SKULLS: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection

SKULLS: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection
SIMON WINCHESTER Book Number: 73725 Product format: Hardback

Who would have thought that a book specifically about skulls could be so captivating! For scores of thousands of years, the brain cases of animals, not excluding ourselves, have exerted an almost inexplicable power over the human imagination. They are symbols both of existence and of former existence. Freighted with terror and awe, they tell of life, death and the afterlife, of good and evil, of danger, authority and majesty. Perhaps no other biological entity retains such a grip on human psychology as does this assemblage of hollow bone, domes, sockets and mysterious interior passageways and canals. Over many years, Alan Dudley became an extremely accomplished collector, known as an authority and with a collection of skulls prepared and labelled to a quality fit for a museum. Unfortunately, when he began trading on the internet, he was found to have breached the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. His possession of: a howler monkey, a penguin, a loggerhead turtle, a chimpanzee, a Goeldi's marmoset and a tiger was found to be illegal and he was fined and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison - luckily for him, suspended. Since then, he has been more careful, but remains as enthusiastic as ever. This detailed book - telling, as it does, of the grisly process of preparing skulls, and of the repulsive maggots that can inhabit them - is not for the faint-hearted but, if readers can approach this astonishing book with an open mind, there is so much to be learned. Here is every kind of animal you can imagine, from amphibians, birds and fish to mammals and reptiles. We were particularly gripped by the Longnose Gar, the Hammer-headed Bat and the fearsome Sabre-toothed Cat. What a collection! 256 pages 26cm x 26cm absolutely packed with clear, close-up photos.
Published price: £19.95
Bibliophile price: £15.00