The Ship That Sailed to Mars. A Fantasy - William Timlin 1923 - George G. Harrap &, London - First Edition ‘I will go to Mars; sailing by way of the Moon, and the more friendly planets.’

Beware, for there is magic within this large tome. A beautiful first edition of William Timlin’s wonderful, lavishly illustrated tale of fantasy and adventure,
The Ship That Sailed to Mars, featuring 48 stunning mounted colour plates accompanying 48 mounted leaves of equally gorgeous calligraphic text also by Timlin. In the publisher’s stunningly gilt decorated vellum and paper binding.

Begun as a project to distract his young son, architect William M. Timlin’s masterpiece tells the story of a courageous Old Man, who despite dissuasion from scientists and astronomers, sets about designing himself a ship to sail to Mars. With the help of the Elf King’s favourite metalworker, and a lot of fairies, he eventually completes building his vessel, launching his marvellous machine into the skies, and encountering all manner of creatures – enchanting and otherwise – on his magical journey to Mars.

One of an estimated 550 copies of the first edition [see note].
  Timlin sent the book to the publisher, George Harrap, who was so delighted by both the illustrations and Timlin’s charming calligraphic text, that it was printed without typesetting.

William Mitcheson Timlin (1892-1943) was born in Northumberland, England, and studied art in Newcastle before following his parents to South Africa in 1912 He completed his studies in art and architecture, and then exhibited his illustrations – in pen, ink, and water olour – regularly, while he practised as an architect, designing a number of major public buildings in Kimberley. He also wrote stories, composed music, illustrated periodicals, produced watercolours fantasies, painted in oil, and produced etchings. His book,
The Ship that Sailed to Mars, was published in 1923, and the film rights were immediately purchased in the United States, where Timlin was popular during his lifetime, though no film ever eventuated. It has been asserted that the illustrations to this book placed Timlin in the top ten of fantasy illustrators alongside Rackham, Dulac, Goble, and Nielsen. He died in Kimberley, South Africa, in 1943.

Note - In 1923 Harrap printed 1,750 copies (there was also an American first edition of 250 copies prepared under the Stokes imprint, using the British sheets, but changing the name of the publisher on the title page, and spine of the book and dust jacket). Unfortunately only 738 of the total 2,000 copies sold (350 of these in the States) and in 1928 1,208 were remaindered, it is believed that most of this stock together with most but not all of the original drawings were destroyed during the London Blitz of early 1941. Doing the rough sums, assuming the 250 Stokes imprints sold, approximately only 550 copies of the Harrap first edition were left.

Provenance: With the artistically inclined ownership inscription of an Angela Sharp dated 1956.

References: Horne,
The Dictionary of 20th Century British Book Illustrators, 413. Dalby, The Golden Age of Children’s Book Illustration, 102-3. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, Vol II 109.

Quarto (book size 31x24.2cm), pp. 96 leaves, comprising 48 leaves with mounted full-page colour plates, and 48 leaves of mounted calligraphic text printed in black, blue and grey, both on grey paper. Publisher’s original quarter vellum over grey boards, black stamped cover title, spine lettered and decorated in gilt.
  Condition: Near fine, covers with light rubbing to corners and spine ends, offsetting to endpapers, light spotting to first few pages, small patch of degradation to lower corner of rear endpapers, usually found in a much poorer state.   Ref: 111678   Price: HK$ 18,000