The Eden Serpent in "The Ship That Sailed to Mars" by William M. Timlin. London: George G. Harrap & Co., (1923). First edition
“The Ship that Sailed to Mars” began as a story for the author’s son. So, it seems only fitting that Timlin would mine images from his own childhood. He was born in 1892 in a coal-mining town called Ashington, which sits along the North Sea in Northumberland, England’s northernmost county. He grew up at the water’s edge, so ships would have figured prominently in his imagination.
“The Ship that Sailed to Mars” is the story of an Old Man who has long dreamed of sailing to Mars “by way of the Moon and the more friendly planets.” So, he sets about designing and building a ship with the help of several crones, the Elf King’s best metal-worker, and fairies. The ship is not a fantastical rocket ship but an old-fashioned sailing ship made of lightweight wood “from the grove of a friendly gnome.” The crew sets sail at sunset and, along the way, they encounter all manner of creatures, primordial monsters, sinister storms, Eden’s own serpent with jewels for eyes, benevolent air sprites, and a planet populated entirely by pirates. At last, they spy “the tiny Orb that was the Wonder World of Mars.” Upon landing, the Old Man and his companions meet with a warm welcome. They are wined and dined and taken on a tour through the Fairy City. Soon, though, the Old Man from Earth, who becomes the champion of a fair Princess, must complete an impossible task.
[Source: www.baumanrarebooks.com/blog/the-ship-that-sailed-to-mars/]
The book contains 48 pages of text in Timlin's calligraphy and another 48 pages containing his colored illustrations. Only 2000 copies were printed, including 250 copies for distribution in America under the Frederick A. Stokes imprint.
The Eden Serpent in "The Ship That Sailed to Mars" by William M. Timlin. London: George G. Harrap & Co., (1923). First edition
“The Ship that Sailed to Mars” began as a story for the author’s son. So, it seems only fitting that Timlin would mine images from his own childhood. He was born in 1892 in a coal-mining town called Ashington, which sits along the North Sea in Northumberland, England’s northernmost county. He grew up at the water’s edge, so ships would have figured prominently in his imagination.
“The Ship that Sailed to Mars” is the story of an Old Man who has long dreamed of sailing to Mars “by way of the Moon and the more friendly planets.” So, he sets about designing and building a ship with the help of several crones, the Elf King’s best metal-worker, and fairies. The ship is not a fantastical rocket ship but an old-fashioned sailing ship made of lightweight wood “from the grove of a friendly gnome.” The crew sets sail at sunset and, along the way, they encounter all manner of creatures, primordial monsters, sinister storms, Eden’s own serpent with jewels for eyes, benevolent air sprites, and a planet populated entirely by pirates. At last, they spy “the tiny Orb that was the Wonder World of Mars.” Upon landing, the Old Man and his companions meet with a warm welcome. They are wined and dined and taken on a tour through the Fairy City. Soon, though, the Old Man from Earth, who becomes the champion of a fair Princess, must complete an impossible task.
[Source: www.baumanrarebooks.com/blog/the-ship-that-sailed-to-mars/]
The book contains 48 pages of text in Timlin's calligraphy and another 48 pages containing his colored illustrations. Only 2000 copies were printed, including 250 copies for distribution in America under the Frederick A. Stokes imprint.