The Resurrectionist Reveal & Giveaway (Part 1)

Hello everyone and Happy Friday! Over the next three weeks, we’re doing something a little different to celebrate the release of hybrid fictional biography/codex of the strange book, The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E.B. Hudspeth.

Each Friday, we’ll reveal an exclusive set of images from Doctor Black’s magnum opus, The Codex Extinct Animalia – a Gray’s Anatomy for mythological beasts (including dragons, centaurs and the like). Our mythological beast of focus is the Mermaid (Siren Oceanus) – we’ll unveil 3 series’ of 3 images each week, leading up to our review of the book on May 17. Each week, we’ll also be giving away a poster and final copy of The Resurrectionist.

Without further ado, we are very pleased to give you…

Siren Oceanus

About The Mermaid:

From author E.B. Hudspeth:

Some interesting aspects of the mermaid developed as I was trying to figure out how it might work. It was important for me to stay tuned into the traditional depictions of the mythological animals, as though the folklore was steeped in truth and all I was doing was dissecting it. The obvious hurdle was the fact that these creatures aren’t real. Some of the greater challenges with the mermaid, aside from physical, was the physiological anatomy. Do they breathe air like a dolphin or are they more like a fish? Knowing I was not too limited with reality I explored the options. In the book, Dr. Black concludes that there are many variations of waterborne humans, however, I only illustrate the fish variety.

The first real challenge was the lungs. In other depictions of mermaids the gills are placed in the back of the neck, this never really made sense to me. If the mermaid has primate mixed into it, then the existence of the ribcage should be justified. My mermaid posses a hybrid respiratory system that allows water to pass through lungs then out through the gills were oxygen is absorbed. When above water the lungs would operate normally with the use of the diaphragm. This system allows the mermaid to surface, speak, and of course sing its fabled song of seduction.

About the Book:

Philadelphia. The late 1870s.

A city of cobblestone sidewalks and horse-drawn carriages. Home to the famous anatomist and surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a “resurrectionist” (aka grave robber), Dr. Black studied at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs— were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?

The Resurrectionist offers two extraordinary books in one. The first is a fictional biography of Dr. Spencer Black, from his humble beginnings to the mysterious disappearance at the end of his life. The second book is Black’s magnum opus: The Codex Extinct Animalia, a Gray’s Anatomy for mythological beasts—dragons, centaurs, Pegasus, Cerberus—all rendered in meticulously detailed black-and-white anatomical illustrations. You need only look at these images to realize they are the work of a madman. The Resurrectionist tells his story.

Check out the book trailer below for more about the book:

If you’re still not satisfied, you can read more about the book on the official page HERE. And you can read more about E.B. Hudspeth on his website, too.

The Giveaway:

We have ONE POSTER and ONE FINAL COPY of The Resurrectionist up for grabs! The contest is open to addresses in the US and will run until Thursday, May 9 at 12:01am EST. To enter, use the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!