Beasts, Bones, and Bad Dreams (Paperback)
Language: English
Published by Independently Published, 2026
- Softcover
- New
Seller: CitiRetail, Stevenage, United KingdomCitiRetail
AbeBooks seller since June 29, 2022
Condition: New
£ 20.99
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Paperback. Every culture that has ever left a record is full of monsters.They guard the gold in the eastern deserts and coil in the cold loch. They sit on the sleeper's chest at three in the morning and wait in the marsh with a lantern that is not a lantern. The usual explanation is that frightened people, with long nights and vivid imaginations, simply made them up.Beasts, Bones, and Bad Dreams argues that the usual explanation is mostly wrong.The great monsters of the world were not invented. They were observed, and then misread. Somebody really did find a beaked, four-legged skeleton weathering out of the desert and reach for an eagle crossed with a lion. Somebody really did watch a dying squid thrash at the surface, or a whale rot into the shape of a serpent. Pulling the monster apart never leaves you with less. It leaves you holding something you would never have gone looking for.Across twenty-nine chapters, sorted into four ways the world gets misread, this book tracks the real evidence behind the legends: THE BONES: how dinosaur fossils in the Gobi became the griffin, how elephant skulls became the Cyclops, and how a narwhal's tusk became the unicorn's horn.THE WILD: the real animals behind Bigfoot, the Yeti, the Beast of Gevaudan, and the Chupacabra.THE DEEP: the giant squid behind the kraken, the rotting whale behind the sea serpent, and the manatee behind the mermaid.THE MIND: the sleep paralysis behind the demon on your chest, the disease behind the vampire, the fungus behind the witch trial, and the psychology behind the ghost you were sure you saw.Written in the same sceptical-but-generous voice as the rest of The Ancient Sceptic series, this is not a book that laughs at the people who believed. It is a book that takes them seriously enough to find out what they actually saw. Fully sourced, extensively researched, and built for anyone who has ever wondered what was really moving in the dark.If you enjoyed The Sphinx and the Problem with Deep Time or Easter Island and the Problem with Movement, the next mystery is waiting in the shadows. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…
Seller Inventory # 9798189971631
- Title
- Beasts, Bones, and Bad Dreams (Paperback)
- Author
- Ancient Sceptic
- Publisher
- Independently Published
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- new
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 13
- 9798189971631
- Series
- Book 1 of 1: The Ancient Sceptic
Every culture that has ever left a record is full of monsters.
They guard the gold in the eastern deserts and coil in the cold loch. They sit on the sleeper's chest at three in the morning and wait in the marsh with a lantern that is not a lantern. The usual explanation is that frightened people, with long nights and vivid imaginations, simply made them up.
Beasts, Bones, and Bad Dreams argues that the usual explanation is mostly wrong.
The great monsters of the world were not invented. They were observed, and then misread. Somebody really did find a beaked, four-legged skeleton weathering out of the desert and reach for an eagle crossed with a lion. Somebody really did watch a dying squid thrash at the surface, or a whale rot into the shape of a serpent. Pulling the monster apart never leaves you with less. It leaves you holding something you would never have gone looking for.
Across twenty-nine chapters, sorted into four ways the world gets misread, this book tracks the real evidence behind the legends:
THE BONES: how dinosaur fossils in the Gobi became the griffin, how elephant skulls became the Cyclops, and how a narwhal's tusk became the unicorn's horn.
THE WILD: the real animals behind Bigfoot, the Yeti, the Beast of Gévaudan, and the Chupacabra.
THE DEEP: the giant squid behind the kraken, the rotting whale behind the sea serpent, and the manatee behind the mermaid.
THE MIND: the sleep paralysis behind the demon on your chest, the disease behind the vampire, the fungus behind the witch trial, and the psychology behind the ghost you were sure you saw.
Written in the same sceptical-but-generous voice as the rest of The Ancient Sceptic series, this is not a book that laughs at the people who believed. It is a book that takes them seriously enough to find out what they actually saw. Fully sourced, extensively researched, and built for anyone who has ever wondered what was really moving in the dark.
If you enjoyed The Sphinx and the Problem with Deep Time or Easter Island and the Problem with Movement, the next mystery is waiting in the shadows.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
CitiRetail
Stevenage, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since June 29, 2022
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 14 business days | 7 to 60 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 37.00 | £ 37.00 |
Payment methods
Store description
Online business
Seller's business information
ABC BOOKS LIMITED
10 John Street
London, United Kingdom WC1N 2EB
Terms of sale
Orders can be returned within 30 days of receipt.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to CitiRetail, Stevenage, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Please note that titles are dispatched from our US, Canadian or Australian warehouses. Delivery times specified in shipping terms. Orders ship within 2 business days. Delivery to your door then takes 7-14 days.