Tony Ladd, an experienced graphic designer and wildlife artist, has produced a truly remarkable publication with all the hallmarks of a Victorian Journal from the olden days. Through thousands of hours research and visits to the great natural history museums of Great Britain he has presented the story of the early naturalist collectors in a beautiful and artistic fashion. Early chapters cover the topic of how birds' eggs are formed in the body and there are also detailed descriptions of how the wonderful diversity of eggshell patterns are applied to the surface. Raptors, the first in a series of nine volumes, covers all of the British' breeding birds of prey with detailed analysis of the birds' breeding behaviour. There are full page plates for each species showing the variety of egg-patterning and colours found in each species. All eggs are shown as life-size and with Tony’s reprographic expertise, the colour reproduction and quality of all the images is outstanding.
The collector's edition of the book has been produced in a limited edition of just 100 copies. The cover is embossed in gold leaf and has ‘Collector's Edition’ stamped in the centre of the cover's artwork. Each book has been hand-signed and numbered by Tony and all Collector's titles have a specially designed pin badge of a Peregrine Falcon issued with each copy.
The standard edition of the Raptors volume has been limited to just 400 copies. The cover is embossed in copper leaf and has an egg shape stamped into the centre of the cover's artwork.
Both versions are packaged in a strong bespoke outer casing. They will undoubtedly become unique collectors pieces as this stunning book is a magnificent work of art.