 This book belongs in every collection of every true science fiction fan. It was published in 1979 and it's the book that made Wayne D. Barlow's name. I've had this book most of my adult life and there have been a number of times when I've been reading a book that was new to me and realized, hey, wait a minute, I recognize this description. It came from that Barlow guide. About ten years ago I made the decision I was going to seek out every book that's referenced here and that's where a lot of the reviews you've seen recently have come from. It is easy to find and not expensive. As an artist myself, I admire Barlow's attention to detail and his dedication to realistic musculature and bone structure. However, he can be infuriatingly literal like, here, these aliens are described as having cone-shaped bodies. So he draws a literal geometric cone and again here in Lovecraft's Old Ones from Mountains of Madness. Lovecraft describes him as having barrel-shaped bodies so he draws a barrel. Lovecraft also mentions tube-like structures on the edges of their wings so Barlow draws a garden hose. The back of the book includes a series of detailed preliminary sketches including a number of creatures designed by Barlow himself. You see here, literal garden hoses. And here's a look at a spectacular fold-out in the center of the book. This definitely belongs in your collection. I mentioned in one of my first monthly roundup shows that I was unable to find a number of books that I know are supposed to be on my shelves and this was one of them. I've always known exactly where I keep it and when I went looking it wasn't there. And I've always kept right next to it another book by Wayne D. Barlow called Expedition. Now that book is not easy to find and it is very expensive to replace. So you can imagine I'm very upset about it. I don't know if this is a mystery I'm ever going to solve. Barlow is still making books. Unfortunately, in recent years he's become obsessed with religious themes. So look for a science fiction stuff.