The Mermaid Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon

Title: The Mermaid Handbook
Author: Carolyn Turgeon
Genre: Fiction
Series: N/A 
Hardcover, 240 Pages
Publication: May 15, 2018 by Harper Design

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. 

Buy|Amazon|B&N|

Beautiful, seductive, mysterious, and potentially dangerous, the mermaid is a global literary and pop culture icon whose roots date back to ancient sea goddesses and Greek mythology. From Homer’s Odyssey and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Little Mermaid to T.S. Eliot’s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid, this sea vixen has long seduced popular imagination. Cosmetic companies have drawn inspiration for their makeup lines from mermaids, as have designers throughout fashion history, from Jean Patou to Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen. The fishtail dress is a perennial long red-carpet staple, favored by the likes of Marion Cotillard, Sofia Vergara, and Blake Lively.

Divided into four sections—Fashion and Beauty; Arts and Culture; Real Mermaids and Where to Find Them; and Food, Entertaining and Stories of the Sea—The Mermaid Handbook is a unique and sumptuous compilation filled with creative ideas for decorating and living inspired by these beauties from the deep. Learn to make a sailor’s valentine; a mermaid comb and crown; and a pearl and sequin paillette necklace. There are recipes for mermaid-themed poke bowls, aquatic-themed honey gingerbread cookies, and the official cocktail of the 1960s-era mermaid attraction Aquarama.

HarperDesign, Turgeon and the designers hit it out of the park once again with The Mermaid Handbook, a stunning compendium of all things Mermaid. Following up with last’s years gorgeous novel, The Faerie Handbook, The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours.

The Mermaid Handbook is presented in a sturdy turquoise hardcover compendium with a high quality image of a mermaid resting atop a jagged rock. To tie everything together the cover and spine is embossed with rose-gold foiling, the pages is gilded in rose-gold and is finished off with a baby blue satin ribbon. I loved the color scheme chosen, it definitely conjures up images of mermaids and the sea.

This compendium is a wealth of mermaid knowledge. The book is divided into four sections: Fashion & Beauty, Arts & Culture, Real Mermaids &Where to Find Them and Food, Entertaining & Stories of the Sea. Readers will learn how the mermaid mythology has inspired all aspect of our lives from clothing, to makeup, the vast stories from all around the world to yearly camp and parade dedicated for our love of mermaids; where you can learn to become one yourself and embrace your inner siren…because let’s face it, every one of us has dreamed or wished we were a mermaid at one point in our lives; I sure did!

The Mermaid Handbook is a must have for all mermaid lovers, the believers, the water babies, and anyone who dreamed of swimming in the underwater kingdom and living in the deep depth of the ocean. This is the perfect companion novel to Turgeon’s The Faerie Handbook and the perfect book to get you ready for the summer which is sure to filled with days full of sun, sand and the ocean! 

Middle-Earth: From Script to Screen by Daniel Falconer

Title: Middle-Earth: From Script to Screen
Author: Daniel Falconer
Genre: Non-Fiction
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 512 Pages
Publication: November 21, 2017 by Harper Design

Source: I received a review copy in exchange for a honest review.

Buy|Amazon|B&N|

Middle-Earth: From Script to Screen tells the complete story of how J. R. R. Tolkien's magic world was brought to vivid life on the big screen in the record-breaking film trilogies The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy and The Hobbit Motion Picture Trilogy. Drawing on resources, stories, and content from the archives of the companies and individuals behind the films, much of which have never appeared in print before, as well as interviews with director Peter Jackson and key members of the Art Department, Shooting Crews, Park Road Post, and Weta Digital teams who share their personal insights on the creative process, this astonishing resource reveals: How the worlds were built, brick by brick and pixel by pixel;How environments were extended digitally or imagined entirely as computer generated spaces;How the multiple shooting units functioned;How cast members and characters interacted with their environments.

I legitimately screamed when I received Middle-Earth: From Script to Screen in the mail. It was like, “how did they know I am a big fan of both film trilogies by Peter Jackson?!” This book is massive, the biggest compendium I’ve ever seen; It’s approximately 10x12 inches, over 500 pages and pretty heavy! I imagine it’d be over 10 pounds, if not more and it is beyond beautiful. The compendium cover consisted of a matte dark forest green with a scenic image of Rivendell as the background and a risen golden decorative border. At the center was the shiny, slightly raised image of the well-known, infamous ring that started it all. Like previous Harper Design compendium, I loved the additional reading ribbon, a golden ribbon that tied everything together. The entire cover design was very cohesive and appeasing to the eyes; another stellar book by Harper Design.

