<p>From Homer's <i>Odyssey</i> to <i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i>, Mermaids have fascinated popular culture for centuries.</p><p><i>Among the Mermaids</i> is an enchanting collection of classic stories, facts, and tales of mermaids from around the world that will thrill every lover of this romanticized mythological creature.</p><p>Compiled by <i>Book of the Bizarre</i> author and Magical Creature devotee Varla Ventura, <i>Among the Mermaids</i> includes turn of the century tales of merfolk from Bret Harte, T. Crofton Croker, and W.B. Yeats, along with tantalizing trivia, facts, first-hand accounts, and speculations about mermaids in popular culture.</p><p>Some facts about the fluid and the fair from the book:<br><ul><li>Many people believe today that early explorer sightings of mermaids were manatees. (Scurvy + many days away from your lady = a blubbery creature looking supple and bodacious.)</li><li>Blackbeard, the fierce and terrible pirate, was afraid of his crew being lured into a watery grave by mermaids, so he ordered his ships to avoid certain areas reputed to have a high number of mermaid sightings.</li><li>Since 2009, the town of Kiryat Yam, Israel has offered a prize of $1 million dollars to anyone who can prove the mermaid off their coast is real. The prize remains unclaimed.</li></ul></p>