Product Description

For true believers only, a lavishly illustrated reproduction of a legendary volume by the world’s most distinguished dragonologist. Don’t let it fall into the wrong hands!

Do you believe in dragons? Now, for the first time, the long-lost research of renowned nineteenth century dragonologist Dr. Ernest Drake is presented in all its eccentric glory, happily bridging the gap between dragon legend and fact. The meticulous Dr. Drake assigns Latin names to various dragon species, ruminates on why dragons are able to speak, speculates on how they could fly, and explains the true purpose of their notorious hoarding habits. Here are just a few of DRAGONOLOGY'S fascinating features:

— Novelty item on every spread, including tactile samples of dragon wings, dragon scales, and dragon skin
— Booklet of dragon riddles (indispensable to the burgeoning dragonologist)
— Sealed envelope containing a powerful dragon-calling spell
— Embossed faux leather cover with silver foil, encrusted with three dragon gems

In his afterword, Dr. Drake reveals that one of the crucial goals of dragonologists is to preserve the magnificent creatures of their study wherever possible - a goal this tongue-in-cheek volume most affectionately achieves. An incomparable gift for secret dragonologists everywhere!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9006 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-13
• Released on: 2003-10-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• #1 New York Times Bestseller
• Chicago Public Library "Best Book for Children and Teens"
• Publisher's Weekly "Cuffie Award Winner" Most Unusual Book of the Year
• American Library Association "Best Book for Young Adults"

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-7-This faux nonfiction title carries echoes of James Gurney's Dinotopia (Turner, 1992; o.p.) in that it purports to be the actual writings of English dragonologist Ernest Drake. Unlike Dinotopia, however, this book is not a narrative, but rather an almost encyclopedic treatment of the subject. It delivers on its subtitle and covers every aspect of the study of dragons, treating the magical creatures as if they were real objects of scientific study. The discussion of the different species includes all types of dragons with which children might be familiar, from Chinese dragons to the European ones of the Grimm fairy tales. One particularly fun bit is the dragon alphabet, combined with some ancient runes written in dragon that can be translated. An aspect of the book that will be totally fascinating to children is the natural history of this creature, including diagrams of its skeletal and muscular structures, and even the development of a dragon embryo in the egg. The illustrations, mainly in color, and overall design of the book are appealing, from a foldout map of "Dragons of the World" to the flaps and cutouts throughout. This book will be hugely attractive to children, especially the "Harry Potter" crowd, but it is fragile.-Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Purportedly a facsimile of an original book published in 1896, this is a handsome, dryly tongue-in-cheek volume about "the proper study of the dragonologist or student of dragon lore." Replete with large foldout pages, small inset foldouts, and maps showing dragons as indigenous to most parts of the world, the book covers everything from dragon habitats, physiology, and behavior to finding, tracking, taming, and flying them. The pages are sturdy and have an antique look about them, as do the plentiful, mostly full-color illustrations, some of which were contributed by Helen Ward. Appendixes provide advice on setting up a dragonology lab, useful spells and charms, and a history of dragonologists and dragon slayers. There are also ads for equipment, such as the "famous" Draco dragon-whistle, and some practical advice: to wit, wearing special, heat-protective clothing when approaching dragons. All in all, a delightful treatment for readers fascinated by dragons. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Dr. Ernest Drake is said to have lived in St. Leonard’s Forest, Sussex, England, in the late nineteenth century and to have issued a very limited run - some 100 copies - of DRAGONOLOGY in 1895. A noted dragonologist and a founding member of the Secret & Ancient Society of Dragonologists in London, Dr. Ernest Drake was determined to bring the subject of dragons under the burgeoning umbrella of the nineteenth-century natural sciences. He had absolutely no doubt that dragons exist, and his notes suggest that he had no little experience of them. Apparently, only one copy of DRAGONOLOGY ever appeared in public, surfacing in the basement of a secondhand bookstore in London in 1987. The book was accompanied by a letter, dated 1904, addressed to an unnamed apprentice. Dr. Ernest Drake’s painstaking work has been faithfully reproduced in this unique volume.

