"Peek within at some of the most vivid depictions of this beast that belongs to us all.... Praised be John Howe and may the fire within him never be extinguished." - from the foreword by Guillermo del Toro"

John Howe is one of the world's most renowned fantasy artists, probably best known for his 20 year stint as an artist on the Tolkien list, and his work as Conceptual Designer alongside Alan Lee on the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. He is a prominent and active member of the worldwide fantasy art community, and holds regular exhibitions and lectures on his work around the world. John lives in Switzerland.

INTRODUCTION; Designing dragons: inspiration, features and variations; COSMIC DRAGONS; Dragons of world mythology, including Tiamat, Apep, the Ouroboros and Nidhoggr; MONSTERS AND HEROES; Medieval legends, including Beowulf, Siegfried and Fafnir, St George and the dragon, Lancelot and Melusine; DRAGONS OF OTHER WORLDS; Dragons of fantasy fiction, including the creations of Anne McCaffrey, Ursula K. Le Guin, Robin Hobb and J.R.R. Tolkien; Afterword; Index.