The Winnipeg Alphabestiary

$34.95 CAD hardcover
ISBN 978-0-9810286-0-6
10 ¼ x 8, 104 pages, colour illustrations

F is for Fruit Flies, G is for Goat Girl and K is for Kurmudgeon Finch? Insects, a hybrid and an aviary misspelling are not what come first to mind when compiling a list of animals, but are what readers should expect from the twenty-six creatures comprising Border Crossings' Winnipeg Alphabestiary book.

Border Crossings commissioned twenty-six enchanting works from some of Winnipeg's most accomplished artists to create a collection celebrating the magazine's 25th anniversary. The creatures featured in the Alphabestiary collection demonstrate honesty and imagination in their rendering. They include Andrew Valko's lecherous Leopard, Janet Werner's painfully lovely Goat Girl, who also graces the cover, Kim Ouellette's superbly stitched Fruit Flies, Simon Hughes' elegant Ice Swan and Eleanor Bond's devoted Pet, among myriad others.

Along with the twenty-six artworks, the book includes a foreword by William Wegman, no stranger to the animal kind, whose written words are as charming as his own drawings.

Border Crossings' Editor Meeka Walsh, has contributed an introduction, an essay, and composed a series of animal notes accompanying each of the twenty-six images.

The book also includes extensive biographical notes on all the artists who participated in this celebratory project, drafted by contributor Robert Enright.

From Wanda Koop's A for Ape to Shaun Morin's Z for Zebra, the animals that dwell in the pages of the Alphabestiary challenge, conjure and inspire. We invite you to explore The Winnipeg Alphabestiary where, to quote Meeka Walsh, "the real and the imagined cohabit".

The Winnipeg Alphabestiary will be launched in Winnipeg at McNally Robinson Grant Park on Wednesday, November 26th and later in New York at McNally Jackson. The Winnipeg Alphabestiary was launched during the Toronto International Art Fair (October 2-6, 2008) at David Mirvish Books.

To ORDER The Winnipeg Alphabestiary directly from Border Crossings, call us toll-free at 1-866-825-7165 or email us at: bordercrossings@mts.net or check out our website for a growing list of retail outlets!