"George Stubbs, a Briton was the 18th century's great painter of horses. In the 20th century it is Richard Stone Reeves (RSR), an American " - The New York Times.Take a look at the prices for RSR's signed prints on one of the online auctions--Sports artist Leroy Neiman doesn't even come close! You could get a Secretariat bobble-head doll for less than half of what you would pay for an RSR print of the same horse.As befits royalty, most of the oil paintings in this book show the Thoroughbred classically posed, head up, one leg slightly in advance of the other. Swaps is walking away from the viewer, and Damascus and Forego are in full flight in their respective paintings, but most of the subjects stand regally still--either because RSR doesn't like to work from photographs, or because that's what the owner commissioned.Aside from some commentary on each painting and its subject by RSR, renowned 'Derbyologist' Jim Bolus (who unfortunately died of a heart attack in 1997) provides most of the text about the Thoroughbreds whose portraits are included in this book. They range from the incomparable Man o'War, Citation, Secretariat, and Ruffian (to mention a few) through the not-quite-so-famous Hansel, Fly So Free, and Tabasco Cat, who are still standing at stud. A few English and European Thoroughbreds are also added to the mix. Bolus narrates the history and some interesting anecdotes about each of these fifty beautiful race horses. There are also black-and-white photographs of each horse, a three-generation pedigree, and (more occasionally) a line drawing."Royal Blood" comes in a slip-case and Irish linen cover and would make a beautiful gift for your resident horse-lover (that's how I got mine). Hurry though--the price is bound to go up as it has for all of RSR's books.