The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects

by Carolyn Turgeon

Overview

Answer the enchanting siren call of the mermaid with this comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and intricately designed one-of-a-kind lifestyle compendium from the editor in chief of Faerie Magazine and author of The Faerie Handbook and globally published novel Mermaid, packed with lore, legends, facts and trivia, beautiful illustrations, and numerous step-by-step projects and recipes.

Beautiful, seductive, mysterious, and potentially dangerous, the mermaid is a global literary and pop culture icon whose roots date back to ancient sea goddesses and Greek mythology. From Homer’s Odyssey and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Little Mermaid to T.S. Eliot’s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid, this sea vixen has long seduced popular imagination. Cosmetic companies have drawn inspiration for their makeup lines from mermaids, as have designers throughout fashion history, from Jean Patou to Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen. The fishtail dress is a perennial long red-carpet staple, favored by the likes of Marion Cotillard, Sofia Vergara, and Blake Lively.

Divided into four sections—Fashion and Beauty; Arts and Culture; Real Mermaids and Where to Find Them; and Food, Entertaining and Stories of the Sea—The Mermaid Handbook is a unique and sumptuous compilation filled with creative ideas for decorating and living inspired by these beauties from the deep. Learn to make a sailor’s valentine; a mermaid comb and crown; and a pearl and sequin paillette necklace. There are recipes for mermaid-themed poke bowls, aquatic-themed honey gingerbread cookies, and the official cocktail of the 1960s-era mermaid attraction Aquarama.

Folklore expert Carolyn Turgeon also includes profiles of true modern mermaids, tail makers, and mermaid bars; visits mermaid attractions like Weeki Wachee Springs; and provides tips on getting beachy mermaid hair and creating an alluring eye. This collector’s item also includes an inset image on the front cover; ornate metallic blue foil patterning on the front, spine, and back; blue stained edges; a satin bookmark, and quality paper.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062669568
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/15/2018
Series:	Enchanted Library
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	654,940
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Carolyn Turgeon has been editor in chief of Enchanted Living (formerly Faerie Magazine) since 2013. She is the author of The Faerie Handbook (Harper Design, 2017) and The Mermaid Handbook (Harper Design, 2018) as well as five novels: Rain Village, Godmother, Mermaid, The Next Full Moon, and The Fairest of Them All. Her books have been optioned for film by Sony Pictures, Random House Films/Focus Features, and Gaumont Film Company, and published in the United Kingdom, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Spain, and Portugal. She has published short fiction in Fairy Tale Review and the anthology Haunted Legends (Tor, 2010) as well as essays in Allure, the Hairpin, and the New Inquiry, among other publications. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Learn more at www.carolynturgeon.com.

Editorial Reviews

“….this book is stunning and packed full of mermaid mythology, history and fun fashion and recipes! You will want this fun and stunning book on your shelf.” — Seeing Double in Neverland

As the editor of Faerie magazine, Carolyn Turgeon is fluent in fairy tales and myths and suggests that even with the occasional kitsch, mermaids have become an empowering symbol for women. — The Globe and Mail

A comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and intricately designed one-of-a-kind lifestyle compendium packed with lore, legends, facts and trivia, beautiful illustrations, and numerous step-by-step projects and recipes. — PopCulture Guy

The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours. — Short and Sweet Reviews

This collection was tremendously fun to read through, and I know I’ll be paging through it again for one reason or another for a while to come. — Fantasy Literature

The festive, aqua blue hardcover with elegant copper edging is a collection of mermaid inspired fashions, beauty secrets, DIY, cocktails, and even tells you where to find a real life mermaid. — Plush Pink Allure

From the Publisher

As the editor of Faerie magazine, Carolyn Turgeon is fluent in fairy tales and myths and suggests that even with the occasional kitsch, mermaids have become an empowering symbol for women.

The Globe and Mail

This collection was tremendously fun to read through, and I know I’ll be paging through it again for one reason or another for a while to come.

Fantasy Literature

The Mermaid Handbook is filled with endless literature, full colored artwork and photographs, recipes and crafts will keep you occupied and enchanted for hours and hours.

Short and Sweet Reviews

The festive, aqua blue hardcover with elegant copper edging is a collection of mermaid inspired fashions, beauty secrets, DIY, cocktails, and even tells you where to find a real life mermaid.

Plush Pink Allure

….this book is stunning and packed full of mermaid mythology, history and fun fashion and recipes! You will want this fun and stunning book on your shelf.

Seeing Double in Neverland

A comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and intricately designed one-of-a-kind lifestyle compendium packed with lore, legends, facts and trivia, beautiful illustrations, and numerous step-by-step projects and recipes.

PopCulture Guy