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The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects
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Answer the enchanting siren call of the mermaid with this comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and intricately designed one-of-a-kind lifestyle compendium from the editor in chief of Faerie Magazine and author of The Faerie Handbook and globally published novel Mermaid, packed with lore, legends, facts and trivia, beautiful illustrations, and numerous step-by-step projects
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects
Apr 30, 2019
Jennifer
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
mythology,
fantasy,
fairy-tale,
illustrated,
blue-book,
own,
own-it-read-it-pile,
art,
cookbook
A beautiful hardcover and gold embossed book, with gilt page edges and a yellow ribbon. My favorite part of the book was the artwork and the poetry. The classic literature, art, recipes, cookbooks and travel was fun also. I will say the chapter on Mermaid Cocktail Lounges, made "mermaids" trashy and into some cases prostitutes--it dirtied up the fairy tale & the fantasy.
It's a fun enough book. Not as compelling throughout as the Faerie Handbook was—not sure if perhaps more original content was needed for this one, since the Faerie Handbook pulled more from Faerie Magazine's works. Had a lot of fun information about shell collecting and the best places in the world to do so, the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, mermaid-themed crafts, the making of mermaid tails, the history of mermaids performing in theme parks, etc. An all right section on mermaid lore from around
...more
What a fun book! It isn’t a particularly incredible read, but it is a very interesting collection of all things mermaid! It’s really meant to be an eye-catching coffee-table book and for that purpose is it perfect. The design of the book is stunning and the photos and illustrations throughout are dazzling. I also really enjoyed the history of mermaid lore, mermaids around the world, and the resurgence of modern mermaids. I did feel like the beginning of the book was almost an ad for Weeki Wachee
...more
5 | Published May 2018 | Bookshelf Worthy!
Perfection in a binding! This book is in my top 3 books of 2018 so far. If you are a fin-fan like me or know someone who is, this gorgeous hardcover 239 gold edged beauty can be purchased for >$25 and will be treasured for years to come. I borrowed it from the library and instantly knew I needed to own it...
"The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects" ...more
Perfection in a binding! This book is in my top 3 books of 2018 so far. If you are a fin-fan like me or know someone who is, this gorgeous hardcover 239 gold edged beauty can be purchased for >$25 and will be treasured for years to come. I borrowed it from the library and instantly knew I needed to own it...
"The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects" ...more
Mar 07, 2019
Lynn K.
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2019-reading-challenge,
mythology
Contains more filler than The Fairy Handbook. I found myself skimming and skipping over uninteresting parts.
3.75
This book was both well conceived and beautifully produced. It fills a niche that few other books produced for grown-ups do; it contains a cocktail of historical and folkloric information, modern tidbits, as well as how-to crafts and recipes, all heavily illustrated with images from the last 300 years. The book production is stunning, with a foil-stamped fabric cover, foil edging on the pages, thick matte paper, thoughtful text design, and well printed images. It's not uncommon to find books of
...more
Had I known that Noah was a cohort of merpeople, I would have included a character or two based upon these interesting aquatic creatures in my musical "Noah’s Rainbow". According the Carolyn Turgeon, the editor of "The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects", he was worshiped as Oannes in Chaldea at Erech ‘the place of the ark’. She quotes naturalist Henry Lee who, in 1883 in Sea Fables Explained, equates Noah with Oannes as “the sacred and
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Disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
HarperDesign, Turgeon and the designers hit it out of the park once again with The Mermaid Handbook, a stunning compendium of all things Mermaid. Following up with last’s years gorgeous novel, The Faerie Handbook, The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours.
The Mermaid Handbook is ...more
HarperDesign, Turgeon and the designers hit it out of the park once again with The Mermaid Handbook, a stunning compendium of all things Mermaid. Following up with last’s years gorgeous novel, The Faerie Handbook, The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours.
