THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS

First edition, first printing. Original grey paper covered boards with gilt titles and decorations to the spine and black titles to the upper board. No dustwrapper. With 48 colour illustration plates and calligraphic text both mounted on dark grey card throughout. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the spine a little darkened and the paper cracked and frayed to a few spots on the board corners and edges. The contents, with offsetting to the endpaper and some toning and occasional chipping to the page edges (not effecting the illustration or text plates), are otherwise bright and clean throughout and without previous owners' stamps or inscriptions.

William M. Timlin (1892 – 1943) was born in Northumberland but spent most of his life in South Africa. Timlin was a highly skilled writer and illustrator and also earned a living as an architect, and his aptitude in that field are clear to see in the beautiful, detailed, fantasy buildings that are abound in this title. The Ship that Sailed to Mars is a wonderfully whimsical blend of science fiction and fantasy, the profusely illustrated interstellar adventure taking the reader to planets full of pirates, fairies, and dragons. Upon receiving the hand lettered manuscript, George Harrap liked it so much that they decided to publish it as it was instead of using typed text.