Title The Unicorn Series --- Author Nancy Hathaway Cover Art Dianne O'Quinn Bourke Publisher Viking Press - 1980 First Printing Viking Press - 1980 Category Reference Warnings --- Main Characters --- Main Elements Unicorns

What is this elusive creature with a horn growing from its forehead? Who is this animal with the power to neutralize poison, a fatal attraction to maidens, and the mythic ability to enrich the cultures of Asia, Arabia, and Europe?

Of all the legendary animals of art, folklore, and literature, the unicorn is the one with the greatest hold on our imaginations. Other fabulous beasts are clearly inventions, existing only in a mythical landscape of our own collective creation. Bit the inicorn strikes us as more than imaginary. It seems possible, even probable—a creature so likely that it ought to exist.

In this magnificently illustrated book, the author takes us on a tour of unicorn lore—from China and apan to India, the Near East, and urope—from ancient times through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and into the present. Tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures and paintings, zoological illustrations, advertisements, and original art especially commissioned for this book wll captivate all of us who are willing to submit to the magical charms of this fabulous and irresistible creature.

More beautiful and appealing than the dragon, more mysterious and powerful than the elves and fairies, the unicorn as symbol and as legend is brilliantly brought to life in this colorful history.

This reference book is a little different from the rest. Instead of just describing unicorn lore, it takes the myths and legends and turns them into short stories, even recounting the tale of the Unicorn Tapestries, describing the hunt, the unicorn's attempt to escape, and it's resurrection at the end instead of dryly just describing the images. It also covered tales I'd not encountered up till now, after nine months of reading mainly unicorn books!

It is also an art book, filled with beautiful full colour illustrations, both historical, but also recent, with art from famous artists such as Susan Boulet. While the main focus is on the history of the unicorn, the second to last section covers the modern unicorn and how it has changed and what it now symbolizes for us. The final chapter is a new unicorn tale written just for this book.

I thought it was a lovely take on the unicorn legend and is much more interesting and accessible than many other lore books that are more formal and dry. Perhaps the unicorn was only meant to live in story and not in a text book? While I still highly recommend Odell Shepard's Lore of the Unicorn, if you find it a bit boring or hard to read, but still want to know more about unicorns, then I also highly recommend Nancy Hathaway's The Unicorn. It is also an excellent book for younger readers wanting to learn more about the magical white creature with a single horn upon it's brow.