This is such an interesting read for any dragon enthusiast. I picked it up to expand my knowledge of dragons and surrounding myths as they are a common element in many of the fantasy books I read with so many different characteristics and versions of them.

With a focus on the historical presence of dragons in art, this book covers the myths in several parts of the world throughout history for a majority of the book. Then the last few chapters cover a little about more current uses of dragons in art and tv in series like Game of Thrones.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I was not a fan of the structure of the book and found it somewhat clunky while going through it. I would still recommend for any dragon lover!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was a delightful look at art history and myth! I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical version!

Chock full of interesting info, but layout a bit forbidding.

TL:DR
3.5 stars
Appropriate for 8+
Primary appeal to Teen/Adult
Fans of Dragons, folklore


This "pocket book" is stuffed full of information. I requested this ARC hoping that my dragon loving students would get use out of this. It is too dense for my 3rd-5th graders, but wow would this be great for an older audience.

With a healthy list of books for further reading, online resources, and a well laid out index, the back matter is easily navigable and helpful to the lay person. However, if you are looking for a reference book that gives you a list of their sources - this is not that book. Also, there is nowhere that I saw that tells us why we should trust the information Joel Levy gives.

The layout feels very much like a text book, with large blocks of text opposite an image with a caption. The lack of info boxes and callouts elevate the age range of this book, and narrow the appeal range - potentially eliminating some more casually interested people with the "serious scholar" layout.

However, if the casual dragon and folklore fan dives in anyway, they will probably enjoy this chunks of book dense in imagery, history, and stories - even if they skip around rather than reading straight through.

Suggested for public libraries, and High School/College libraries with high fantasy book circulation, D&D clubs, or general folklore interest.

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance digital copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

KC
School Librarian for 3rd - 5th Grade
Storyteller
Lover of cheese & tiny boxes

This highly informative book will delight dragon lovers of all sorts! What stood out the most to me was how well organized the information is since the categories feel natural and intuitive. On top of that, the variety of illustrations included is incredible. Most of the book is categorized by culture from Chinese dragons to Norse wyrms while some is discussed in the context of Christianity and literature. Author Joel Levy even devotes a section to the ubiquity of dragon hunting stories. Although Pocket Book of Dragons is non-fiction, Levy makes learning a pleasure. So if dragons interest you, read this book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Prepare to embark on an exhilarating journey through the enchanting world of dragons with this captivating little book! It's a delightful introduction to the history of these mythical creatures across myth, religion, and literature, featuring a tantalizing array of examples. From fierce fire-breathing beasts to wise guardians of treasure, each dragon type comes alive in these pages, along with a fascinating exploration of why they could never physically exist in our world.

I found myself thoroughly enchanted by this book! Although it's a quick read, the chosen examples are intriguing enough to ignite your imagination. I couldn’t help but wish for even more stories and details—just a bit more room to dive deeper into each dragon's lore would have elevated this experience to another level!

This book is an absolute must-have for dragon enthusiasts, fantasy aficionados, and anyone immersing themselves in their dragon era! It brilliantly chronicles the lore behind these magnificent creatures, tracing their roots across cultures for thousands of years. You'll witness their evolution into the dragons we adore in modern classics like *Game of Thrones*, *How to Train Your Dragon*, and the ever-cunning Smaug from *The Hobbit*.

With just a couple of hours dedicated to reading, prepare to linger over the stunning illustrations and might find yourself jotting down titles for your to-be-read list! It's like an encyclopedia of dragons, showcasing how they are depicted around the globe, featuring magnificent art from ancient and medieval periods to contemporary pop culture.

While the spotlight shines predominantly on Western European and Scandinavian dragons, the book thoughtfully explores Eastern representations, too—think powerful Chinese dragons and the mystical thunderbird! The succinct descriptions of epic tales, myths, and folktales featuring these legendary beasts are particularly delightful.

If you revel in encyclopedia-style books that delve into the marvelous realm of mythological dragons, and adore a variety of captivating artwork showcasing how cultures have envisioned these creatures throughout history, then this book is sure to dazzle you.

The illustrations are absolutely stunning, adding an enchanting layer to the narrative that I found to be the highlight of my reading experience. While the information is quite basic, it serves as a fantastic entry point for newcomers to the subject. However, if you're a seasoned dragon fan, you may find yourself yearning for more depth. Either way, this book promises to spark your imagination and reignite your love for dragons!

A compact guide to the evolution of dragon myths through time. It starts with possible origins around the world, moves into folklore, then literary and modern representations. It also covers where you might find dragons in real life via art and architecture.

While not extensive because of its small nature, this book is a great introduction to the myth and legend of this amazing imaginary creature. Lots of artwork and imagery to go along with it.

Yeah i will definitely be buying this when it comes out, this was such an interesting read and i loved the beautiful imagery the author chose to include - sometimes when looking at one of the illustrations chosen I played season 2 white lotus theme in my head. I learned a ton of interesting factoids which i will definitely almost never have an opportunity to share, but they make me happy anyways.

