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Product Description
They stare down at us from the roofs and towers of our mediaeval churches: grotesque, monstrous and utterly mesmerising. The gargoyles grimacing and leering at us down the centuries, taking the form of anything from a centaur to a cretinous imp, were put there in the Middle Ages to ward off the evil that lies beyond the holy ground. But even in our modern era, our newspapers filled with tales of abduction and disaster, these magnificent works of sculpture and carving murmur to us of nightmares and nasty thoughts and intimations of our mortality. Mike Harding’s travels have taken him not only from Cumbria to Somerset, but also to France, Italy and even northern India in search of the most memorable and malevolent gargoyles, celebrated here in his superb photographs and erudite, quirky text. Here, then, are mouth-pullers and monster musicians, poking tongues and priapic giants, heads sprouting water or silently howling with toothache –not to mention the gargantuan cats glaring at us in Gloucester Cathedral.
About the Author
Mike Harding is the author of A Guide to Tying North Country Flies and eight Little Books for Aurum, including the perennially successful books on the Green Man and Gargoyles. He is also a high-profile radio presenter with his weekly folk music show on BBC Radio 2, and hosts the annual BBC Folk Awards. He lives in West Yorkshire.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Well, to start with, this book is not particularly 'little' - measuring approximately 15cm square - nor does it exclusively feature gargoyles, and it is definitely not comprehensive (nor does it pretend to be).
All that said, it is lots of fun for anyone remotely interested in the weird and wonderful carvings and paintings that adorn the churches of the UK and elsewhere. The book is basically a collection of the author's own photographs, together with comments and some home-spun philosophy on the meanings of each item or category.
The pictures are excellent - you'd think they were taken by a professional photographer specially commissioned for the book, rather than an eternally-touring 'comedian' and cohort of Jasper Carrott. The text is middling. But then, anyone buying this book is probably not looking for profound insight - I guess purchasers of this book will probably be people who already have an interest in the subject, looking for something other than dry academic analysis, or people expecting a collection of weird pictures, or people with a passing interest who don't really want to dig deeper. All these types will be satisfied by what is really just a fun book, but one which encourages people to look a little bit more closely on their next visit to a church or cathedral.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A strange sized book that gives you an interesting insight to the world of gargoyles, and is easy to pick up and read a page at a time and digest what is said, I really like it, and it can sit on the mantlepiece and visitors pick it up and show interest as well,it's a great introduction to a fascinating subject.
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The item i ordered arrived in the conditions described and on time. I'm very pleased with it.
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