My review of Varla Ventura’s Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires & Other Creatures of the Night

If you’re looking for the perfect book to spend the Witching Season with, one to sink your teeth into as you burrow under the covers to escape the cold and dread of October’s grim, then I have just the book for you.

Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night: Facts, Fictions, and First-Hand Accounts by Varla Ventura is a delightful little tome, filled with delicious illustrations and wondrous tales, both real and imagined.

What a gorgeous book this is. The real stars of Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night are cover designer Jim Warner and Dutton & Sherman Design’s magnificent interiors. First, they used one of my all time favorite fonts (Caslon), with additional text printed in Felltype, and they printed it in this rich, chocolate brown on off-white paper. It’s simply beautiful to behold.

One of my best friends has a Letterpress print shop and he’s been plying his trade for more than sixty years. When I showed him this book he drooled all over it. We spent the better part of two hours poring over the cover and interior pages as we marveled over the attention given to every little detail.

As for the content itself, Ms. Ventura has compiled an impressive array of monstrous tales from all manner of beasties that haunt the night. If you love monsters, then this book will certainly become an instant favorite. I’ve already read it twice and have placed it on my most honored reference shelf for quick and easy access.

As you can tell, I loved this book. I think you will too.

Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night: Facts, Fictions, and First-Hand Accounts by Varla Ventura is available both online and in your local brick & mortar. As usual, I recommend ordering where it does the author and publisher the most good — direct from the proverbial horse’s mouth.

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