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Nextinction
The Boids are back in town . . .
The follow-up to the award-winning 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.
Woids 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.
The follow-up to the award-winning 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.
Woids 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.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2015
1 person is currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Ralph Steadman
153 books264 followersRalph Steadman (born Wallasey, May 15, 1936) is a British cartoonist and caricaturist.
Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, and brought up in Towyn, North Wales, Steadman attended Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan (high school), Abergele, East Ham Technical College and the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts during the 1960s, doing freelance work for Punch, Private Eye, the Daily Telegraph, The New York Times and Rolling Stone during this time.
Steadman is renowned for his political and social caricatures and cartoons and also for illustrating a number of picture books. Awards that he has won for his work include the Francis Williams Book Illustration Award for Alice in Wonderland, the American Society of Illustrators' Certificate of Merit, the W H Smith Illustration Award for I Leonardo, the Dutch Silver Paintbrush Award for Inspector Mouse, the Italian Critica in Erba Prize for That's My Dad, the BBC Design Award for postage stamps, the Black Humour Award in France, and several Designers and Art Directors Association Awards. He was voted Illustrator of the Year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1979.
Steadman had a long partnership with the American journalist Hunter S. Thompson, drawing pictures for several of his articles and books. He accompanied Thompson to the Kentucky Derby for an article for the magazine Scanlan's, to the Honolulu Marathon for the magazine Running, and illustrated both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Much of Steadman's artwork revolves around Raoul Duke-style caricatures of Thompson: bucket hats, cigarette holder and aviator sunglasses.
Steadman appears on the second disc of the Criterion Collection Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas DVD set, in a documentary called "Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision", which was made by the BBC in 1978, of Thompson planning the tower and cannon that his ashes were later blasted out of. The cannon was atop a 153-ft. tower of Thompson's fist gripping a peyote button; Thompson demands that Steadman gives the fist two thumbs, "Right now."
As well as writing and illustrating his own books and Thompson's, Steadman has worked with writers including Ted Hughes and Brian Patten, and also illustrated editions of Alice In Wonderland, Treasure Island, Animal Farm and most recently, Fahrenheit 451.
Among the British public, Steadman is well known for his illustrations for the catalogues of the off-licence chain Oddbins. He also designed the labels for Flying Dog beer and Cardinal 'Spiced' Zin', which was banned in Ohio for Steadman's "disturbing" interpretation of a Catholic cardinal on its label.
Steadman also illustrates Will Self's column in The Independent newspaper. Johnny Depp's anthology of songs, "Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys" (2006) surprisingly contains two contributions from Steadman. He sings lead on "Little Boy Billee", and sings backing vocals on Eliza Carthy's song "Rolling Sea". Depp played Raoul Duke in the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Steadman currently lives with his wife in Kent, England.
Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, and brought up in Towyn, North Wales, Steadman attended Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan (high school), Abergele, East Ham Technical College and the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts during the 1960s, doing freelance work for Punch, Private Eye, the Daily Telegraph, The New York Times and Rolling Stone during this time.
Steadman is renowned for his political and social caricatures and cartoons and also for illustrating a number of picture books. Awards that he has won for his work include the Francis Williams Book Illustration Award for Alice in Wonderland, the American Society of Illustrators' Certificate of Merit, the W H Smith Illustration Award for I Leonardo, the Dutch Silver Paintbrush Award for Inspector Mouse, the Italian Critica in Erba Prize for That's My Dad, the BBC Design Award for postage stamps, the Black Humour Award in France, and several Designers and Art Directors Association Awards. He was voted Illustrator of the Year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1979.
Steadman had a long partnership with the American journalist Hunter S. Thompson, drawing pictures for several of his articles and books. He accompanied Thompson to the Kentucky Derby for an article for the magazine Scanlan's, to the Honolulu Marathon for the magazine Running, and illustrated both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Much of Steadman's artwork revolves around Raoul Duke-style caricatures of Thompson: bucket hats, cigarette holder and aviator sunglasses.
Steadman appears on the second disc of the Criterion Collection Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas DVD set, in a documentary called "Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision", which was made by the BBC in 1978, of Thompson planning the tower and cannon that his ashes were later blasted out of. The cannon was atop a 153-ft. tower of Thompson's fist gripping a peyote button; Thompson demands that Steadman gives the fist two thumbs, "Right now."
As well as writing and illustrating his own books and Thompson's, Steadman has worked with writers including Ted Hughes and Brian Patten, and also illustrated editions of Alice In Wonderland, Treasure Island, Animal Farm and most recently, Fahrenheit 451.
