| William M
Timlin |
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| Nationality - English |
Profession - Author & Illustrator |
| Date of birth - 11 Apr 1892
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Date of death - 1943 |
| Place of birth
- Ashington : Northumberland |
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William Mitcheson Timlin was born on 11 April 1892 in Ashington, Northumberland, the son of a colliery foreman. The family emigrated to South Africa in the early 1900s. After the First World War, Timlin became a successful architect based in Kimberley.
His later series of paintings, intended as plates for a book to be entitled The Building of a Fairy City, were never published in that form, but some (including the magical 'Fantasy and Triumphal Arch') have been issued as postcards in South Africa.
The most original and beautiful children's book of the 1920s was William M. Timlin's masterpiece 'The Ship That Sailed to Mars': A Fantasy. 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 quarter vellum richly decorated in gilt.
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| William M Timlin (portrait by John Henry) |
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Told and Pictured by William M. Timlin', the book contained 48 superb colour 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 grey matte paper, reminiscent of Harrap's best pre-war editions de luxe, notably Pogany's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'.
Timlin's fantasy is a magical combination of science fiction and fairyland. His watercolours equal the best work of Arthur Rackham and W. Heath Robinson, seen to great effect in 'The Raising of the Tower', 'The Celebration', 'The Palace Gardens', 'The Seven Sisters', 'The jeweller's Shop' and 'The Temple'.
A total of only 2,000 copies of the book were produced in Britain, of which 250 were distributed in America by Stokes of New York (in 1924). They were sold for two guineas and twelve dollars each respectively. The film rights to the book were sold in America, but the movie, which was to be called Get Off the Earth, was never completed.
Willian M Timlin died in Kimberley in 1943. |
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William M Timlin
bibliography - 1
listed |
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The
William M Timlin
books listed below are either first editions,
special editions or noted editions. |
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| William M
Timlin books Wee
have for sale |
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All
the William M Timlin
books listed below are currently for sale
on our website - we may have some others in
stock so please ask if you don't see the title
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