One of my favorite aspect of film is learning about what happened behind the scenes. How the films came to be and all the stages that came in between. Middle-Earth: From Script to Screen is a all-encompassing, in-depth look at the creation of Tolken’s most beloved novels brought to life. The book was full of stunning conceptual artwork, pictures from the films, blueprints, quotes from cast and crew and so much more. Each chapter was dedicated to a key location from the films; such as The Shire, Rivendell, The Misty Mountain, Mirkwood, Rohan, and Mordor to name a few.

Middle-Earth: From Script to Screen is a must-have, must-read for all Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Fans, or any movie aficionado. Everything that you’ve ever wanted to know about Middle-Earth lies with the pages of this stunning book. The labor of love that went into Middle-Earth is evident; I can’t imagine how long it took to compile everything needed for this compendium. Falconer and Harper Design has out did themselves. This book can only be appreciated in person, like art that is displayed in a museum. If you want to truly own a master piece in your own home, then you need this book as part of your personal library. I highly recommend this book to everyone, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

The Faerie Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon, Grace Nuth & Editors of Faerie Magazine

Title: The Faerie Handbook
Author: Carolyn Turgeon, Grace Nuth & Editors of Faerie Magazine
Genre: Historical
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 240 pages
Publication: November 14, 2017 by Harper Design

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Buy|Amazon|B&N|

In this exquisite anthology, Editor in Chief Carolyn Turgeon and the editors of Faerie Magazine welcome you into an enchanted realm rich with myth, mystery, romance, and abundant natural beauty. Organized into four sections—Flora and Fauna, Fashion and Beauty,  Arts and Culture, and Home, Food, and Entertaining—this gorgeous volume offers an array of exquisite vintage4 and contemporary fine art and photography, literature, essays, do-it-yourself projects, and recipes that provide hours of reading, viewing, and dreaming pleasure, along with a multitude of ideas for modern-day living and entertaining with a distinctive fairy touch. 

Do you judge a book by it’s cover? I know we shouldn’t but I have to admit, I certainly do. A beautiful book is like sweet icing on a cake and when the content within the book matches the outside, it’s the perfect cherry on top. I’ve seen some genuinely beautiful books in my life but The Faerie Handbook blows them all out of the water. I was immediately enchanted upon receiving The Faerie Handbook. The book is a stunning mauve color with silver foil writing and border and silver gilded paper edges. The hardcover in and of itself is a true masterpiece and can only be appreciated in person (pictures don’t do justice). At the center of the cover is an equally impressive high quality image of a barebacked fairy. The book is divided into four sections; Flora & Fauna, Fashion & Beauty, Arts & Culture and Home, Food and Entertainment exploring the in and out of the magical realm of faeries.

If you follow my blog, you know how much I absolutely love, love faeries. They’re my favorite mythological (or real, depending on your belief) creature. And The Faerie Handbook is a must-have for any and all ardent faerie admirer. This book is the holy grail for all things faeries. Throughout the book, readers will find breathtaking rich and vivid artwork/photograph gathered over the centuries. Accompanying the art are poems, literature, history/lore, arts and DIY craft instructions and so much more. The Faerie Handbook is a meticulous detailed and well written book on everything you’d want to know about faeries. I love this book in it’s entirety but if I had to pick out what I enjoyed the most from this book it’s definitely the history of faeries/folklore and the gorgeous artwork. I thought it was really cool seeing artists’ interpretations of faeries from the 1800-1900’s to present day faeries in movies and television (mentions). Faeries are mentioned in most, if not all cultures in one form or another, so it was fascinating to read what people from all over the world thought of faeries. Some people found faeries to be ethereal and beautiful, innocent childlike beings, or glamoured monsters to be fear and as a type of omen.

I recall seeing and hearing about books similar to The Faerie Handbook; but instead of focusing on faeries, there were books on vampires, werewolves and zombies. However books similar to this (supernatural encyclopedia/handbooks) are nowhere near the same level as The Faerie Handbook. It is evident that a lot of time, care, research and love went into making the handbook. From the stunning cover, to the specific contents chosen to make this book to even the smallest detail such as a violet reading ribbon.

I really enjoyed The Faerie Handbook. It is nothing like your regular 411 book or coffee table book that is there for aesthetic reasons rather than substance. Not only is this book aesthetically pleasing but the information within the book is much more worthwhile. I highly recommend The Faerie Handbook to other faerie lovers like myself or those who dream of a magical world beyond ours…because this book is truly a piece of magic. The Faerie Handbook is a must-read and deserves a spot on your forever keeper shelf to be read over and over again.

 

Check out these beautiful picture excerpts below. They're all amazing but it's even more breathtaking in person!