[.ca] Mermaids (ISBN 188321114X)

wonderful collaberation of mermaid pictures:
I was so pleased when I looked inside this book. This book includes beautiful pictures of mermaids as well as interesting sayings, information, and poems about mermaids. The pictures weren't just cute drawings but paintings, excerpts from magazines, pictures from storybooks, and medieval drawings of mermaids. I am a mermaid lover and only like the best of mermaid books. This is book is one of the best. I recommend this book to anyone who loves mermaids.

terrible! hated it!:
I bought this as a gift for a 10 year old this christmas and her first impression was " why on Earth would you buy this book for ME?" I felt really bad when i read it myself. The author uses old paintings anyone who is into Mermaids has already seen a million times, nothing new here.. and nothing recent in terms of art! Also this book is not very large or really very informitive. It essentially brushes across the subject of Mermaids as if this was your first introduction to the subject. I didnt' learn a thing there was tons of old quotes on Mermaids all of them meaning nothing. The worst part other then the lack of real research and imagination, was that all the paintings don't have captions so if you want to know where the paintings came from, who made them and what story they are from you have to find it somewhere in the back of the book, truely annoying and unnessary. This book or any book on Mermaids could have been "oh so much more". I have no idea why it got so many high stars from people! There is I see now, Tons of wonderful books on Amazon much better then this one on mermaids dont' let your search stop here.

Little Eyes Beware:
Very good historical information of mermaids....but did not give the book to my young child because of the nudity featured in the artwork. The artwork is indeed classical, beautiful, and very sensual.

If You're Looking for Facts, Check the Britannica:
This slim, beautiful little volume is very satisfying if you are looking to enjoy the beauty of mermaids. It does not have a lot of "facts" but why would you be searching for facts about mermaids when they inhabit the nebulous realm of magic? This book contains 49 full color illustrations of mermaids, some of the more famous ones like Waterhouse's and Pyle's are included, but so are many that you probably will not have seen before. Ratisseau is a brilliant compiler and she has outdone herself here with super research and a flair for the subject. The text consists of many wonderful quotes, again, some famous and some obscure. The page lay-outs are tasty and most of the illustrations have a luminous sea-blue border around them, all printed on quality paper and perfect for gift-giving or for treating yourself.

"Mermaids" is fantastic!:
I think her "Mermaids" book is the best out of all of them, although I haven't yet bought her "Guardian Angel" book. Great pictures with observations and other poems make this book a keeper. I highly suggest it!