Shakespeare's Complete Paragon combines all 42 illustrations and quotations from the first two volumes in the series, Shakespeare's Zoo and Shakespeare's Menagerie. The series was originally envisioned as a 42 illustration set, and this book makes it a reality.

Laudea Martin is a long-time student of Shakespeare, as well as both art and wildlife. Her delightful illustrations are created digitally with layers of texture, capturing the essence of various animals mentioned by William Shakespeare. The quotations included in this book are not Shakespeare's most famous quotations; they are instead those that evoke vivid imagery of animals, wild and domestic, that were in the common purview during Shakespeare's time.

This is not a story, or even a poem; this book is meant to be enjoyed one page at a time. It takes a bit of time for the nuance of William Shakespeare's words to sink in, to really comprehend the meaning of each phrase. Though each source work is cited on the facing page, with act and scene numbers, and which character is speaking to whom, feel free to ignore the original context of the quotation, and experience it simply in the context of Martin's art.

This volume, Shakespeare's Complete Paragon, includes all of the illustrations found in the Shakespeare's Paragon series.

Other books in the series:

Shakespeare's Zoo includes: falcon, eel, baboon, robin, bee, lizard, cricket, dove, camel, bat, crocodile, owl, fish, calf, parrot, crab, urchin, unicorn, spider, cat, and fox.

Shakespeare's Menagerie includes: raven, butterfly, horse, frog, mole, fly, ape, swan, barnacle, snail, tiger, mouse, beetle, wren, sheep, whale, adder, eagle, elephant, chameleon, and stag.
About the Author: A very old (c. 1896) and well-loved boxed set of the complete works of William Shakespeare, which once belonged to Laudea's great grandmother, graces her overstuffed bookshelves. It was Laudea's determination to read all of them one summer that sparked her interest in the richness of Shakespeare's written words. Laudea (pronounced: LAH-dee-ah) has also long been a fan of all kinds of animals, and could spend hours simply watching them be. Each new line discovered while creating her illustrations deepens Laudea's understanding of the myriad ways in which animals move and live. Laudea loves experimenting with new art techniques, and her favorite pieces of art are those that make you want to reach out and touch them. Though Laudea occupies most of her time creating art, thinking about art, or reading, she also takes some time to teach local students about both art and animals (often at the same time). Laudea lives in Portland, Oregon.