Best Holiday Gift Books For Boys

Swords is one of the most amazing non-fiction books for boys that I have ever read. I'm purchasing Fantasy this weekend for my personal collection. PLEASE read more about Ben Boos below. The world has lost an incredible artist, way too soon!

The son of an artist, Ben Boos was born in San Jose, California in 1971 - into a world filled with paint and art. From the earliest years, Ben's imagination was fueled by a love of history and fantasy; swords and adventure. He compulsively doodled his way through elementary school, high-school, and seven years of University study at SJSU. During all these years, Ben enjoyed many world-wide wanderings and adventures, and the resulting exposure to fine art was to have lasting effects on his style.

Ben grew up surrounded with computers and electronic games, so it was a natural fit that he wound up making computer games. Working for Blizzard North as a senior artist, he had the opportunity to paint and create for an audience of millions (The Diablo series sold over 17M units worldwide). "Working on the Diablo franchise for all those years was a delight. It allowed me to have fun and to illustrate in an eclectic, old-fashioned style." Ben said, "It also taught me a lot, and braced me for what I wanted to tackle next...books."

After 8 years of creating swords, monsters, and elaborate scroll-work for several award-winning and top-selling digital games, Ben made a switch to writing and illustrating his own books. He took his love of old-fashioned ornament, arms, armor, and whimsical illustration, and turned it into a 96 page book entitled SWORDS: An Artist's Devotion and later FANTASY: An Artist's Realm. "The making of this book," he says, "was a childhood dream come true."

Ben passed away in 2011 and is survived by his wife and four young children.

Click here to buy books that help support Ben's family.