The Hamlyn Book of Monsters (1984), by noted journalist Daniel Farson, is a nice contrast to Bernard Brett’s Monsters and representative of the sort of monster books aimed at young reader in the ’80s. It’s part of a series initially published in the UK (also including Ghosts, which you’ll see later this year, Horror and Mysteries, the last penned by Bernand Brett, in fact!). They were published in slightly different forms and under different names in other markets, and I suspect they were re-packaged, at least partially, for later books on similar topics (I don’t want to spend the shipping from Australia to confirm my hunch, though).
There is sort of a fun tension here between seeming “educational” and giving young readers the monsters, gore and gross stuff they want. It’s a pretty sturdy if unremarkable overview of the topic and still covers a surprising range of monsters. There are dinosaurs, there are movie monsters. A fun amount of time is spent on Doctor Who, which is definitely an undersung purveyor of monsters from the time. Less exciting is the chapter “People on Show,” which focuses on ordinary folks of unusual height, shortness or form. This is actually disappointingly common in books dedicated to monsters that date from the Enlightenment through as late as the 1940s, though this volume treats the subject with far more restraint, opening with Theophile Gautier’s quote, “We hold that any being with a soul should be respected.” The next chapter focuses on gorillas, which is also a bit surprising, though heartening. Gorillas were essentially cryptids up until the 19th century, after which time they became a popular “monster” to hunt—the book is impressively firm in its stance that such hunting is disgusting. Good on ’em.
The best part, though, is the wealth of illustrations. No clear credits, unfortunately, and I don’t recognize any of the names, but there is some great and unusual work here (that Scylla!). Unfortunately, some of the best illustrations are spreads, which isn’t great for photographing. I’ve done my best!
