Publisher's Note

When renowned photographer David Steen walked into our office to show us his remarkable collection of images, I was so taken with the range and quality of his work that after five minutes I said, 'We'll publish these, they'll make an extraordinary book and exhibition and we'll title both "Heroes".' And then it became clear that they weren't all heroes at all. One or two most definitely were villains, while others could be either, depending on one's point of view. That is, in part, the fascination of this wonderful collection.

That was two years ago and in the intervening time we've worked closely with David Steen to create a true artist's book, sharing ideas and suggestions to produce a finely-crafted, unique numbered edition which we consider to be one of our most unusual and highly collectible pieces. We've also attempted to offer this initially at a more affordable price to Genesis subscribers. Potential customers frequently ask why Genesis books cost considerably more than mass-produced books. They are of course made by hand in small numbers and when purchasers open their packages and examine their books for the first time their questions are usually answered. As just one example of where the money goes, our Heroes+Villains edition is limited to just 1,250 signed copies worldwide, while the cost of making the mould to press the special plastic transparency box slipcases alone costs almost the price of a brand new Jaguar X-type motorcar. Copies of Heroes+Villains will be around, and hopefully providing enjoyment, for hundreds of years.

Brian Roylance