Mermaids by Elizabeth Ratisseau

Book Type: Collection Of Classics
Author: Elizabeth Rattiseau
Pages: 56

Summary(amazon.com):
Our volume is a compilation of succinct and insightful extracts from the literature of mermaids, and also some of our favorite images of mermaids. The pictures are by a variety of painters (including Waterhouse, Bocklin, and Burne-Jones) and book illustrators

My Review:
This is a beautiful collection of mermaid poetry, literature and art. This book features the history and symbolism of a mermaid, and even Henry Hudson's account of seeing a mermaid on one of his voyages, which I found to be pretty cool. The account is translated into more modern day language, which will help the reader understand what Hudson saw. There is also various forms of art, mostly classic paintings that I have seen before, and it also has some classic literature as well. If you are interested in this book, I have reviewed two other books similar to this one:

Mermaids: Sirens Of The Sea by Kerry Colburn

Mermaids: An Anthology by Steve Dobell

This is a cute little treasure that is perfect for any mermaid collection, so go check this one out! I give this book (****) 4 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Mermaids: Sirens Of The Sea by Kerry Colburn

Book Type: Collection Of Classics
Author: Kerry Colburn
Pages: 128

Summary(amazon.com):
Icons of the sea, pop culture seductresses, and mythical sirens: mermaids have been swimming in and out of our collective consciousness since the beginning of recorded time, and their images have graced folk-art pieces for centuries. Here's a gorgeous gift book about these legendary sea nymphs that gracefully combines full-color art -- including paintings, sculptures, and illustrations by Paul Gaugin and Gustav Klimt -- with literary quotations and lore that span more than 2,000 years. Text includes selections from Ovid, Shakespeare, Goethe, Melville, and Poe, plus "The Little Mermaid" and "The Legend of Undine."

                                                             My Review:

One of my favorites!

I first saw this book on Amazon.com when shopping for, what else? Mermaid books! This book is a huge collection of pretty much everything listed above in the summary. What I love mostly about this book is that there are a lot of mermaid poems, which is a personal favorite of mine. What I also love about this book is that under each picture or piece of art, the title is right there and you don't have to search for it. This collection is similar to another book that I have reviewed titled "Mermaids: An Anthology", which you can see here.  As mentioned above in the summary, classic stories such as, "The Little Mermaid" and "Undine" are also featured in this book, which are also two of my favorites! Mer-readers who love art, history and classical literature will love to add this book to their collection. Go check it out! I give this book (*****) 5 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie

A Book Of Mermaids by Ruth Manning Sanders

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the delay on newest mermaid reviews! I was one of the many who encountered the forces of hurricane Sandy, which lead to no power or Internet for over 12 days!!

Book Type: Collection Of Short Stories
Author: Ruth Manning Sanders
Pages: 128

Summary(amazon.com):
Stories about mermaids come from almost every country by the sea--from Iceland to India, America to Arabia. In these sixteen stories, Ruth Manning-Sanders captures the quirky personalities of mermaids and mermen, recounting their marvelous schemes and adventures with a master story-teller's eye for detail. This beloved and classic work, with stunning illustrations by Robin Jacques, has been out of print for decades. All fans of mermaid lore will celebrate this new, affordable paperback edition.
                                                                                My Review:
Since I had no power, I figured I would catch up on my reading for this blog. However, I was disappointed when I finished this book. The book was just plain boring, and lacked the mystical mermaid charm that we as mer-readers get excited about. The mermaids in each story seemed to posses very similar characteristics, such as generosity, being mischievous and of course, beautiful and charming. From this, the book became boring all too quickly. I do have to give the book credit on being culturally diverse though. It offers stories from a variety of countries, so if any of you readers are interested in mermaid stories like this, then I recommend this book for you. However, for my taste, I found this book a bit bland. I found another book very similar to this one, titled The mermaid reader, and of mermen, Nixie's, water-nymphs, sea sirens, sea-serpents, sprites and kindred creatures of the deep. Here is the cover if you are interested:


I must inform you though,I honestly could not even finish the second book, since it was terribly similar to the book above. I would give both of these books (**) 2 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie

Mermaid Tales From Around The World by Mary Pope Osborne

Book Type: Children's Literature/ Mermaid Stories
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Pages: 96

Summary(amazon.com):
The book presents legends and tales that have stirred the imaginations of people. From Andersen's Little Mermaid to Nigerian Fish Husband, these sea spirits all determine their own fate.

My Review:
I have read countless books on different collections of mermaid stories, legends and tales from around the world, but I think Osborne wrote one of the best books on this particular mer-subject. This book takes you through time and into many different cultures, some of which include Native American, Asian, Russian and many more! A common theme throughout the stories Osborne chose for her fabulous book is that, like the summary concludes, all of these mermaids and/or sea spirits chose their own fate, which if you think about it, is seen in many other mermaid books. Each of the mermaids presented in this collection are strong, devious, sometimes even evil and defiant, however, some are soft, gentle and kind. There is a wide variety of different personalities in this book, so everyone can connect with many of the stories. In addition, I really love how Osborne simplified these classic tales that were often written in a language that might pose as strange or confusing, and worded them in a way that was easy to understand and follow, but didn't write them in a juvenile fashion. Readers will also love the fabulous artwork that begins each story, which helps visualize the plot even further. This really is a great read, and I hope to buy this soon! I give this book (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie