Book Excerpt
Illustrations by Ralph Steadman
and author Ceri Levy
The Boids are back in town…
The follow-up to the awardwinning Extinct Boids, this book
features more of the incredible
art of cartoonist Ralph Steadman.
This time, the focus is not on the
birds that are gone, but on the
ones that there is still time left
to save. These are the 192
critically endangered birds on
the IUCN Red List, species such
as the Giant Ibis, the Kakapo, the
Sumatran Ground-cuckoo and the
iconic Spoon-billed Sandpiper-these, along with a number of
classic Steadman creations such
as the Unsociable Lapwing, are
the Nearly-Extinct Boids.
Words are again by author,
conservationist, and filmmaker
Ceri Levy. Together, Ceri and
Ralph are THE GONZOVATIONISTS.
A portion of the proceeds from
this book will go to BirdLife
International to help them
prevent the Nextinction.
RALPH STEADMAN was born in
1936. He began his career as a
cartoonist, and through the years
has diversified into many creative
fields. Ralph collaborated with Dr.
Hunter S. Thompson in the birth
of ‘gonzo’ journalism, with Fear
and Loathing in Las Vegas; he has
illustrated classics such as Alice
in Wonderland, Treasure Island
and Animal Farm, and written and
illustrated his own books, which
include Sigmund Freud, I Leonardo,
and The Big I Am. Steadman is also
a printmaker, and has travelled
the world’s vineyards, culminating
in his books The Grapes of Ralph,
Untrodden Grapes and Still Life
with Bottle. To see more of Ralph
Steadman’s work go to www.
ralphsteadman.com/.
CERI LEVY is a film-maker, who
started out making music videos
before moving into the world of
documentaries. His works include
Bananaz, a film about the inner
machinations of the group Gorillaz,
and the forthcoming The Bird Effect;
as co-curator of the exhibition that
started Ralph Steadman painting
birds, Ceri is a crucial cog in the
boids’ creation myth.
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Natural History
Release Date: September 15, 2015
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