Books: As They Ought to Be

THE BOOK OF BEASTS (296 pp.)—Translated by T. H. White—Putnam ($5).

How does one catch a unicorn? Simple. "A virgin girl is led to where he lurks, and there she is sent off by herself into the wood. He soon leaps into her lap when he sees her, and embraces her, and hence he gets caught."

This helpful hint is offered by a 12th century bestiary, compiled by an anonymous monk and dusted off by British Novelist T. H. White (The Sword in the Stone). The work is a charming illustration of how medieval man's other-worldly eye rested on the wonders of nature....