A Miscellany of Magical Beasts - Tapa dura

Enter an incredible world of magical beasts, dare to draw near to their captivating powers, and discover the spellbinding stories of 16 favourite mythical creatures from around the world. Venture into this world and you'll discover why griffins collect a gem called agate, how to put out dragon fire, how mischievous elves can cause terrible nightmares, and much, much more.

A Miscellany of Magical Beasts is a beautiful, luxurious gift book showcasing a fascinating menagerie of creatures from the world's timeless mythologies and legends. Presented in an incredible package with spectacular cover finishes, it is sure to be treasured by fantasy enthusiasts.

Each beast is beautifully illustrated with rich, enchanting artworks, accompanied by amazing facts. Five feature spreads take a different approach to each particular beast - including a gleaming guide to the world's dragons and an enchanting introduction to elf spells and tricks. Imaginative flourishes such as cutaways showing constellations (see where Pegasus's story ends), and a die-cut linking the lustrous feathers of the phoenix with those of the terrifying harpies, make this a truly inspiring exploration of some wonderfully strange creatures.

List of beasts included: phoenix, harpy, griffin, Pegasus, dragons, elves, unicorn, centaur, mermaids and mermen, werewolf, troll, sphinx, basilisk, Cerberus, giant, chimera

Simon Holland has been writing and editing non-fiction books of all colours, shapes, subjects and sizes, for children and adults, for more than seventeen years. His background is in medieval literature and history, but he has become passionate about the communication of science, nature and technology-related subjects. As a writer, Simon has a penchant for anything fantastic, philosophical, puzzling, paranormal and peculiar.

David Wyatt grew up in West Sussex, reading a lot, drawing a lot and messing about in rivers a lot. Nothing much has changed, except he does them on Dartmoor now. He has illustrated books by Tolkein, Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones, Geraldine McCaughrean and many more.

Kev Walker is a comics artist and illustrator based in Leeds. He is known for his work on 2000 AD, Warhammer and Marvel comics.