Mermaids Axel Mllerchristopher Hallsben Williamson Christopher Halls Ben Williamson by Axel Mller;christopher Halls;ben Williamson; & Christopher Halls & Ben Williamson 9781804130049, 1804130044 instant download after payment.

Our purpose in embarking on this book about the cultural history of mermaids was twofold. First, we wanted to illustrate and describe the aesthetics and diversity of mermaid-related art throughout human history. In this respect, our contribution resembles an art book that chronicles and celebrates mermaid symbolism from its conception more than 2,500 years ago in Mesopotamian culture, through classical antiquity and up to the present day. The clear timeline of the narrative helps guide the reader through a wealth of objects and information. This is succinct rather than comprehensive, as the number of known art objects and images is far too great for a popular and light overview of this kind (and we therefore apologize to anyone whose favorite examples are missing). We admit than some of our choices of images are aimed at intriguing or even provoking the reader or seek to accentuate the often comical and bizarre nature of the subject matter—although it should be obvious where this is the case, and we believe that it does not undermine the factual basis of the work.

Our second reason for writing this book is scientific, in that it is probably the first of its kind to describe the evolution of mermaid mythology and symbolism using historical and credible sources. We hope that this approach results in a work that is of broad interest and offers enjoyment to the scientific community as well as amateur enthusiasts and the more casual reader. One of the highlights is a discussion of mermaids through the prism of evolutionary theory, which evaluates a range of strange and sometimes humorous myths and deceptions in the light of modern science. In addition, we foreground the importance of mermaids in myths, legends and popular culture in order to improve understanding of the linkages between traditions in time and space.

We hope that our book will inspire new scientific studies on this curious topic. Naturally, some of our commentary is tongue-in-cheek, since we do not

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