Rating: 
Summary: This book is entertaining, informative and fun.
Review: "An illustrated text from Harry Potter's biology class... A profusely illustrated, multi-cultural reference book about mythical creatures... full of documents, detailed sketches and inventive reports". You've just read a quote from US book journal Publishers Weekly about my book 'A Natural History of the Unnatural World'. It strikes me as a pretty good summary of the book, but perhaps I can give you bit more detail. 'Natural History' is a semi-fictional book about cryptozoology - the study of strange creatures, weird animals, mythical monsters and fabulous beasts. What do I mean by semi-fictional? Well, the approach of 'Natural History' is somewhat unusual, in that it deals with the creatures in question as if they really existed - as, of course, some of them might - and investigates them through the medium of an invented society, the 'Cryptozoological Society of London' (the CSL), which is modelled on societies such as the Royal Geographical Society. The book gathers together 'field reports', articles from the CSL's 'quarterly journal', and letters from 'associates', accompanied by illustrations, photos and suggestive artefacts, to give a kind of cabinet-of-curiosities effect. The line between fact and fiction is blurred - all the historical or folkloric information is 'true', as far as that can be said, while the eyewitness accounts and 'scientific' investigations are invented, but scientifically accurate and as plausible as possible. The aim is to amuse and entertain you as well as to inform, and I've tried to get across a dense mass of historical, mythological, folkloric and biological information in the most accessible package possible. But don't take my word for it! According to Publishers Weekly: "Present and future zoology buffs may learn plenty of real science from the far-fetched essays; folklore fans will learn even more." If you choose to buy the book, I sincerely hope that you enjoy it. We had a lot of fun making it.
Rating: 
Summary: An Unnatural Book...
Review: A grave disservice is being done to the earnest and hard-working Cryptozoologists worldwide everytime a newcomer to the subject cracks this book open. Not only is the book inaccurate in the valid facts it contains, it mixes the plausible with the fantastical, lumping wyverns, griffons, and manticores together with giant squid and the Sasquatch. Purportedly published under the auspices of the Cryptozoological Society of London (which doesn't exist), it is nothing more than a children's book portrayed as a scientific volume. Real Cryptozoological societies should be offended at this unabashed abuse of their hard work. Shame on the publishers. Relegate this one to stabilizing the broken leg on your kitchen table.
Rating: 
Summary: A one-of-a-kind experience!
Review: How great it is to pick up and read a book that offers so much -- fantastic information, great graphics, a really good read and lots of fun! There are all kinds of ways to educate people and this book proves that learning does not have to be boring... It is a truly original concept and kids of all ages, at least from 12 to 112, are going to enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite books on folklore
Review: I think a lot of people are getting steamed about this book. It is not a book on cryptozoology, but rather folklore, set up the same way as The Flight of Dragons, another very good book. It contains a ton of excellant info, on both well known and lesser known creatures, and has some excellant information. However, I could not give it a 5, since it has no real disclaimer that it is not a real crypto book. However, I think most people who have read more than a few articles on cryptos will realize right away that the book is not to be taken as serious research. My favorite sections were probably the fake journal entries, as they gave the most info, while I thought many of the personal logs got kinda of boring. So, to sum it up, If you like fantasy, mythology, ect., you will probably like this book, but if you want a serious indepth discussion on cryptos, look elsewhere, because it only skims over them.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books on folklore
Review: I think a lot of people are getting steamed about this book. It is not a book on cryptozoology, but rather folklore, set up the same way as The Flight of Dragons, another very good book. It contains a ton of excellant info, on both well known and lesser known creatures, and has some excellant information. However, I could not give it a 5, since it has no real disclaimer that it is not a real crypto book. However, I think most people who have read more than a few articles on cryptos will realize right away that the book is not to be taken as serious research. My favorite sections were probably the fake journal entries, as they gave the most info, while I thought many of the personal logs got kinda of boring. So, to sum it up, If you like fantasy, mythology, ect., you will probably like this book, but if you want a serious indepth discussion on cryptos, look elsewhere, because it only skims over them.
Rating:
Summary: a natural history of the unnatural world
Review: I think this is an excillent reference book for people who are interested in the field of Cryptozoology.
Rating:
Summary: a natural history of the unnatural world
Review: I think this is an excillent reference book for people who are interested in the field of Cryptozoology.
Rating:
Summary: Who is this fabulous writer?
Review: I would very much like to meet this intriguing Joel Levy after reading this fascinating book. His mind is compelling and disturbing - I would love to know him better.
Rating: 
Summary: A Natural History of the Unnatural World
Review: If you are a dyed-in-the-wool cryptozoologist then it is best to leave this book on the shelf. This is more of a New Age encyclopedia of fanciful creatures and reports that sound like they belong in a fairy tale. The illustrations are quite impressive but the info is not scientifically sound. You are better off with Costello's "The Magic Zoo" or Ley's "Exotic Zoology". If you are into Mythology then this book is definitely for you.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and well-researched intro to Cryptozoology
Review: It's a shame that an author as experienced and respected as Loren Coleman should feel the need to rush and criticise Mr Levy's book. It does smack a bit of professional jealousy. (And that's not mentioning his shameless plug for his own book!) I, for one, was very impressed by "A Natural History of the Unnatural World." That he has been able to bring together such an extraordinary amount of material in such a lucid and accessible manner is no mean achievement. Levy obviously knows his subject, and I found the way he varies the writing style from entry to entry very effective. It's also very entertaining. A definite recommendation for both experts and non-experts alike. I thought I knew a great deal about the whole field of 'cryptozoology' (especially after reading Mr Coleman's book, amongst others), but this book certainly had enough science and factually based information to teach me much more.
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