The collection I am submitting to this contest is not a series of novels written by distinguished authors. The books I present are a series of art books. I believe the collection to be somewhat unique since I have only come across a similar collection once (and it only numbered around four titles). I hope this impresses the judges.

The collection focuses on the works of modern artists who depict wildlife and fictional topics. Some of the books are children's books but all contain page after page of full size paintings depicting an idealized setting. Many of the paintings contained in these books can be seen as book covers or movie posters. More than one of the listed artists, Robert Bateman in particular, are internationally recognized.

How it was done: The books were accumulated over a seven year period. There was no single primary source responsible for the acquisition of these titles. Used bookstores and custom orders deserve a large margin of credit as most of these books had to be tracked down individually. A good portion of the books were produced by an overseas publisher and are currently out of print (all the Paper Tiger books). Because they were never printed in great quantities to begin with, this makes them all the more rare.

The reason why: I enjoy looking at many types of art; science fiction included. Since books covering the works of Dali, Monet, and Goya will always be in print I spent some effort tracking down the work of less renowned artists (i.e. ones that are alive) who paint themes of a less classical nature. Below is the result.

Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were by Michael Page and Robert Ingpen, Paper Tiger 1984

This is a collection of illustrations that depict numerous creatures from mythology.

Through a Looking Glass by Wayne Anderson, Paper Tiger 1986

Wayne Anderson is most famous for his work on children's books, and is probably best known for providing the artwork to an illustrated version of the popular story Flight of Dragons. Flight of Dragons was adopted into an animated film, in which James Earl Jones provided the voice of the villain. The animated story utilized the character designs of Wayne Anderson.

Lightship by Jim Burns, Paper Tiger 1984

This is a collection of Jim Burns' paintings. He is a well known in England and his paintings have provided the covers to many science fiction novels.

The Book of the Dragon by Ciruelo, Paper Tiger 1986

Another internationally known European painter, Ciruelo Cabral has worked for many book publishers. This is a hypothetical book about the world history of dragons. Each page is covered in illustrations provided by Ciruelo (in my opinion, it's arguably the best visually designed book in this collection).

Mermaids and Magic Shows by David Delamare, Paper Tiger 1990

A collection of lighthearted, colorful paintings by David Delamare.

Alien Horizons by Bob Eggleton, Paper Tiger 1988

An extremely well known American painter. Eggleton has painted for countless publishers and magazines. This particular book became a bestseller (in hardcover no less). Many fans of science fiction consider Eggleton to be one of the best.

Only Visiting This Planet by Danny Flynn, Paper Tiger 1987

Danny Flynn has painted for years, and produced countless works in his career. Again, like many others presented here, he his probably best known for book covers. Science fiction is the theme here, gentleman.

Dreamlands by Mark Harrison, Paper Tiger 1988

A collection of science fiction/fantasy book covers by Mark Harrison.

In the Garden of Unearthly Delights by Josh Kirby, Paper Tiger 1986

A collection of paintings by Josh Kirby. Josh Kirby is another internationally famous painter and has created artwork dealing with Terry Pratchet's famous Discworld series (which still continues today).

Last Ship Home by Rodney Matthews, Paper Tiger 1990

A very famous European painter. Rodney Matthews has painted book covers, movie posters, and CD covers. He has many works to his credit and his distinctive style has been applied to such famous writings like J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia.

Ultraterranium by Bruce Pennington, Paper Tiger 1983

A collection of book cover paintings from the 1970s and 'early 1980s by Bruce Pennington.

Mythopoeikon by Patrick Woodruffe, Paper Tiger 1983

A collection of eccentric works by internationally famous painter Patrick Woodruffe. Woodruffe has created book covers, sculptures, and children's paintings; one of the more experienced painters in his field since he dabbles with new mediums.

The Rodney Matthews Portfolio by Rodney Matthews, Paper Tiger 1985

A very large book depicting some works by Rodney Matthews (see Last Ship Home).

The Josh Kirby Portfolio by Josh Kirby, Paper Tiger 1987

A very large book depicting some works by Josh Kirby (see In the Garden of Unearthly Delights).

Guide to Fantasy Art Techniques, Paper Tiger 1988

This book examines the style of 6 famous fantasy artists. Some of these artists are: Charles Vess, Ian Miller, and Patrick Woodruffe (see Mythopoeikon).

Heroic Dreams by Nigel Suckling, Paper Tiger 1978

This book is essentially a large essay that examines the science fiction and fantasy genres while providing many book covers from the 1970s and 1980s to complement the text. There are too many works from too many artists to mention them all.

Dream Makers, Paper Tiger 1985

This book is a collection of paintings by various fantasy and science fiction artists.

Robert Bateman, An Artist in Nature by Robert Bateman, Crescent Books 1990

Robert Bateman is conceivably the most famous wildlife painter in the world; hands down one of the best painters in his field. With some paintings that are almost lifelike, this book collects dozens of Bateman's creations.

Robert Bateman, Natural Worlds by Robert Bateman, Simon and Schuster 1992

A second book showcasing even more paintings by world famous wildlife painter Robert Bateman. His work must be seen to be believed.

The Art of Michael Whelan by Michael Whelan, Bantam Spectra 1990

Like Bob Eggleton, this American painter is one of the top ten most popular science fiction/fantasy painters. He has painted for nearly all the major publishers, easily sending his work global. This mammoth hardcover book contains dozens of his book covers. His work is decent enough to attract the interest of those who don't normally read science fiction or fantasy novels.

The Discovery of Dragons by Graeme Base, Harper Prism 1996

This is a children's book about the various creatures that resemble dragons throughout folklore. Graeme Base is one of the most popular children's book artists in the genre and is internationally famous.

River of Mirrors Judson Huss by Judson Huss, Morpheus 1995

A collection of paintings by European artist Judson Huss. His style could be characterized as a mix of Dali's surrealism and various science fiction themes.

The Art of the Dragonlance Saga, TSR 1986

This book collects many of the book covers from the world famous, New York Times best selling series, Dragonlance Trilogy. The works of over a dozen artists are featured here.

Darkwerks: The Art of Brom by Brom, FPG 1997

A recent edition to the science fiction/fantasy field, this young artist recently went freelance and provides art for book covers and trading cards.

Knightsbridge: The Art of Keith Parkinson by Keith Parkinson, FPG 1997

Keith Parkinson is one of the most famous American fantasy painters today. This book collects many of his works, most of which are book covers to New York Times best-selling titles.

The Art of Ken Kelly by Ken Kelley, FPG 1997

This book is a collection of paintings by Ken Kelly who went on to create fantasy book covers for the publishing industry after leaving the military.

Spectrum 2, Underwood 1995

A showcase of science fiction/fantasy artists much like an anthology. Close to a hundred different artists are featured and every type of medium and theme is explored.

Spectrum 3, Underwood 1996

A showcase of science fiction/fantasy artists much like an anthology. Close to a hundred different artists are featured and every type of medium and theme is explored.

Spectrum 4, Underwood 1997

A showcase of science fiction/fantasy artists much like an anthology. Close to a hundred different artists are featured and every type of medium and theme is explored.

Voyage of the Basset by James C. Christensen, Greenwhich Workshop 1997

A children's book by American artist James C. Christensen