100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders πŸš€

The Little Book of Dragons

Brief Description
Whether they breathe fire from above, spit poison on the land, or cause churning maelstroms in the sea, dragons can be found lurking in the margins of illuminated legend around the world. Their global ubiquity means they have many guises: primordial chaos-monsters to the ancients, wise... Read More
Format: Hardback
$2999
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Illustrated with over 40 art pieces from the British Library's collections. An authoritative guide, written by a leading scholar in medieval literature and mythology.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Whether they breathe fire from above, spit poison on the land, or cause churning maelstroms in the sea, dragons can be found lurking in the margins of illuminated legend around the world. Their global ubiquity means they have many guises: primordial chaos-monsters to the ancients, wise and auspicious guardians in East Asian tradition, formidable foes to be slain by saints and knights, comic companions in 19th-century children's literature, and stand-ins for aerial warfare in modern fantasy.

The history of dragons is as slippery and twisting as their serpentine bodies; they are creatures constantly doubling back on themselves, shedding their dead skins for new, and coiling around our landscapes.

Featuring: Dragons of the Ancient World, Bestiary Dragons, Flying and Fiery Dragons, Creeping Dragons, Water Dragons and Sea-Serpents, Saints and Dragons, Dragons from Around the World, and Contemporary Dragons.

Series: British Library Little Books

View all
  • The Little Book of Dragons
    Whether they breathe fire from above, spit poison on the land, or cause churning maelstroms in the sea, dragons can be found lurking in the margins of illuminated legend around the world. Their global ubiquity means they have many guises: primordial chaos-monsters to the ancients, wise and auspicious guardians in East Asian tradition, formidable foes to be slain by saints...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Little Book of Trolls
    Trolls have escaped from the black lava wastes of Iceland and the dense pine forests of Scandinavia to take on a new life in the collective global imagination. They may not steal goats and eat people quite so much, but they remain disruptive and dangerous, even if their limited imaginations sometimes make them comic and even quite likeable. Emerging from...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780712355582

Publisher: British Library Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 04 September 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: British Library Publishing

Illustration: 40+ colour illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 151.0mm

Height: 190.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 96

About the Author

Carolyne Larrington is emerita professor of medieval European literature at the University of Oxford. She writes on Old Norse-Icelandic literature, myths and legends, folklore and popular medievalism. Her most recent books include All Men Must Die: Power and Passion in Game of Thrones and The Norse Myths that Shape the Way We Think.

Also by Carolyne Larrington

View all
  • The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think
    A fresh look at the stories at the heart of Norse mythology, exploring their cultural impact right up to the present day. The heroes and villains of Norse mythology have endured for centuries, infiltrating art, opera, film, television, and books, shape-shiftingβ€”like the trickster Lokiβ€”to suit the cultures that encountered them. Through careful analysis of the literature and archaeology of the...
    Hardback
    $4899
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Norse Myths
    Who were the Norse gods - the mighty Γ†syr, led by Óðinn, and the mysterious Vanir? In The Norse Myths, we meet this passionate and squabbling pantheon, and learn of the mythological cosmos they inhabit. Passages translated from the Old Norse bring this legendary world to life, from the myths of creation to RagnarΓΆk, the prophesied end of the world...
    Hardback
    $6500
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Land of the Green Man
    Beyond its housing estates and identikit high streets, there is another Britain. This is the Britain of mist-drenched forests and unpredictable sea-frets: of wraith-like fog banks, druidic mistletoe and peculiar creatures that lurk, half-unseen, in the undergrowth, tantalising and teasing just at the periphery of human vision. How have the remarkably persistent folkloric traditions of the British Isles formed and...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Little Book of Trolls
    Trolls have escaped from the black lava wastes of Iceland and the dense pine forests of Scandinavia to take on a new life in the collective global imagination. They may not steal goats and eat people quite so much, but they remain disruptive and dangerous, even if their limited imaginations sometimes make them comic and even quite likeable. Emerging from...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Science & Nature

View all
  • Murder Under the Mistletoe
    BOOK 4 IN THE BESTSELLING CANON CLEMENT MYSTERY SERIES 'The best of the new cosy crime writers' Daily Telegraph 'You'll want to take a front row pew in Champton while this delicious series unfolds' Janice Hallett It is Christmas Day and at Champton Rectory, Canon Daniel Clement and his mother Audrey are joined by the residents and guests of the...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • John and Paul
    THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'A triumph.' Deborah Levy, New Statesman 'Tremendous.' Alwyn Turner, The Times 'Revelatory.' Simon Schama, Financial Times 'The gold standard of Beatles books.' Anthony Quinn, Observer 'As enthralling and astonishing as their music.' Jon Dennis, Sunday Telegraph 'A masterpiece.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard '[Ian Leslie]...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Raising Hare
    THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE HATCHARDS AND BIOGRAPHERS' CLUB FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE HAY FESTIVAL, SUNDAY TIMES, THE TIMES, FINANCIAL TIMES, SPECTATOR AND iNEWS 'A beautiful book' - ANGELINA JOLIE 'I...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • What If? 10th Anniversary Edition
    CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF THE MILLION-SELLING POP SCIENCE CLASSIC WITH A SPECIAL EDITION. THIS IS WHAT IF? . . . x10. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Nerd royalty' β€” BEN GOLDACRE 'Totally brilliant' β€” TIM HARFORD 'Required reading across the world' β€” NEW YORK TIMES From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, experience hilarious and informative answers to important questions...
    Hardback
    $4200
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Nuclear War
    The Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction thriller that has to be read to be believed. Baillie Gifford shortlisted, a favourite of Steven Bartlett, with an average reader rating of 4.6, sure to be a mass-market hit. Up to now, no one outside of official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Anxious Generation
    A powerful argument for reclaiming childhoodβ€”and all human relationshipsβ€”from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spacesβ€”communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Prisoners of Geography
    Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present, and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determine world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture. Originally published in 2015, this completely revised and updated edition brings it up to date with the events and trends of the past...
    Paperback
    $2899
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Booker Prize
    Orbital
    Winner of the Booker Prize 2024. Chair of the judges, Edmund de Waal, describes the winner as 'a book about a wounded world' adding that the panel's 'unanimity about Orbital recognises its beauty and ambition'. Life on our planet as you've never seen it before. A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Diddly Squat: Home to Roost
    It's been another memorable year on Diddly Squat Farm - will the chickens finally come home to roost? Welcome back to Clarkson's Farm. The spring crop failed. Farming sheep, pigs, and cows was hardly more lucrative (better off breeding ostriches...) But in the face of uncooperative weather, bureaucracy, and the world's persistent refusal to recognise his genius, our hero's not...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Place of Tides
    To save the world, we have to start somewhere. One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been...
    Paperback
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Ultra-Processed People
    Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Island of Missing Trees
    The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak is a captivating and poignant novel that delves into the intertwined lives of two star-crossed lovers in war-torn Cyprus and their enduring legacy decades later. This Sunday Times bestselling novel intricately weaves themes of love, loss, and identity amidst a backdrop of cultural and historical turmoil. Set in 1974 on the island...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.