The Great Encyclopedia Of Faeries

Rating:
Summary: I do believe in Faeries... but...
Review: This book did not live up to its potential... sure it told the facts but it lacked in interest and good art. If you want a book that renews/brings the faery faith into you, then I would suggest Good Faeries Bad Faeries by Brian Froud. Now that man knows what he is talking about!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, but not for children
Review: This book is fabulous. The descriptions are, however, quite dificult to understand, and there are a lot of sexual references, so this is probably best for the adult faery lover. The illustrations are the best part, quite different from any other faery book. They are reminicent of illustrations from vintage children's books, with the black outlines and vibrent colors. Each page is stunning to look at. Even if you don't read the whole thing, it is worth buying just for the gorgeous illustrations.

Rating:
Summary: It was okay...
Review: This book is more or less very fluffy and frilly. It had loads of description, but somehow never got the point across. If you read the excerpt, you'll get my meaning. Hard to read if your not either a college english Proffessor or a rocket scientist. Not very informative, and hard to look up stuff. Take my advice and stay away.

Rating:
Summary: Cassidy Opionion
Review: This book is really and encyclopedia! When I read the summery for this book I was tranced as most book-lover are when they read a good book are an enchating scription. But when I recieved the book I was greatly dissapointed. It was written nothing like the summery. It is basicly just " facts ", and that is one of the thing that I hate to read.

Rating:
Summary: Informative and lots of fun!
Review: This is a great book, packed full of faery and folklore information. It comes from France, so it's got a lot of good European lore that may be new to readers familiar only with the British faery tradition. The art is whimsical and unusual, and clearly aimed at adults, not children. This one belongs on every faery-lovers shelf beside the folklore texts of Katherine Briggs, the faery art of Brian Froud, and the faery fiction of Terri Windling, Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the REAL Fairyland!
Review: This is a MUST for any true lover of the Faerie world. By this I do NOT mean the prissy Victorian idea of Faeries as twee little tinkerbell types. This is the real stuff. The Red and Black ladies, the Selkies and all the other nasty little members of the un-Seelie Court. Here you will find the good with the bad, the beautiful with the ugly. If this was a map, there would be 'Here be Monsters' written on it. (but then it would be too late!) If you ONLY like the Brian Froud stuff (and I do as well) then you will be dissapointed. The line drawings are perfect for this book. They give an edge. The scope is worldwide, although predominetly Eurocentric. The bibliography is enormous and the research extensive. Of course there is nudity. Faeries are nature spirits - they don't NEED clothes.
As to the question of it being a children's book. If you want to mollycoddle your children, then no, but if you want to teach them to be aware that appearances can be deceiving in both the real and faerie world, then go right ahead. They'll thank you for it later (unless of course ther're a changeling!!).
I have just returned from France and was delighted to find the out-of-print companion volume to this - "encyclopedie des Lutins" - basicallly the male-ish side (pixies, brownies, Bogeymen (my favourite). Same style. no punches pulled. The ISBN is 2905292482 (there is also a volume on Elves (available this time at Amazon.fr -its ISBN is 2842301838)
Sadly for those that don't read french, these latter volumes haven't been translated, but for those of you that do read it, enjoy.