A review by unwrappingwords
The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic by David H. Borcherding

4.0

I can understand why so many people disliked this book, but personally I've actually found it really helpful. It's not hugely detailed, and there probably is a lot missing, but it's useful for things like language and terminology, especially for things like clothing and buildings. It's also got decent lists of various fantastical creatures. It's main focus does seem to be high fantasy, but there's a lot of useful stuff in here for most forms of fantasy-based fiction. Yes, it's basic, but it's a decent springboard and best used as an overview more than anything else, especially as anything further can probably be researched online, but this book gives a good starting point for anyone looking to write fantasy.