Fantastic People

by Allan Scott

A celebration of the fantasy characters from hundreds of years of myth and legend, tracing the origins of gnomes, goblins, elves, trolls, dragons, etc. The work of many illustrators is used, including Arthur Rackham, Jay Neilsen, Edmund Dulac, etc. as well as many more contemporary artists.

Genres: Fiction, Art

188 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1981

About the author

Allan Scott, a Kiwi who started as an apprentice working on single seaters racing cars after he left school. 10 years after working in racing and rallying, he moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a full time career in the motorsport industry. He spent over 15 years with Tom Walkinshaw Racing during the Rover and Jaguar era as a Engine Division Manager and designed the engines of some of the cars that was best known for it's victories at some of the world's most prestigious races such as those of the XJR-9 at Le Mans and Daytona.

At the end of his time with the team, he returned to his native New Zealand where he campaigns one of the TWR Rovers in local historic events.

His books had been about his experience working with the team.

Reviews

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated fantasy guide that's principal interest is in retooling the figures of global folklore to all be descended from a race of "elementals" that manifest in various forms while waging a kind of cold war between themselves over several millennia. Humans get caught in the middle and when they do, those adventures become the mythology of various cultures and each culture puts its spin on those beings it perceives as supernatural. Certainly it's a fun idea, and Scott's writing is just the perfect pitch of arch know-it-all and gentle sermonizer on the allegory of fantastic peoples for actual humanity, but if one is looking for a bestiary it's a bit of a disappointment, concerns as it is more with pitching an idea than talking about the purported subject matter.