The Truth About Unicorns

Giblin, James Cross

ISBN 10: 0060224797 ISBN 13: 9780060224790

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1991

Synopsis

Describes the origins of the unicorn, including the real-life animals that inspired it, and the various myths told about unicorns throughout the world.

About this title

About the Author:

James Cross Giblin is the author of eighteen books for young readers, many of which have received awards and honors. Twelve of his titles, most recently Charles A. Lindbergh: A Human Hero and When Plague Strikes: The Black Death, Smallpox, AIDS have been named Notable Children's Books by the American Library Association. In 1996 he received the Washington Post--Children's Book Guild Award for Nonfiction for his body of work. Mr. Giblin lives in New York City.

From Kirkus Reviews:

With his usual intelligence and grace, Giblin (well-known for his award-winning nonfiction) covers the extensive history of a popular subject, once again illuminating some fascinating byways of social history with skillfully assembled facts. Recounting tales of unicorns from Chinese legend, Indian myth, and ancients in the Western world from Deuteronomy to Julius Caesar, Giblin sets them in the context of a world where many creatures were rumored but not actually seen (e.g., the rhinoceros). The book's heart is a detailed discussion of the unicorn tapestries at the Cloisters in N.Y.C. (reproduced in a color insert)--their history, their intricate symbols, the medieval Christian beliefs they exemplify, and their hold on the 20th-century imagination. Final chapters discuss uses of unicorns' (narwhal's) horns; how scientific inquiry discredited belief in the mythical beast and its powers; its role in current popular culture; and even some comments on the endangered species that generated the myth in the first place. As always, Giblin has a firm grasp on his subject's many ramifications and links them with clarity and extraordinary insight, providing a splendid model of the branches of knowledge enriching each other. Though unicorns seem ubiquitous, this is the first book for young people to explore their lore in depth. In addition to McDermott's soft-pencil reconstructions of ancient descriptions (e.g., ``Pliny's unicorn''), many b&w photos of historical artifacts are included. Bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 9+) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0060224797
• ISBN 13: 9780060224790
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 113
• Illustrator: McDermott Michael