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harriet64's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly would 10/10 recommend to a friend. Ce livre était vraiment amusant, et m'a fait rire souvent. Les images étaient divertissantes et les mots étaient informants. Sometimes the language was interesting, and I am yet to solve the mystery of the 'farine' but overall the prose was clear (as expected for a barber surgeon who was creating a book of hybridity). Bizarre, odd, wild.
servemethesky's review
3.0
Really interesting, and great pictures! Became very repetitive, though, after the first 100 pages or so.
silent_jem's review against another edition
4.0
A really interesting insight to Renaissance period's beliefs about natural deformities, gender, sex, etc. Read as part of a module about sex, gender, and identity, so the second half of the book (about demonic possession and other monsters) wasn't too relevant but still quite interesting! I found the description of the spirits in the mines particularly eerie. Would recommend, it's a fairly easy read (even in French).
nerdietalk's review
3.0
Fascinating historical document. Through Pare's writing, we can see how the idea of "monsters" was defined as a supernatural and scientific concept. Normal birth defects were explained as an act of God, while strange, fictional creatures were assumed to be real and somehow caused by getting hurt in the womb. Excellent insight into the mind of 1500s scientists from. The text can be dry, but worth taking a look.
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