Sea Fables Explained

Sea Fables Explained was published, along with its counterpart, Sea Monsters Unmasked by aquarium director Henry Lee for the Fisheries Exhibition of 1883. Sea Fables Explained covers a variety of sea creatures, but of special interest to cryptozoologists is Lee's treatment of Mermaids, Mermen, and Merbeings in general. As Loren Coleman notes in the introduction, the books are small in size, but filled with data and illustrations taken from news sources and eyewitness accounts of his cryptozoological subjects. Part of the Loren Coleman Presents series for Cosimo Classics, readers are sure to enjoy its partner piece, Sea Monsters Unmasked, which deals with the Kraken and the Sea Serpent, to round out their knowledge of underwater species. HENRY LEE (1826-1888) was the naturalist and director of the Brighton Aquarium in England. As a great observer of the collection's underwater life, and wrote the Aquarium Notes for the visitors and authored several books on underwater life, including The Octopus (1874) and Sea Monsters Unmasked (1883), and Sea Fables Explained (1883). He was also a contributor to the magazine Land and Water. Lee died at age 62, after some years of ill-health, at Renton House, Brixton, on Halloween, October 31, 1888.