Cybermen limited edition book goes on sale (break out your gold)

Acclaimed illustrator Andrew Skilleter, perhaps best known for his Doctor Who art, is offering Cybermen fans the opportunity to buy a unique edition of the Cybermen book first published by Who Dares/Silver Fist in 1988 - a limited facsimile edition of actor David Banks the Cyberleader's personal copy No 1, in a Limited Hand Bound embossed ‘titanium’ Silver Edition.

You can find this Collector's Item on Ebay as a Buy It Now/Best Offer listing offered for sale by Andrew Skilleter, offered as a Limited Edition of just 75 copies of this classic title. But be warned, it's strictly an item for the well heeled fan, with a cover price just short of £800 reflecting its manufacture and rarity.

David Banks portrayed the Cyberleader throughout the 1980s, in Earthshock, Attack of the Cybermen, Silver Nemesis and The Five Doctors and his much-acclaimed Cybermen book was first published in 1988, with an introduction by the Cybermen’s co-creator, Gerry Davis. The book was extensively illustrated by Target and Classic Who artist, Andrew Skilleter together with numerous photographs and graphics, then later re-released in paperback by Virgin Books. The title was voted some years back as one of the best ever Doctor Who books of any any kind.

This limited edition, individually bound, large format hardbound book is hand bound in a textured silver fabric. Embossed on the front cover is the Cybermark personalised with ‘D’ on the left and ‘B’ on the right.It has high quality heavy weight textured black end-papers, followed by two heavyweight grey papers with the certificate mounted on the right hand side numbered as 1/75 and signed in silver by David Banks, who played the Cyberleader in several Doctor Who stories, and in black by Andrew Skilleter and the book binder. There's also a silver’ ‘D’ & ‘B’ initialed by David Banks either side of the certificate title.

This unique, if incredibly expensive collectable edition comes protected by a sturdy black cloth slipcase and offered in a deliberately 'distressed' appearance unique to each special edition, (the photograph above doesn't do justice to the embossed Cybermark). The slip case shows some signs of shelf wear and a just perceptible fade on the open edge, we assume to give the impression of the book being a well Cyber-thumbed tome.

One for determined Cybermen collectors to check out. Perhaps they can use some of the gold they have set aside just in case of a Cybermen invasion...

- View the Book on eBay here

- Andrew Skilleter's official web site: www.andrewskilleter.com

- Facebook fan Page http://www.facebook.com/artofandrewskilleter