Monsters have preoccupied mankind from the earliest times: even cave art includes animal–human monsters. Certainly monsters were present in the ancient religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia; the Old Testament describes the giant land and sea monsters Behemoth and Leviathan, while in the world of Classical mythology, monsters embody the fantasies of the gods and the cruellest punishments of human beings.

This book explores monsters down the ages and throughout the world. It provides a visual history of the human mind, lit up by flashes of wild and unearthly inspiration.