Marek reviewed The Penguin Book of Dragons by Scott G. Bruce
Some interesting pieces in a disappointingly eurocentric collection
3 stars
This is a collection of texts from classical, medieval, and more recent sources, with stories of dragons.
I got it with an interest in finding new sources for a richer and more diverse view of how dragons are portrayed, and what kinds of stories they populate, than you might pick up from the modern fantasy genre.
While there are some lovely details here, including a wealth of material to help you understand where the various aspects of the typical fantasy dragon originate, the source material is very narrow. Just a single section of the book (plus one other chapter), 8 segments of 49 in total, are from non-European sources. This is quite a disappointment and feels like a real missed opportunity.