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genrejourneys's review
4.0
Rating: 3.5/5
A magical book that manages to escape the trap of a simple coffee table book, “The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects” pleasantly surprised me. It presents a collection of ways to approach the infamous tailed creature that has long enchanted humanity.
The book is a mesh of the history of mermaids in popular culture, various mermaid themed DIYs, and real life “mermaids”. I adored the Sailors’ Valentine in particular, a wonderful blend of history and a just complicated enough craft. With a gorgeous collection of art and a well spaced format, the book is very readable and lovely, inside and out. The colors are so vivid and the type of content was varied throughout. There were also plenty of resources for further trips down the mermaid rabbit hole after reading. Interviews from those who spent or currently spend some of their lives as the mythical creatures were moving. Readers will definitely be tempted to head to the ocean, or at least the nearest body of water, after reading. In terms of the content, I would give this to any mermaid lover in their teens or older. Some subjects and the style of writing might exclude younger mermaids.
Why not a four? Some of the organization of topics seemed strange (“A Young Man’s Guide to Picking Up Mermaids” was a particularly odd chapter in terms of content and placement). I also found some phrasing confusing. This is a book that works with the visuals. Some images were not included when they would have clarified quite a bit and some images seemed more generic than others. There were also a few moments where the word choice stood out to me.
I would recommend this to any mermaid or general fantasy lover. It was a pretty read with some engaging, if occasionally odd, content.
A magical book that manages to escape the trap of a simple coffee table book, “The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects” pleasantly surprised me. It presents a collection of ways to approach the infamous tailed creature that has long enchanted humanity.
The book is a mesh of the history of mermaids in popular culture, various mermaid themed DIYs, and real life “mermaids”. I adored the Sailors’ Valentine in particular, a wonderful blend of history and a just complicated enough craft. With a gorgeous collection of art and a well spaced format, the book is very readable and lovely, inside and out. The colors are so vivid and the type of content was varied throughout. There were also plenty of resources for further trips down the mermaid rabbit hole after reading. Interviews from those who spent or currently spend some of their lives as the mythical creatures were moving. Readers will definitely be tempted to head to the ocean, or at least the nearest body of water, after reading. In terms of the content, I would give this to any mermaid lover in their teens or older. Some subjects and the style of writing might exclude younger mermaids.
Why not a four? Some of the organization of topics seemed strange (“A Young Man’s Guide to Picking Up Mermaids” was a particularly odd chapter in terms of content and placement). I also found some phrasing confusing. This is a book that works with the visuals. Some images were not included when they would have clarified quite a bit and some images seemed more generic than others. There were also a few moments where the word choice stood out to me.
I would recommend this to any mermaid or general fantasy lover. It was a pretty read with some engaging, if occasionally odd, content.
everlaerian's review
3.0
I was hoping for a little more substance in the history of mermaids and their kin throughout civilizations. This book is a fun read if you are looking for something quick, flowery and looking to simply pass the time. Turgeon does write about how civilizations or mythologies saw these mythical creatures but it felt short with just enough information that barely scratched the surface. I believe this book would be better centered for children and teenagers and even young adults especially those whom would love to immerse themselves in the experience of being a mermaid. This has great crafting tutorials and recipes albeit you can find them online for free as well. For people like me who look for a more educated, seeking knowledge 'encyclopedia' - this is not the book for you. This truly is a handbook of glitter makeup, shell accessories and a deep diver of the Disney type mermaid that has submerged herself in our dreams since childhood.
jacklynartemis's review
4.0
As a mermaid hobbyist I loved the history of mermaiding as a profession, and all the DIYs were super cute!
itabar's review
4.0
This is an amazingly gorgeous book: lovely cover design, pretty endpapers and frontispiece, gilt edging. Wherever you open the book, there's an interesting picture or painting. I think she found every painting ever made of mermaids!
I got this book because it was reviewed somewhere and there was a craft thing I wanted to make. I couldn't find it, but I did find a couple of other pretty things I can make. These crafty things are scattered throughout the book in the relevant sections.
I did read bits of it (the first mermaid entertainer and the woman who makes fake mermaids tails for performers) and it was fascinating.
It's divided into 4 parts:
Fashion and Beaty
Arts and Culture
Real Mermaids and Where to Find Them
Food, Entertaining, and Stories of the Sea.
I got this book because it was reviewed somewhere and there was a craft thing I wanted to make. I couldn't find it, but I did find a couple of other pretty things I can make. These crafty things are scattered throughout the book in the relevant sections.
I did read bits of it (the first mermaid entertainer and the woman who makes fake mermaids tails for performers) and it was fascinating.
It's divided into 4 parts:
Fashion and Beaty
Arts and Culture
Real Mermaids and Where to Find Them
Food, Entertaining, and Stories of the Sea.
lynn_k's review
2.0
Contains more filler than The Fairy Handbook. I found myself skimming and skipping over uninteresting parts.
toad_maiden's review
4.0
This book was both well conceived and beautifully produced. It fills a niche that few other books produced for grown-ups do; it contains a cocktail of historical and folkloric information, modern tidbits, as well as how-to crafts and recipes, all heavily illustrated with images from the last 300 years. The book production is stunning, with a foil-stamped fabric cover, foil edging on the pages, thick matte paper, thoughtful text design, and well printed images. It's not uncommon to find books of this style (though usually not this quality) produced for a child audience, but Turgeon and the folks at Enchanted Living Magazine hit on the fact that some of us don't grow out of reading this kind of thing; we just want a thoughtful, more grown-up version. I'll have to order [b:The Faerie Handbook: An Enchanting Compendium of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects|34379324|The Faerie Handbook An Enchanting Compendium of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects|Carolyn Turgeon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500891080s/34379324.jpg|55467265] through interlibrary loan, but I think it will be worth it, if it's as beautiful as this one.