The Field Guide to Extraordinary Creatures, hardcover
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    The Field Guide to Extraordinary Creatures

    An illustrated field guide to 375 strange and unseen creatures.

    390 pages · 8.25 × 11 in · Hardcover

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      Look inside

      Real pages from the book, as you will find them inside.

      • The Field Guide to Extraordinary Creatures, inside page 1
        Creature entry
      • The Field Guide to Extraordinary Creatures, inside page 2
        Creature entry
      • The Field Guide to Extraordinary Creatures, inside page 3
        Creature entry
      • The Field Guide to Extraordinary Creatures, inside page 4
        Creature entry
      • The Field Guide to Extraordinary Creatures, inside page 5
        Chapter opener

      From the shadowed canopy of the deep jungle to the frozen peaks, the lightless ocean floor, the winding caves and the scorched desert, naturalist Dr. Elias Venn has followed the traces of creatures most travelers never see. This illustrated field guide describes 375 of them: their habitats, habits, warning signs and the secrets that help them survive. Some are harmless wonders. Others are best observed from a safe distance.

      What's inside

      • 375 creatures across five biomes, each with its own pencil illustration
      • Behavior, habitat, size, diet, field signs and a danger level for every creature
      • Field notes from Dr. Elias Venn, and the Titans that shape each biome

      Who it's for

      Readers who love fantasy worlds, natural history and detailed drawings. A rich source of inspiration for artists, writers and game masters.

      Details

      Pages390
      Size8.25 × 11 in (21 × 27.9 cm)
      PrintingBlack-and-white pencil illustrations
      BindingHardcover
      LanguageEnglish
      ISBN979-8160388915

      How to read this guide

      1. Start with 'How to Use This Guide'. Every entry follows the same pattern, so you quickly know where to look.
      2. Read one biome at a time, like an expedition: from the deep jungle to the scorched desert.
      3. Check the danger level first. It changes how you read every field note.

      The story behind the book

      From medieval bestiaries to field guides

      In the Middle Ages, bestiaries were among the most popular illustrated books in Europe. They described real animals next to imagined ones, such as the unicorn and the griffin, and gave each creature a lesson about how to live.

      Centuries later, naturalists took a different approach. Modern field guides, popularized by Roger Tory Peterson's bird guide of 1934, help you recognize an animal in the wild: exact drawings, clear field marks and short, practical notes.

      This book brings the two traditions together. Its creatures come from an imagined world, but they are described with the patience and care of a real naturalist, one careful observation at a time.

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