Customer Reviews

Utterly Magnificient!
This book is something special, and will be loved by anyone who is drawn to the magical, the mythical, the wonderful.

As well as anything and everything you'd ever want to know about dragons and things dragonish and dragonly, you will be entertained along the way with what amounts to a quite spry sense of humor, and that when least expected. For example, dragons love lettuce (we all knew that, right?), so it would be well advised to tote a head of it along (iceberg will do) at all times, advance preparation being half the battle.

This book is presented in the spirit of Gnomes (Poortlvliet), Faeries (Froud), Giants (Larkin), Unicorns (Hathaway), Witches (Jong)...an entire library of books in which it is a given the creature is real and not mere fantasy. This makes for great fun, no matter the age; just be a child at heart.

Of exciting note: The original of this book having been written, purportedly, in the beginning of the 20th century, the language is delightfully archaic and (by today's standards) full of whimsy. We are placed in another mindset and into an earlier time, when perhaps it would not be so radical to believe such beasties could exist, indeed, while munching on lettuce.

The art is top notch, the book full of delights and cozy places to explore. For those of us who have no trouble at all believing that dragons are alive still (and very well, thank you) a keener book could not be found.

I'd give it 10 stars, sigh, if only I could. Now, 'tis time to find myself a dragon, or perchance to let it find me...

Strong "Book of Dragons"
Ever wonder why Smaug hoarded all that treasure? Apparently it was just to impress the lady dragons. That's only one detail of "Dr. Ernest Drake's Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons," a faux-scholarly book that gives intricate details to the legendary beasts. (The actual author is Dugald A. Steer).

Without robbing dragons of their mystique, we get an overview of them: there are intricate studies of the different kinds of dragons, from the Eastern lung to the Australian marsupial (which is a bit too silly for the tongue-in-cheek tone of the book). "Dr. Drake" also examines their habits, such as courtship rituals and parenting, as well as the the biological means by which they spew flames, and the reason why they hoard gems.

He also gives quite a bit of advice for the budding dragonolist, ranging from the obscure (hide shiny objects from baby dragons) to the ordinary (wear fireproof clothing). Finally, there is a historical overview of famous dragonologists from around the world, and spells that assist them.

Dragons are a staple of legend and literature, although a neglected one. Though "Dragonology" is presented as a serious work, Steer never forgets to keep his tongue in cheek. It's a fun read, with lots of detail and thought -- after all, it can't be easy to document the physiology of a beast that doesn't, technically, exist.

Taken on its own, the book might merely be cute. But Steer also includes little details like a faux library card belonging to Ernest Drake, a little letter enclosed in a special envelope, and an inscription on the inner front cover: "To Friendly Dragons" followed by a bunch of Tolkienesque runes.

And the illustrations are as much a part as the faux-scholarly text. Classic-looking pictures of various kinds of dragons are only one part of it; there are also looks at embroyonic dragons in the egg, the different egg shapes, a foldout map that shows where the various species live, and several pictures of the anatomy of dragons, including musculature, skeleton, and things like claws, wing "fingers" and optic nerves.

Okay, maybe dragons don't exist. Big deal. The faux-scholarly tone, exquisite illustrations and intricate detail of "Dr. Ernest Drake's Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons" makes it an immensely fun read.

Why I Want To Be A Dragonologist
I am only seven, and this book was the best book I have ever read--and believe me, I've read a lot! My favorite dragon in this book was the Frost Dragon; I also liked the Marsupial Dragon. I like the spells because they were awesome, and they taught me how to seize dragons. One spell was you put dragon dust on a mirror and point it directly into his eyes, and then you could steal the gold! I also like the back page where the dragon has a mirror for an eye. In one of the secret envelopes I read "Beware: this spell will turn the dragon against you." The letters were camoflaged and kind of squished together, but my second cousin and I figured it out!

Do you know why the author mentioned a duck-billed platypus in a dragon book? I'll tell you...because it once wasn't believed that the duck-billed platypus existed, so why shouldn't you believe in dragons?

This book made me fascinated with dragons, and now I would like to become a dragonologist. Please read this interesting book if you love dragons, too.

Cameron