I have seen some of the illustrations, including the one on the dust cover,
previously (in the "Fairy Ring" card set). At that time I thought they were
good. Seeing them in a larger format only raises my level of appreciation
of the work that went into creating them.
This is one of the most comprehensive fairy encyclopedias I have ever seen,
with nearly 3,000 entries from around the world. There are fairies here
from every inhabited continent and the islands of the world, without
concentrating overly on Europe. There are entries ranging from Abapansi (a
fairy from southern Africa) to Zwezda (a Slavonic mother goddess).
There are more than 100 illustrations throughout the book (one-third of them
in color), many of them full page. The color illustrations alone are worth
the price of the book, in my opinion.
It is, obviously, not designed to be read straight through. The
cross-referencing makes it easy to learn as much as you wish about most of
the topics contained within the covers.
There are more than 350 specialized references and an extensive bibliography
to help you find more information, some of which are current and some of
which are older. Most of the books in the bibliography are in Enchlish.
There are a few errors in the book ("Orisnici" should come before "Osenja"
for example) and a few omissions ("loa" is included but not the equivalent
"orisha"), but overall it is an excellent reference work.
The price is certainly affordable. It will make an excellent addition to
anyone's library.
