In this latest book in the Facts, Figures and Fun series Nigel Suckling has presented us with a plethora of facts, myths, histories and errors all concerning themselves with Unicorns.

This is a well researched little book, covering as it does the religious beliefs of many different nations and cultures; their "appearances" throughout history and the properties their horns were believed to possess; Unicorns in Art and Literature and their place in the modern world.

This is packed with wonderful titbits of information. The Unicorns place in religion and art are intriguing, but it is the section on history I find the truly fascinating. For centuries mankind actively believed in Unicorns, and thought of them as a shy solitary type of species - it's one of those self-fulfilling things I guess. After all if you believe a creature is very wary of humans are live only in the remotest of areas then the fact that no one has seen one only reinforces the belief.

I'm quite partial to these books - I guess the fact I've always enjoyed trivia is a major contribution to this. I am certain I am not alone in this liking, after all the game Trivial Pursuit sold in such huge numbers that I cannot be alone. But it's not enough to just present information and expect the book to be good, and Suckling has truly delivered on the entertainment front. He has succeeded in making this an interesting read.

I have to admit when I first picked this up I thought I knew quite a lot about unicorns. I'd read books of legends that included unicorns, and knew about the apocatharies of earlier centuries and their claims of the curative powers of the horns. I also knew that all of these horns had in actuality been the horns of narwhals, whales of the north Atlantic who grow a long tusk outwards from the left side of their upper jaw.

But what I knew was just a small fraction when compared to the information in this slim volume.

This is an ideal book to dip into from time to time, read another few tales and titbits just to pass a few minutes.

Synopsis
Unicorns are unique not just for their startling singular horns but because people carried on believing in them long after dragons, griffins, manticores and a host of other fanciful creatures had been consigned to myth and heraldry.

Renowned fantasy writer Nigel Suckling takes us through the history of the unicorn in myth and legend, throughout the world, revealing how the unicorn has established its place as a powerful figure over the past 2000 years.