Irresistible Monsters by Natalie Haynes (Signed Independent Bookshop Edition with Sprayed Edges)

From snaky Echidna – mother of monsters – to the fearsome Minotaur, the strange and terrible creatures of Greek myths have been grabbing our attention for thousands of years. In Irresistible Monsters, bestselling author, broadcaster and passionate classicist Natalie Haynes turns her inimitable gaze on the inhuman, and reveals that even the things we thought we knew aren’t necessarily so: a Cyclops doesn’t always have one eye, and Cerberus doesn’t start out with three heads.

Along the way, she examines how we think about monsters: what makes a monster, and why do we need them? Do they subvert the world as we know it, or subtly reinforce our expectations? Is a monster human or animal, mortal or divine? And how do you defeat a multi-headed snake when it has a giant crab as its henchman?