Description

The definitive global anthology of writings about dragons, from Ancient Egypt to the modern day

Since the earliest moments of human history, dragons have occupied a place in our imaginations. Bringer of night in Ancient Egypt; mortal enemy of the elephant in South Asia; slain by a god in Sanskrit hymn. In the Book of Revelation, there is the Leviathan; in Loch Ness, a monster. Their crushing coils and their treasure hoards are found throughout literature and language: in the Old English of Beowulf, in the Elvish of Tolkien, in the far-flung travels of Marco Polo.

The Penguin Book of Dragons is the definitive collection of all this and more: two thousand years of legend and lore about the menace and majesty of dragons.

Publisher Review

I love the way Scott Bruce has scoured so much ancient lore to bring us this treasury of dragon-related information, and I shall turn to it frequently -- Philip Pullman Scholarly and thrilling. By collecting some of the foundational - and also most surprising - historical sources on these guardians of the 'boundary between the known and unknown', Scott Bruce has created the new indispensable resource for anyone who cares about dragons -- Adam Gidwitz, New York Times bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm and The Inquisitor's Tale