Fire-breathing dragons, seductive mermaids, majestic unicorns, three-headed dogs - fantastic creatures have long excited our imaginations. Medieval authors placed them in the borders of manuscripts as markers of the boundaries of our understanding. These fabulous beasts, as recounted in tales from around the world, inhabit marginal locations: deserts, deep woods, remote islands, glaciers, swamps, caves, the depths of the ocean and alternate universes. Legends tell us that imaginary animals belong to a primordial time, before we encompassed the world in names, categories and elaborate conceptual frameworks. According to the apocalyptic visions in the Bible, they will also proliferate as we approach the end of time, with horses that breathe fire, dragons and serpents signalling the impending destruction of the world. This book shows how, despite their liminal role, griffins, dog-men, mermaids, dragons, unicorns, yetis and many other imaginary creatures are socially constructed through the same complex play of sensuality and imagination as 'real' ones. It traces the history of imaginary animals from Palaeolithic art to the Harry Potter stories and robotic pets. These beasts help us psychologically by giving form to our amorphous fears as 'monsters', as well as embodying our hopes as 'wonders'. Yet their greatest service maybe to continually challenge our imaginations, directing us beyond the limitations of our conventional beliefs and expectations. Book jacket.