Thanks to the next-gen art dealers at Cook & Becker, we have a first look at the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary art book via an in-depth gallery of images as well as a full press release. So let’s get down to it! The art book, the first ever official art book and design history for the long running series, encapsulates 25 years of history. The book will be made available in a limited Special Collector’s Edition as well as a Standard Hardcover Edition. The Special Collector’s Edition features an outer box, a special inner sleeve that folds into a display stand for the book and an exclusive newly drawn matted art giclee print by Sonic Team’s Yuji Uekawa. The Collector’s Edition is limited to 2,500 copies and sells for $120/€120 respectively. As a pre-order bonus, Cook & Becker offers a 10% discount on the Collector’s Edition if it is ordered before February 2017. The Standard Edition, meanwhile, retails for $45/€45 and consists of the book itself.

Let’s talk about the book! Officially licensed, the book (310mm H x 275mm W) will feature 200+ pages of images and text, including interviews with key Sonic designers including Yuji Naka, Takashi Iizuka and Yuji Uekawa. As seen in the image gallery below, you can expect to find concept art, promotional art, 3D renders, box art and – as revealed in our recent article – original official art and rare collectibles submitted by fans (pending approval from Cook & Becker and SEGA, of course).

After the break, check out a full press release detailing the book as well as a gallery of several images showing off the ins and outs of the book as well as the Special Collector’s Edition. Don’t forget to pre-order the book today at the official Cook & Becker site!

Official ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary’ art book now available for pre-order

AMSTERDAM – Next-gen art dealers Cook & Becker and SEGA announce that their upcoming ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary art’ book is available for pre-order on Cook & Becker’s online store (https://www.candb.com) starting today.

The Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary art book is available as a special Collector’s Edition and a standard Hardcover Edition. Both Editions share the same general design, inside and out: a premium quality ‘coffee-table style’ bound book with a separate dust jacket, counting over 200 pages and printed at the highest quality. The book contains key art, illustrations, promotional art and never before published material from the timespan 1991 – 2016, and has a complete written history of the origins and evolution of Sonic as a design icon. Detailed accounts by Sonic Team-members such as Yuji Naka, Takashi Iizuka, Kazuyuki Hoshino and Yuji Uekawa explain key design decisions shaping Hall of Fame video game icon Sonic The Hedgehog over the years.

Exclusive to the special Collector’s Edition is a unique, luxurious outer box with a modernized ‘classic 90’s’ Japanese Sonic design, and a special inner sleeve that conveniently folds into a display stand for the book itself. The Collector’s Edition also comes with an exclusive, newly drawn matted art giclee print by Sonic Team lead artist Yuji Uekawa, the artist famed for the ‘Graffiti style’ that ushered in ‘modern Sonic’.

The Collector’s Edition is limited to 2.500 copies and sells for $120/€120 respectively. As a special pre-order bonus Cook & Becker offers a 10% discount on the Collector’s Edition if ordered before February 2017. The Standard Edition retails for $45/€45.

Cook & Becker is glad to finally share the art direction for both book editions. “It is exciting to work with SEGA on an art and design book that contains so much of the rich and vibrant art for the Sonic the Hedgehog game series,” Cook & Becker’s Maarten Brands says. “Working with such a large archive of Sonic art, and talking to Team Sonic members and other SEGA staff, is an honour and a pleasure. We hope the book highlights the iconic and recognizable quality of Sonic’s designs. Not only those of the character itself, but also of the unique world he inhabits. Hall of fame video game character Sonic deserves the best book design possible, and we went to great lengths to find the right look and feel.”

Both editions will ship to consumers late April 2017 worldwide.

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