The Big, Bad Book of Beasts
Inspired by the bestiaries of Medieval times, Michael Largo's The Big, Bad Book of Beasts: The World's Most Curious Creatures ($13) aims to share some of the more intesting information about the animal kingdom, from the biggest bug to the fastest bird. Along with way, you'll find entertaining anecdotes about animal behaviour and our relationship to the beasts, as well as an A to Z listing of weird creatures, and well over 250 illustrations. At 464 pages, it's not exactly a quick read, but it's no encyclopedia, either — after all, you've got Wikipedia for that, right?