Among the British public, Steadman is well known for his illustrations for the catalogues of the off-licence chain Oddbins. He also designed the labels for Flying Dog beer and Cardinal 'Spiced' Zin', which was banned in Ohio for Steadman's "disturbing" interpretation of a Catholic cardinal on its label.
Steadman also illustrates Will Self's column in The Independent newspaper. Johnny Depp's anthology of songs, "Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys" (2006) surprisingly contains two contributions from Steadman. He sings lead on "Little Boy Billee", and sings backing vocals on Eliza Carthy's song "Rolling Sea". Depp played Raoul Duke in the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Steadman currently lives with his wife in Kent, England.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 14, 2016
"Steadman’s treatments of real critically endangered species are often moving and sensitive. Consider the Spoon-billed Sandpiper peering from the edge of a cliff, or the pensive Nicobar Scops-Owl. The smudgy flight of Balearic Shearwaters and the misty camouflage-green of the Kakapo manage to convey a sense of the birds’ habitats with only a few lines and a bit of color. Some birds are posed alone or in pairs—a California Condor, two Chatham Shags, a Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird on a blank white page where perhaps its habitat once stood; others are grouped into suites of similar, and similarly threatened, species, as on the page of penguins or the page of petrels." (read my full review at the ABA Blog.)
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June 21, 2020I absolutely adore Steadman's work, but the written aspect of this project didn't appeal to me personally. I love learning more about gonzovation and I did take some new knowledge from the book, but I can't fairly rate this because the art is so fantastic but I couldn't connect to the written style.
September 14, 2022
I love Ralph Steadman. Twin Wheedle-nit for the win!
April 15, 2016
He is a hunter who seems to be a throwback to the Dark Ages and has no place in the modern world, which is how I feel about all hunters. From my perspective, there is no reason for hunting to be considered a sport - how can it be a worthwhile hobby to take a creature's life for one's own entertainment and amusement? Is it impossible to simply watch and enjoy what's left of our wildlife and not reduce the numbers of it? Take pictures not life, that's my motto, and I cannot get my head around grown men destroying the creatures in our airspace, especially when so many of these killers are actually in tune with their surroundings and have such incredible knowledge about the world around them that surely they could find a greater purpose in helping our environment survive and thrive? Rant over...
Of course, the rant isn't over - because this whole book is a rant, in a way.
It's a collaboration between Ralph Steadman, artist; and Ceri Levy, author. Ralph draws pictures of Critically Endangered Birds and Ceri writes the text to accompany them.
But this isn't some non-fiction book. Every other page features a made-up imaginary bird facing extinction with a funny story or blurb by Ceri. Thus the book is a very strange mash-up of fiction and non-fiction.
On the same page you could have a super-sad description of a beautiful bird that has a population of less than fifty and being hunted mercilessly AND then a funny blurb about a made-up bird who has really stinky farts, or something.
Levy has said that her goal is to get people to 'laugh and think.' She and Steadman have done that, I think.
Although speaking of Levy and Ralph's humor, it's easy to see that they have been friends for a long time. On the left side of every even-numbered page, Levy transcribes their phone calls, e-mails, and skype sessions. There's a lot of in-jokes and friend-humor that are a bit hard for an outsider to understand. This is their second collaboration after Extinct Boids.
I think Steadman's illustrations are ugly, but you be the judge:
Here's an example of a 'funny fake bird' text:
Teeny Spint
Eencius weencius
I wonder where the second bird is and suddenly I notice it by the magpie's foot. It is tiny, hence it's name, the Teeny Spint, which must never be confused with a Little Stint. In fact, if you do confuse it with a stint the spint will have something to say and may end up pecking you very hard wherever it may be able to reach - usually somewhere around the little toe area. Spints are in decline themselves at a rapid rate as they rely on the magpie's terrible eating habits - it often drops bits of food everywhere as it never seems to eat with its mouth closed. So if the magpie goes, then unless it can find another poor chewer the spint will be in trouble too.
I mean, I just don't find the author and the artist very funny or appealing.
Levy also crafts occasional long stories, mainly focusing on the exploits of evil bird-hunter Kevinio.
Despite me not being a fan of the pictures nor the text, I really, really feel Levy's passion and love for birds bleeding out of this book. She is so saddened and devastated by seeing endangered birds being shot down - sometimes right in front of her - and is horrified by practices such as eating endangered songbirds as a 'delicacy.' Her heartfelt cries really got to me.
"What makes us consider the lives of animals so worthless?" she laments.
Tl;dr - This isn't a book that you can sit down and read in one sitting.
Um... Carmen... you did just that.
Well, it's ill-advised. Better to ingest this flipping through it on the couch occasionally and taking it in small doses. Whether the intense sadness at hundreds of species going extinct is prone to make you depressed, or large doses of the collaborators' brand of "humor" give you indigestion, I can only recommend using this as a sometimes-glanced-through coffee table book.
