photo by Oliver Monk

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"Joseph Nigg has done for the world of fantastical animals what Joseph Campbell did more generally for the world of myth." – Jeff VanderMeer, The New York Review of Science Fiction

Since the early 1980s, Joseph (Joe) Nigg has explored the rich cultural lives of mythical creatures in a variety of styles and formats for all ages of readers. His books have garnered multiple awards and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Fascination with a fantastic animal figure on an antique lamp in his study resulted in his first book, The Book of Gryphons. Since then, his scope has broadened to the host of mythical beasts worldwide. Those books include: A Guide to the Imaginary Birds of the World (Foreword by Roger Tory Peterson); Wonder Beasts: Tales and Lore of the Phoenix, Griffin, Unicorn, and Dragon; The Book of Fabulous Beasts: A Treasury of Writings from Ancient Times to the Present; The Book of Dragons & Other Mythical Beasts; and the whimsical international bestseller, How to Raise and Keep a Dragon.

"Dragons, unicorns, griffins, the phoenix, and other traditional animals of the imagination are all around us in words and images," Nigg writes. "But when you delve into the histories of these creatures, you'll find an incredible wealth of cross-cultural lore intertwined with history, myth, religion, art, literature, science, and specialized areas such as alchemy and heraldry. While looking beyond the popular presence of mythical beasts, you'll discover as much about the history and dreams of the human race as about our animal creations."

Nigg recently completed an extensive twelve-year project provisionally entitled THE PHOENIX: A CULTURAL HISTORY. The most comprehensive Phoenix study to date, the book traces the transmission and transformations of the mythical bird of renewal from ancient Egypt to the present. Samples of THE PHOENIX or full manuscript on CD are available to agents and publishers upon request.

Holding an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from the University of Denver, he has taught at several Colorado colleges and served for many years as a corporate editor. He is listed in Contemporary Authors, International Authors and Writers Who's Who, and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors & Poets.

"One of the world's foremost experts on imaginary beasts" (Realms of Fantasy)

The Book of Fabulous Beasts
• "Joseph Nigg's The Book of Fabulous Beasts is the definitive work in this field. It provides a comprehensive and compelling journey through a mythic dreamworld." – David Leeming, author of The World of Myth and Mythology
• "Here is required reading for everyone who appreciates fantastic fauna – those tests of human creativity and credulity ... Joseph Nigg offers a convenient chronological compilation, making clear the enduring appeal of these mythical monsters, from antiquity to our own day." – Janetta Rebold Benton, author of Medieval Menagerie: Animals in the Art of the Middle Ages
• “Anyone interested in the humanities will find this anthology of writings on imaginary creatures an invaluable, superbly organized and rich tool to explore the imaginal realm. There’s no doubt that it will become a classic.” – Ginette Paris, author of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes
• “In The Book of Fabulous Beasts, Joseph Nigg writes about his subject matter with wit, charm, and erudition. . . A book on fantastic beasts should awaken a sense of wonder in us. Nigg’s book succeeds in doing this.” – Malcolm South, editor of Mythical and Fabulous Creatures

How to Raise and Keep a Dragon
• "There can be no doubt that dragon fans of all ages will find this book enormously entertaining and many readers will find themselves wishing fervently that they could indeed buy themselves a dragon egg to hatch out.” – Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review
• “With its tongue firmly in cheek, this book is a lot of lighthearted fun, and a wonderful choice for display and booktalking." – School Library Journal

Wonder Beasts
• "The book is remarkable precisely for its gathering together of the myths of different cultures, and, ultimately, for its information on how these four creatures have come to inhabit, in symbolic form, our modern culture.” – Fantastic Worlds
• "This is a worthy, well-produced anthology of folklore but also a very useful reference book to enhance appreciation of the continued place of wonder beasts in children’s literature of today.” – Australian Library Review

• Oxford University Press, publisher of The Book of Fabulous Beasts
• HarperCollins Australia and Barron's Educational Series, publishers of How to Raise and Keep a Dragon
• Random House (Germany), publisher of Drachen & Sagengestalten, translation of The Book of Dragons & Other Mythical Beasts, published in the U.S. by Barron’s Educational Series
• Greenwood Book Group, publisher of Wonder Beasts
• Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Green Tiger Press, publishers of Gryphons
• Cricket magazine, publisher of excerpts from The Book of Gryphons and A Guide to the Imaginary Birds of the World

• How to Raise and Keep a Dragon (under pseudonym "John Topsell; translated into multiple languages, 2006-2008)
• "Transformations of the Phoenix from the Church Fathers to the Bestiaries," in IKON: Journal of Iconographic Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia (2009)
• "Foreword" to The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals, by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer (Tachyon, February 2010)
• Interviewed by Jeff VanderMeer for “How to Raise and Keep an Imagination: Joseph Nigg and the Power of Fantasy” (Realms of Fantasy, February 2009)
• “Everybody Wants – or Needs – a Dragon” (PowerPoint presentation for the Dragons: Between Science and Fiction exhibit at Edmonton's Royal Alberta Museum, 2008)
• Interviewed by Heather Shumaker for "Phoenix Through the Ages" (Swarthmore Bulletin, July 2008)

• How to Raise and Keep a Dragon
• The Book of Fabulous Beasts
• The Book of Gryphons
• Author's participation in A&E’s Ancient Mysteries "Dragons" segment; on Myths and Legends DVD
• "The Master of Mythology" interview with Joseph Campbell, a long-time influence, in Living in Words (Breitenbush Books)

• MFA in fiction, The Writers' Workshop, State University of Iowa; contributor of a personal recollection to The Workshop: Seven Decades of the Iowa Writers' Workshop (Hyperion)
• Ph.D. in Creative Writing, the University of Denver
• Teaching at the University of Denver, University of Colorado in Denver, and other colleges and universities
• Editing of: a literary journal; corporate publications; and wildlife museum panels and publications
• Executive Editor, Free Flight Press, and author of text for the press’s The Great Balloon Festival
• Six Book of the Year awards from the Colorado Authors League; Mary Chase Author of the Year; others
• Short fiction in Epoch, Leviathan, Short Story International, others, and in his short story collection, Winegold
• Directory listings: Contemporary Authors; International Authors and Writers Who's Who; and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors & Poets

• The Phoenix: A Cultural History
• A book of sea monsters portrayed on Renaissance maps
• Fabulous Animals at the Court of Science, the 17th-century debate between Sir Thomas Browne and Alexander Ross