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Philip F. Palmedo has had a diversified career as a physicist, art critic, and author. His writings on art have included articles in journals, catalog essays, and several books on modern sculpture. In his four monographs on individual sculptors, Mr. Palmedo has explored the relationship between artists’ lives and their work. He has used those individual histories to understand the creative process and the nature of sculpture as an art form. One reviewer wrote of his most recent book, The Experience of Modern Sculpture, that it enables “both novice and experienced viewers of three-dimensional art to enrich their experience and deepen the joys of their perceptions.” That describes well the objective of his writing. 

From Angels to Werewolves

Abbeville Press, 2023

The alluring mermaids sighted by lonely mariners. The winged angels, by turns avenging and comforting, that abound in Christian art. The fearsome Minotaur of Greek mythology. Animal-headed deities, from the elephant- headed Ganesha in India to the falcon-headed Horus in ancient Egypt. A cave painting representing an enigmatic figure with the legs of a man and the head of a stag. As far back as we go in human history, we find therianthropes, or animal-human hybrids.

In this thought-provoking volume, Philip F. Palmedo surveys each of the major categories of therianthropes in turn — from animal-headed humans to merpeople to shape-shifters — with particular attention to their roles in religion, folklore, and the popular consciousness. With well-chosen color illustrations, he demonstrates how artists of all eras have shaped our conception of animal-human hybrids. Palmedo closes the book with an investigation of the ultimate origin and meaning of therianthropes, placing them at the nexus of our close ancestral relationship with the animal world. From Angels to Werewolves will fascinate anyone with an interest in myth, fantasy, or the human-animal bond.

From Angels to Werewolves can be purchased from Abbeville Press as well as Amazon.