Selecting this book seemed like a no brainer for someone who is fascinated by dragons. The description said it was heavily illustrated so it was unavailable on Kindle. I used the Netgalley reader, but was extremely unhappy that every page had a banner across it: “Copyrighted. Not authorized for distribution.” It was difficult to appreciate the illustrations marred by this banner, and the text (which was often challenging to read) was drier and less interesting than I’d hoped. I’ve never seen another ARC marked like this, and found it very annoying. Very disappointed. I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Iconic in word and image, the dragon enthralls and entertains, spinning its glamor of enchantment for us today as it did for heroes from Marduk to Sigurd, Beowulf to Bilbo."

This handy little compendium tracks the history of dragons, and while I knew some of the lore, I found most of it new and interesting. It's always fascinating to see how the same stories proliferate through different cultures over time. I also recognized a lot of dragon-like forms mentioned from several fantasy series I've read (The Hobbit, Fantastic Beasts, and all three series of the Maasverse for example) without ever really processing their origin - even before getting to the section on Literary Dragons. The illustrations are beautiful (and/or terrifying), and are shown throughout to bring to life the stories they accompany.

For anyone curious about tracking the stories of dragons through time, this is a helpful resource.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

I was so excited to see this one pop up on my account! As a lover of fantasy and dragons, this little pocket reference of lore is a must have for any fantasy lover or DND player. I can't wait to buy this one for our DND Dungeon Master or my fellow Fourth Wing fans when it comes out.

The Pocket Book of Dragons is a great choice for dragon lovers! Its a quick read packed with information and beautiful illustrations depicting dragons from different cultures.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This seemed like a fun little book to read through so I decided to pick it up. 

The illustrations were nice and I liked the design of the overall book, but I think there was a bit too much design and too little substance for such a short book. 

I don't really feel like I learned anything, but it was fun enough to read through.

I loved seeing a history of dragons and learning more about the many lores surrounding them. The art is great throughout the book with a mix of ancient drawings, sculpture photography, and graphic designs. I have loved reading dragon fiction for years, and I actually learned a lot on this book!

This short book is a very basic history of dragons through myth, religion, and literature with a small variety of examples from each. It also talks about the various different types of dragons, what the features of each were, and why dragons wouldn’t be able to physically exist in the real world:

I mostly liked this book. It’s very short so there isn’t a whole lot of room for examples of each different grouping. The examples chosen were interesting but I wish there was room to expand upon each selection and to have more examples of each grouping. I personally think the book would have been vastly improved if it was a bit longer.

There are many illustrations throughout the book and in my opinion this was the best part. They were absolutely beautiful and really added to the narrative.

Overall the info here was pretty basic. I recommend foe people that are just starting to get into the subject but if you’re a long time reader/fan of dragon material you aren’t going to get much out of this.

This book is perfect for dragon lovers, fantasy readers and fans that are in their dragon era! This fascinating little book dives into the history of the lore and how the concept of the dragon appeared in multiple cultures, thousands of years ago, developing over the centuries into the dragons we’re familiar with in Game of Thrones, How to Train Your Dragon, and Smaug from the The Hobbit, etc. This little book includes the perfect amount of intriguing history, stories from around the world, and many gorgeous paintings and photographs as well. It took me only a couple of hours to read, and I found myself lingering over the photographs and adding more books mentioned in this one to my TBR.

Joel Levy’s Pocket Book of Dragons is a perfect gift for fantasy lovers and a lovely addition to anyone’s library. I would highly recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Joel Levy for the ARC!

Such a good book, reminds me of the different “ology” books from when I was a kid. Great artwork and the stories were very entertaining!! Would recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about dragons!!

Thank you Netgalley, Chronicle Books, and Joel Levy for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a very info packed little book! There are a wide variety of dragons to learn about. While it doesn't go deeply into detail, you get a little bit of all the different types of dragons from all over the world. I like that each section focused on a certain type, like Eastern dragons, Norse, literary dragons, and even a section for Christian based dragons as well.

The artwork is beautiful, and overall this was a fun easy read. I think it would be perfect for a fantasy addicted teen, or even a dragon loving adult.

The Pocket Book of Dragons is a new, concise guide to the origins and history of the dragon creature. It delves into all facets of dragon lore - from its roots in Ancient Mesopotamia to modern day mythology contained in fictional series such as Wings of Fire, etc. This book is loaded with great information and contains some gorgeous illustrations. My only gripe is that dragon magick - a very real, metaphysical practice - was not touched upon at all. Aside from that, this is a wonderful resource, and even perhaps a must-read for dragon aficionados.

A relatively short book that’s like an encyclopedia of dragons from different cultures around the world, and also examines how they’re depicted today. It includes art of dragons from ancient and medieval times, as well as more recent pop culture. There was more focus on western European and Scandinavian dragons, but it also covered Eastern depictions of dragons like from China and India and creatures that could be considered dragons, like the thunderbird. I especially liked the short descriptions of the epics, myths, and folktales that feature dragons. If you enjoy encyclopedia-esque books covering mythological dragons, specifically dragons, and also interested in seeing a variety of art that shows how people have viewed dragons over the centuries, then I think you might enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such an interesting read! I’m a huge lover of fantasy but avoid most of the recent books that have dragons because I feel like the mythology is never explored as much I want. This book really scratched that itch for me. It was an informative but easy read, which I appreciated.

The pictures are amazing and I’m so glad they were included.