The Book of Sea Monsters by Dr Prema Arasu (Hardback)

£25.00
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781399414524
Published:
11 Sep 2025
Format:
Hardback
Number of pages:
224 pages
Dimensions:
235x210mm
Weight:
0.000kgs
Author:
A fascinating and beautifully illustrated journey across the world and through the centuries in search of the sea monster.
A fascinating and beautifully illustrated journey across the world and through the centuries in search of the sea monster.'They rave for food with unceasing frenzy, being always ahungered and never abating the gluttony of their terrible maw.' Pliny the ElderThis absorbing exploration of the sea monster in all its tentacular forms is a deep dive into the world of sirens, mermaids, Scylla and kraken from 3C BCE to the modern day. Told through writings from ancient myths, early scientific natural histories and iconic literature, tales are intertwined with wonderful engravings, diagrams and paintings. These accounts give a unique perspective on the histories of societies and cultures around the world, taking in significant events like the Age of Sail, the Enlightenment and Darwinian evolution.With their excess size, claws, tentacles and bloodlust, monsters represent our greatest fears: the unknown, the dark, the natural world and even ourselves. As stories passed from generation to generation, they were analogues for dangerous weather events, foreign invaders, enemy nations, physical phenomena and real animals.Prema Arasu brings together excerpts from Beowulf, Moby-Dick and many other works by authors such as Homer, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, HG Wells... Each is brought to life with an introduction and beautifully gory artwork, making this a gorgeous book that's sure to draw you in and drag you down....

About the Author: Dr Prema Arasu is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre. They completed a PhD in creative writing at UWA in 2022 and have a master's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture from the University of St Andrews. Prema's postdoctoral research considers the representation of the deep sea in the popular imagination and the significance of sea monsters across different cultures and mythologies.@prema_arasu

More Information
Number of pages 224

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