A remarkable centuries-old publication buried in the heart of the New York Public Library has lately been revealed to the wider world. This monumental work, originally compiled in the 1600s by Dutch historian Arnoldus Montanus (1625-83) collected the stories, maps and observations of dozens of explorers to the New World of the North and South Americas and Australia. Translated into English in 1671 by the well-known cartographer John Ogilby, the following are selected extracts from these tales of ancient travellers that concern the fantastical creatures they encountered on their voyages and where such creatures could be found.