At right is a first look at the cover to the new Ruka Press book Horseshoe Crab: Biography of a Survivor by Anthony D. Fredericks, which will be released in May. The book is an entertaining look at the natural history and ecological niche of the horseshoe crab, a weird-looking marine animal that has been on earth since well before the dinosaurs first appeared, and one which is surprisingly critical to human health and welfare.
For the design of the cover, we wanted to develop something that focused on the unusual appearance of the title creature, and that properly positioned the book as an adult trade title similar to popular books such as The Whale and Cod. We commissioned animal illustrator Leslie Prunty to paint watercolors of both the dorsal view of the horseshoe crab, seen at right, and the ventral view, which will appear on the back cover. Leslie did a great job with a tough mission—created a beautiful illustration of a creature nobody would think of as cute. We chose the script title typeface and the hand-drawn type used for the subtitle to coordinate with it without competing. The result is an energetic cover that we think will leap off the shelves.
For more information about the book, or to be notified when it becomes available for sale, visit the Ruka Press website.