The bird king, the anthropologists, the thing in the bathroom, the paraffin-oil koala...

What do they all have in common?

Nothing! Except that they all inhabit the unique world of renowned artist, author and illustrator Shaun Tan. Collected in this journal, now in paperback, are his illustrations for stories that never developed, observational studies, preliminary drawings for books, films and theatre, and random doodles from Shaun's working sketchbooks, Together with commentary by the artist, they offer a special insight into the imagination of one of Australia's most celebrated storytellers, the internationally acclaimed creator of The Lost Thing, The Red Tree, The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia.

'Visual eloquence.' - The New York Times

'This may be the most beautiful book you'll see all year' - The Guardian

'His unique ability to capture the heart and soul of a sstory through images more than proves the truth of the adage that a picture is worth a thousand years.' - Sydney Morning Herald