[Rarebooks] FA: Timlin's THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS

[Michael John Thompson]

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZmjtbooks

William M. Timlin. THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS. A Fantasy. Told and 
Pictured by William M. Timlin. London: George G. Harrap & Company 
Limited. No Date [1923]. First edition. Quarto [310 x 240 mm, approx 
12 x 9 inches], original gray boards titled in brown, elaborately 
gilt decorated vellum spine. 2000 copies were published, but only 738 
copies were sold (350 to the United States, where they were issued 
under the imprint of Frederick A. Stokes). An absolute stunner. A 
tall, oversized book, every page with a mounted plate - 48 pages of 
delicate text in calligraphy, interspersed with 48 additional 
tipped-in colour illustrations depicting the text. The illustrations 
are evocative of Dulac or Rackham at their very best - description 
fails, it is unbelievable. Certainly the most attractive book in the 
SF genre, and this is a lovely copy.

There are some mild, light scratches to the covers, some light 
browning, faint rubbing & just a touch of wear to the corner tips. 
The spine is clean and bright. There are a few short closed tears to 
the lower, inner margins of several leaves, not coming anywhere near 
to the plates. The covers are a touch bowed, a common problem with 
this book. All 96 plates - 48 leaves of text and 48 illustrations - 
are intact and in fine condition. Overall, a very pleasing copy, 
solid, clean and very good.

"Excelling the production values previously lavished on Willy Pogany 
and Harry Clarke, George Harrap published this huge and magnificent 
volume in November 1923, finely bound in half vellum richly decorated 
in gilt. The book contained 48 superb color plates by the artist, 
alternated throughout with 48 leaves adorned with his fine 
calligraphic and poetic text. These pieces of art were all mounted by 
hand on gray matte paper, reminiscent of Harrap's best pre-war 
editions de luxe. Timlin"s fantasy is a magical combination of 
science fiction and fairyland. His watercolors equal the best work of 
Arthur Rackham and W. Heath Robinson" (Richard Dalby, The Golden Age 
of Children's Book Illustration).


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Michael John Thompson
ABAC / ILAB
5275 Jerow Road
Hornby Island, BC
Canada V0R 1Z0
250-335-1182

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