Monsters possess transformative powers, rendering them at once profoundly dangerous and utterly fascinating. They play an important role throughout the history of Western civilization. Medieval Monsters explores the cultural importance and rich variety of monstrosities in the art of the Middle Ages, with examples drawn from the Morgan Library & Museum's renowned collection of illuminated manuscripts.

While presenting a lively array of strange beauties and frightful anomalies-demons and dragons, centaurs and unicorns, giants and grotesque hybrids-the authors reveal how monsters played a central role in medieval societies, and still inspire us to marvel today.