Book Type: Mermaid info/ history
Author: Beatrice Phillpotts
Pages: 96
Summary(goodreads.com):
Beatrice Phillpotts, in her book Mermaids suggests that: Supremely beautiful, forever combing her hair, just beyond reach of men, mermaids have beckoned the adventurous to the unknown and the promise of forbidden fruits. However behind this seductive image of the Siren lurks the a metaphor of death, for enticed by her promise and allure, generations have been lured to their certain doom in a thousand different stories that form the bases of powerful and enduring myths and legends that continue today.
My Review:
Merfolk always find treasures in the most hidden spots! I found this book from watching The Thirteenth Year, the scene where Cody is reading this novel to learn more about his mer-heritage. While this book is a great keepsake from one of my favorite movies, the content is nothing amazing.
The history section offered interesting information about how mermaids transformed from god/goddess into the seductive creatures of today. This section even mentions how mermaids were symbols of vice desires, and warned men high above church pews to avoid this temptress. The book also features beautiful carvings, paintings, and advertisements that cover the span of human civilization! It even featured my favorite artist, John William Waterhouse's A Mermaid:
Even with this book's mentioning of interesting history and beautiful images, there were some errors that irked me as a mermaid enthusiast. A lot of the sentences in this book were way too long, bordering on run on sentences. As an English adjunct instructor and college essay writing tutor, this was very annoying. The words "submarine," "marine," and "nautical" kept repeating constantly; in almost every sentence!
In the section of Mermaids and Marriage, Phillpotts mentions that mermaids marry mortals for a soul, but doesn't mention the most famous of this concept: The Little Mermaid! Also, I would've liked to see something on the legend of the selkie and their marriage problems, but this was put into another section instead.
This book was an interesting guide to the history and symbolism of mermaids in human culture, but a majority of the facts and images are found in other similar books. I give this book (***) 3 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie