The title might make you believe this is simply a guide for drawing dragons but don't expect to find step-by-step instructions inside. Instead, John Howe describes the techniques he uses and shows sketches and various stages of his works as well as shares where inspiration and ideas can be found. Regardless, this book is just as fascinating to someone who isn't interested in drawing anything themselves at all. No, this is also a book about dragons: the mythological creatures from our distant past as well as the more recent creations found in fantasy literature. We not only get magnificent paintings of Ouroboros and Nidhoggr, Fafnir and Melusine, Icefyre and Smaug and many others, we can also read about those myths and creatures in this book. With a foreword by Guillermo del Toro and contributions by Anne McCaffrey and Robin Hobb, it's difficult to imagine what could possibly be missing from this book. ( )