THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS (FIRST EDITION) BY WILLIAM TIML...
THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS (FIRST EDITION) BY WILLIAM TIMLIN
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LOCATION: JOHANNESBURG
London: George G. Harrap & Company, 1923
4to. Hardcover, quarter-bound in vellum. Elaborate gilt illustration to the spine. Black lettering to the front board. With 48 mounted colour plates, 48 mounted pages of calligraphic letterpress tipped in on heavy grey art paper.
"The most original and beautiful children's book of the 1920s ... a magical combination of science fiction and fairyland" Richard Dalby (1991) The Golden Age of Children's Book Illustration, London, Michael O'Mara Books, page 102.
The Ship That Sailed to Mars was his only completed published book and represents an extraordinary convergence of his architectural imagination, literary fantasy and highly distinctive draughtsmanship. Originally conceived as a story for his young son, the work follows an elderly dreamer who constructs a remarkable vessel with the assistance of elves and fairies before embarking upon a voyage through the heavens to Mars. The result occupies an unusual position between traditional fairy tale and early science fiction, combining the imagery of medieval romance and the Golden Age of Illustration with a distinctly modern fascination with interplanetary travel.
The physical production of the book is particularly important. The first edition contains forty-eight mounted colour illustrations alternating with forty-eight mounted pages of Timlin’s elaborate calligraphic text, printed upon substantial grey leaves. According to contemporary accounts, Harrap was so impressed by Timlin’s original manuscript that the publisher elected to reproduce his lettering rather than reset the story in conventional type. The resulting volume is therefore unusually close in character to an illuminated manuscript, with text and image conceived as a unified artistic composition.
Timlin’s dreamlike watercolours invite comparison with the great fantasy illustrators Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen, yet his imagery remains highly individual. The Dictionary of Twentieth Century British Book Illustrators has described the work as “the most original and beautiful children’s book of the 1920s”, an indication of the exceptional reputation it has acquired amongst specialists.
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THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS (FIRST EDITION) BY WILLIAM TIMLIN
More Information
LOCATION: JOHANNESBURG
London: George G. Harrap & Company, 1923
4to. Hardcover, quarter-bound in vellum. Elaborate gilt illustration to the spine. Black lettering to the front board. With 48 mounted colour plates, 48 mounted pages of calligraphic letterpress tipped in on heavy grey art paper.
"The most original and beautiful children's book of the 1920s ... a magical combination of science fiction and fairyland" Richard Dalby (1991) The Golden Age of Children's Book Illustration, London, Michael O'Mara Books, page 102.
The Ship That Sailed to Mars was his only completed published book and represents an extraordinary convergence of his architectural imagination, literary fantasy and highly distinctive draughtsmanship. Originally conceived as a story for his young son, the work follows an elderly dreamer who constructs a remarkable vessel with the assistance of elves and fairies before embarking upon a voyage through the heavens to Mars. The result occupies an unusual position between traditional fairy tale and early science fiction, combining the imagery of medieval romance and the Golden Age of Illustration with a distinctly modern fascination with interplanetary travel.
The physical production of the book is particularly important. The first edition contains forty-eight mounted colour illustrations alternating with forty-eight mounted pages of Timlin’s elaborate calligraphic text, printed upon substantial grey leaves. According to contemporary accounts, Harrap was so impressed by Timlin’s original manuscript that the publisher elected to reproduce his lettering rather than reset the story in conventional type. The resulting volume is therefore unusually close in character to an illuminated manuscript, with text and image conceived as a unified artistic composition.
Timlin’s dreamlike watercolours invite comparison with the great fantasy illustrators Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen, yet his imagery remains highly individual. The Dictionary of Twentieth Century British Book Illustrators has described the work as “the most original and beautiful children’s book of the 1920s”, an indication of the exceptional reputation it has acquired amongst specialists.
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Time, Location
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