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The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1951)

Contributed by Florian Hardwig on Sep 8th, 2020. Artwork published in .
The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1951) 1
Source: www.biblio.com Centigrade 233. License: All Rights Reserved.

First edition of The Sands of Mars by Sidgwick & Jackson, 1951. Arthur C. Clarke is probably best known as the co-author of the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey from 1968. The Sands of Mars was his first published novel.

It’s interesting to see Holla (Klingspor, 1932) on the book jacket. Rudolf Koch’s casual letterforms derived from handwriting are in stark contrast to the technoid, squarish or ultrageometric typefaces that became associated with the science fiction genre in later decades.

The author’s name is shown in caps from  Extra Bold, the publisher’s in the Bold Condensed.
Source: www.abebooks.com Little Stour Books. License: All Rights Reserved.

The author’s name is shown in caps from Gill Sans Extra Bold, the publisher’s in the Bold Condensed.

The title page combines  with .
Source: www.abebooks.com Midway Book Store. License: All Rights Reserved.

The title page combines Ultra Bodoni with Plantin.

Several styles from the  series are used on the back side of the dust jacket.
Source: www.biblio.com Centigrade 233. License: All Rights Reserved.

Several styles from the Gill Sans series are used on the back side of the dust jacket.

Typefaces

  • Holla
  • Gill Sans
  • Ultra Bodoni
  • Plantin

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1 Comment on “The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1951)”

  1. See also the first edition of Robert A. Heinlein’s Red Planet from 1951, which features Lydian (1938), a typeface designed by Koch’s student Warren Chappell.

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