prose are a delight. The book gives a playful plug for authenticity in a world where perceptions of people are too often filtered, edited, or curated.
Everyone knows that unicorns are perfect. They are glamorous and glittery, and their smiles make rainbows appear! But Kevin is having a less-than-perfect day. First, he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed . . . on the floor. Then he discovers that his mane is so wild that even his Super-Perfect-Hair-Day-Spray can't tame it. And the day just gets worse from there. Kevin does his best to keep his outlook sunny, but it's hard to keep smiling when everything goes horribly wrong!