The Mermaid Handbook is ...more
This is my favourite book,it goes everywhere with me.I haven’t always loved mermaids,it’s a new fascination for me with those sirens of the sea and their enchantment of songs.But I’ve always loved mythology and lore so it’s no surprise I’m fixed on mermaids now.This is a beautiful book to own,it has a lovely antiquated gilded look,like a book you’d find in your grandmothers attic.I love that it’s not just text and therefore centered on the left part of our brain,but so holistic and includes
...more
Jan 10, 2019
Kiana
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mermaid lovers
Shelves:
geekery
I’ve had a lifelong passion for mermaids, so this book was a wonderful piece of dreamy beauty for me. It’s gorgeously assembled, with a fun mix of lore, history, and contemporary trivia, accompanied by some absolutely stunning pictures. I was actually surprised by how much it discussed modern-day mermaids, which I found very eye-opening—I never could have told you there are professional mermaids swimming around, or that there was such a thriving mermaid industry over fifty years ago, not just in
...more
Oh my gosh where do I start with this book? I received it in hardback and it is absolutely stunning. I didn't even want to unwrap it, it's just that precious looking. It honestly looks like one of those books you'd see in old TV Guide ads for the Bradford Exchange. Remember they'd show collectibles that were hundreds of dollars and you could make monthly installments because it was going to be a book you'd pass down for generations? Seriously people, it's just that beautiful!
From the beautiful ...more
From the beautiful ...more
Jun 17, 2019
The Erudite Gryffinclaw
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
art,
cultural,
fairy-tales,
fantasy,
folk-lore,
girl-power,
non-fiction,
stand-alone,
teen-ish,
not-for-kids
I really enjoyed reading this book. It covers both the fantastical and real life aspects of mermaids. This isn't someone's guide to mermaids in a universe they wrote, this book covers the mermaids that would be in real life.
Covers Mermaids portrayed in movies, and in Lore from around the world. There are also DIY portions for Mermaid inspired trinkets like a mirror or a hair comb. There are also recipes, and to how to decorate a mermaid themed party. Instead of chapters, there are articles that ...more
Covers Mermaids portrayed in movies, and in Lore from around the world. There are also DIY portions for Mermaid inspired trinkets like a mirror or a hair comb. There are also recipes, and to how to decorate a mermaid themed party. Instead of chapters, there are articles that ...more
This is an amazingly gorgeous book: lovely cover design, pretty endpapers and frontispiece, gilt edging. Wherever you open the book, there's an interesting picture or painting. I think she found every painting ever made of mermaids!
I got this book because it was reviewed somewhere and there was a craft thing I wanted to make. I couldn't find it, but I did find a couple of other pretty things I can make. These crafty things are scattered throughout the book in the relevant sections.
I did read ...more
I got this book because it was reviewed somewhere and there was a craft thing I wanted to make. I couldn't find it, but I did find a couple of other pretty things I can make. These crafty things are scattered throughout the book in the relevant sections.
I did read ...more
This book is so beautiful. My daughter wants to make the accessories and the Sailor's valentine for her room. The artwork is amazing, and the crafts and recipes are easy to follow and look yummy. I can't wait to try them out.
Rating: 4.5 stars. Review posted at Fantasy Literature.
2.5. Personally I'd rather read a whole book like the middle historical portion.
Delightful
A great book, she, Ms. Turgeonhas cover young to old, a lot of information with interesting projects and recipes to use. Looking forward to reading The Faerie Handbook.
This book is an escape to a world of mystery, sexuality and beauty. It’s very pretty to look at. I connected more with the artwork, not so much with the read itself.
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Readers also enjoyed
Carolyn Turgeon is the author of five novels—Rain Village, Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story, Mermaid, The Fairest of Them All, and The Next Full Moon, most of them based on old-time fairy tales, dark and glimmering—and, more recently, The Faerie Handbook, which came out from HarperCollins in November 2017 and might be the loveliest book printed this century. This will be followed by the
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