Dragonology: Pocket Adventures - Hardcover

Ernest Drake

4.04

121 ratings by Goodreads

9780763637002: Dragonology: Pocket Adventures

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763637009 ISBN 13: 9780763637002

Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2007

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For true dragonologists! Four exciting pocket-size books packed with choose-your-own adventures

A rogue frost dragon is devastating Iceland and blasting everyone in its path. A savage serpent has been disturbed by treasure hunters diving in its lake home. What is a dragonologist to do? These irresistible adventures outline each mission, propose choices along the way, and detail the consequences (scrunched! frozen! drowned in a vat of gold!) should even the best-prepared readers misstep. Luckily, each mission may be repeated as many times as necessary, and a certificate of achievement awaits adventurers at the end. Tucked in an attractive slipcase, this quartet of titles — THE ICELAND WYRM, THE DRAGON STAR, THE DRAGON DANCE, and THE WINGED SERPANT — makes an ideal gift and will keep readers mesmerized for hours on end.

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About the Author:

Dugald A. Steer, Editor: "With what trepidation I sat down to give my editorial attentions to what was clearly the masterwork of a very erudite man, should be obvious to all who read this book." So begins a letter, written in 1894, from Dugald Steer to an Oxford friend. The letter goes on to explain how a chance meeting with Dr. Ernest Drake at the BULL'S HEAD TAVERN in Dorking, Surrey, made him more than a little curious. Skeptical at first, he took up Dr. Drake's offer to meet him at his house and St. Leonard's Forest, and to attend one of the S.A.S.D. meetings in London. There, he became further involved in Dr. Drake's work, joining him on an expedition to Scotland to try and estimate the hunting range of the Dornoch Wyrm. As he writes, the trip was, "a cause of some emotion, as many of my relative, particularly the Ross branch, come from so near."

Douglas Carrel, Chief Draughtsman: A native of Scotland, Douglas Carrel was clearly a dragonologist of some standing, and often accompanied Dr. Drake on some of his more fruitful expeditions. In a letter from Constantinople to the editor he says, "It is with considerable sense of honour, and no small amount of pride, that I lend my hand to the compiling of this most worthy volume . . . Ultimately, I feel that all of us—within this privileged circle in particular—are duty-bound to preserve and perpetuate the love and lore of dragons."

Helen Ward, Scientific Artist: Helen Ward trained as an illustrator at Brighton School of Art, although it is not known exactly when she came into contact with Dr. Drake. However a quote from her autobiography makes some things clear: "As a child I dreamed of dragons. When age allowed, I traveled. Unfortunately, several expeditions to Europe and one to that part of Russia known as Finland specifically to capture the likeness of a live dragon have ended in failure. The creatures seemed deliberately elusive . . .. With the help of descriptions, notes, and detailed drawings made by others I have managed to illustrate these majestic creatures to the satisfaction of those more fortunate and better-informed dragonologists."

Wayne Anderson, Pictorial Artist: Interested in cryptozoology from an early age, Wayne Anderson first came into contact with S.A.S.D. at one of their meetings in Wyvern Way in London. It was after a couple of trips with Drake—to the Alps in 1878 and to Scotland in 1880—that Wayne realized his early dragon drawings were, in fact, more life-like than he could have realised. Like most of the other collaborators on DRAGONOLOGY, he has contributed to many other books for children. He enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with Helen Ward that resulted in books such as THE TIN FOREST and THE DRAGON MACHIINE.

Nghiem Ta, Artistic Direction: Dr. Drake met Nghiem Ta in the Fukien (now Fujian) Province of China where she was working in her grandfather's bookshop. Their shared interest in dragons became evident when he showed her a copy of the fabled DRAGON SUTRA of Hong Wei, which the monks of that monastery made for him as a gift. He asked Miss Ta if such a revered object could be bound into a book and was so impressed with her work that he later invited her to London to oversee the creation of DRAGONOLOGY.

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