The Discovery of Dragons: New Research Revealed
Graeme Base (a.k.a Rowland W. Greasebeam, B.Sc.)
Harry N. Abrams
Fiction, CH Fantasy/Humor/Picture Book
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: In this eleventh-anniversary edition (because only sad, money-grubbing fools push a tenth-anniversary edition), noted and dubious Professor Greasebeam presents the written accounts of four (yes, four) pioneers of serpentology, whose often-accidental discoveries contributed so much to the field. From the Viking sailor Bjorn of Bromme to failed conquistador Francisco de Nuevo, from remote Asia to the Canadian woods, travel the world and witness the wonders of dragons.
REVIEW: I was doing some shelf-tidying and realized I had never gotten around to reviewing this book, so I'm rectifying that oversight now. From the first page, Base establishes a firmly tongue-in-cheek overtone, a tone reinforced not only by the whimsical main illustrations, but by running illustrated journals at the bottom of each page, following the (mis)adventures of the entirely fictitious explorers. One might be tempted to see this as a knockoff of the wildly popular Dragonology books (by "Dr. Ernest Drake", or rather Dugald A. Steer), but those were actually released in 2006, ten years after the original edition of The Discovery of Dragons; this version, with an added section on New World dragons, was released in 2007. In truth, they're a bit apples-and-oranges. The Dragonology books draw on real-world mythology and have an overall more serious, if still child-friendly, tone, while Base has no such pretensions; even his fictitious persona Greasebeam is basically admitting the whole thing is a joke, with very little resemblance to actual dragon lore in the dubious written accounts. There are some unfortunate stereotypes repeated, if intentionally exaggerated for humorous effect, but overall it's clearly meant to be taken lightly. It makes a fun counterpoint to the mythical field guide genre that has become so popular and which can sometimes take itself a bit too seriously.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Dr. Ernest Drake's Dragonology ("Dr. Ernest Drake") - My Review
Dragons: Truth, Myth and Legend (David Passes) - My Review
How to Raise and Keep a Dragon ("John Topsell") - My Review
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