Rapture of the Deep: The Art of Ray Troll

Alaska artist Troll's knack for making intricate, playful drawings of all things fishy has led to an empire of books, magazine illustrations, museum shows, gallery displays and decorated t-shirts. This large-sized, full-color volume presents an overview of Troll's drawings, complete with commentary by the artist. Some of the pieces are amusingly tongue-in-cheek (""Rebel with a Cod,""""Weapons of Bass Destruction,""""The Lucky Fish Gets the Cheeseburger""), while others are beautifully surrealistic. But the most impressive are his grandly composed fish-scapes (""Fishes of the Amazon,""""Bottom Fish of the North Pacific,""""A Ratfish Called Troll""), in which layers of perfectly-detailed fish are arranged into brilliant panoramas. Matsen's lively introduction provides lots of useful information about Troll's life and aesthetic leanings, making this a must-have book for any serious fan of the artist.