RECOMMENDED TO: Bird lovers, wildlife conservationists, Lisa Vegan, and fans of crazy off-the-cuff humor.
Of course, the rant isn't over - because this whole book is a rant, in a way.
It's a collaboration between Ralph Steadman, artist; and Ceri Levy, author. Ralph draws pictures of Critically Endangered Birds and Ceri writes the text to accompany them.
But this isn't some non-fiction book. Every other page features a made-up imaginary bird facing extinction with a funny story or blurb by Ceri. Thus the book is a very strange mash-up of fiction and non-fiction.
On the same page you could have a super-sad description of a beautiful bird that has a population of less than fifty and being hunted mercilessly AND then a funny blurb about a made-up bird who has really stinky farts, or something.
Levy has said that her goal is to get people to 'laugh and think.' She and Steadman have done that, I think.
Although speaking of Levy and Ralph's humor, it's easy to see that they have been friends for a long time. On the left side of every even-numbered page, Levy transcribes their phone calls, e-mails, and skype sessions. There's a lot of in-jokes and friend-humor that are a bit hard for an outsider to understand. This is their second collaboration after Extinct Boids.
I think Steadman's illustrations are ugly, but you be the judge:
Here's an example of a 'funny fake bird' text:
Teeny Spint
Eencius weencius
I wonder where the second bird is and suddenly I notice it by the magpie's foot. It is tiny, hence it's name, the Teeny Spint, which must never be confused with a Little Stint. In fact, if you do confuse it with a stint the spint will have something to say and may end up pecking you very hard wherever it may be able to reach - usually somewhere around the little toe area. Spints are in decline themselves at a rapid rate as they rely on the magpie's terrible eating habits - it often drops bits of food everywhere as it never seems to eat with its mouth closed. So if the magpie goes, then unless it can find another poor chewer the spint will be in trouble too.
I mean, I just don't find the author and the artist very funny or appealing.
Levy also crafts occasional long stories, mainly focusing on the exploits of evil bird-hunter Kevinio.
Despite me not being a fan of the pictures nor the text, I really, really feel Levy's passion and love for birds bleeding out of this book. She is so saddened and devastated by seeing endangered birds being shot down - sometimes right in front of her - and is horrified by practices such as eating endangered songbirds as a 'delicacy.' Her heartfelt cries really got to me.
"What makes us consider the lives of animals so worthless?" she laments.
Tl;dr - This isn't a book that you can sit down and read in one sitting.
Um... Carmen... you did just that.
Well, it's ill-advised. Better to ingest this flipping through it on the couch occasionally and taking it in small doses. Whether the intense sadness at hundreds of species going extinct is prone to make you depressed, or large doses of the collaborators' brand of "humor" give you indigestion, I can only recommend using this as a sometimes-glanced-through coffee table book.
RECOMMENDED TO: Bird lovers, wildlife conservationists, Lisa Vegan, and fans of crazy off-the-cuff humor.
August 4, 2016
OK, I didn't really read this book, but I did flip through it and look at the pictures.
in my defense (wow I say that a lot) it is an oversized coffee-table book full of Steadman illustrations. I thought it would be his illustrations of actually endangered birds, but it's satirical birds and commentary on modern society, which wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
Steadman is an immense talent, he is a man who has legitimately earned the moniker "legendary" in illustration circles. He is also not my cup of tea. I respect what he does, there's much I can learn from him as an illustrator and draughtsman, but I get tired of his work.
If however, you're a Steadman fan? This book is probably right up your alley and I can whole-hardheartedly recommend it to you. If you're a passing fan, hang out at the library and flip through it.
in my defense (wow I say that a lot) it is an oversized coffee-table book full of Steadman illustrations. I thought it would be his illustrations of actually endangered birds, but it's satirical birds and commentary on modern society, which wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
Steadman is an immense talent, he is a man who has legitimately earned the moniker "legendary" in illustration circles. He is also not my cup of tea. I respect what he does, there's much I can learn from him as an illustrator and draughtsman, but I get tired of his work.
If however, you're a Steadman fan? This book is probably right up your alley and I can whole-hardheartedly recommend it to you. If you're a passing fan, hang out at the library and flip through it.
May 24, 2016
I never read Extinct Boids so this is my first time with the ceci/steadman collaboration. Gorgeous artwork by Steadman, including some very unconventional 'boids' that blend in with the critically endangered birds. Though the goal was to highlight those species that are critically endangered, endangered and threatened examples creep in too.
September 27, 2015
Brilliant -- sad and hopeful at the same time.
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January 20, 2017741.5973 S7993n 2015
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews