Timlin sent the book to publishers George Harrap, who were delighted with the illustrations and the calligraphic text, deciding to print it without typesetting. The book has since become a fantasy classic. [3] Alan Horne in The Dictionary of 20th Century British Book Illustrators describes the book as a masterpiece and "the most original and beautiful children's book of the 1920s". Export of goods. Buyers intending to export goods should ascertain (a) whether an export licence is required and (b) whether there is any specific prohibition on importing goods of that character because, e.g. they may contain prohibited materials such as ivory. Ask us if you need help. Interplanetary Voyage: The middle third of the book consists of the voyage from Earth to Mars, and gives descriptions of all the marvelous "stars" (i.e. planets) and hazards the travelers brave as they sail for Mars. The fantasy story is that of an Old Man who dreams of sailing to Mars by way of the moon and other planets. He designs and builds a ship with the help of elves and fairies, and journeys to “the tiny Orb that was the Wonder World of Mars”. Along the way he encounters lots of different creatures and goes on lots of adventures. The Princess of Mars seeks out the Old Man's aid in saving her beloved Prince from Thunder City, recognizing that the Old Man has a greater breadth of experience and understanding of meteorological phenomena affecting the Iron Hills.

Gentle Giant: In the Fairy Forest that rests between the Martian Capital and the Iron Hills, the Old Man encounters "a Monster worse than any in all the Zoos of Mars." A monster whose "eyes glimmered madly red," and that had "spiky, craggy teeth," and a heaving bloated body — but the creature is only the lost pet of a band of Forest Fairies. Once the Fairies and their pet monster are reunited, the creature is revealed to be totally harmless. Then, slowly, a nearby cloud swelled, and dropped a single tremendous raindrop, that fell on the land with a heavy sullen sound, burying for itself a pit and hurtling mud and crawling creatures into the fetid air. The story isn't too complicated, but the ideas are really interesting. It's a mix of early science fiction and fairy/medieval fantasy, and works pretty well I think. It's half art-book so you really need to experience the book yourself to appreciate the story. And people gave it no more attention than those other ample miracles -- like the wonder of dawn or the beauty of the stars -- that had been unnoticed in their midst forever." The story, in terms of plot, is rather bare bones and simple, but the language is truly unusual. It's hard to classify this book because it has a fairy-tale-like and folkloric quality, but the style in which it is written is far beyond the grasp of any child. So I suppose the best way to put it is that this is a bedtime story for adults. That's not to say that a child could not appreciate it. There's plenty for a child to appreciate here: the art work, the fancifulness, and the simplicity of plot-line would definitely appeal to any child.

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Pirate Booty: Pirate Planet is home to all sorts of piratical myths and mores, including tropical islands hiding buried treasures. Once the fiery breath of that One whose Name is shuddered at on Earth, and whispered to-and-fro on dark and windy nights, nearly engulfed the Ship, and shriveled it in the cascading flames that ascended from its myriad eyes and mouths. His horrible spouse, that evil that had troubled men through all the fabled days, wallowed at his side, and adding her voice to his, shrieked in maniac rage at her hatred of mankind.

Our Mermaids Are Different: Mermaids appear both on the "Star" [read: planet] of Classical Mythology and on Mars. In both cases they're beautiful half-women, half-fish creatures who welcome incoming ships. The Old Man and his fairy companions are able to breathe in outer space, and every planet they encounter has a breathable atmosphere. The sole published work of William Timlin, The Ship That Sailed to Mars is an early (1923) work of Science Fantasy distinguished by the author's four dozen fanciful watercolor illustrations and hand-drawn calligraphic text accompaniment. It had been their end, had not the mighty breath from the gaping jaws blown them aside and onwards to safety, as is whirled an Autumn leaf in a sudden gale." The story revolves an Old Man and fairy companions who build a fantastical sailing ship to journey to Mars. Along the way, they encounter strange worlds, dangerous obstacles, and fantastical creatures.

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Timlin was born in Ashington, Northumberland in 1892 and was the son of a colliery foreman (someone who works in a mine and makes sure that of his miners are doing their jobs correctly). He attended Morpeth Grammar School, where he showed talent for drawing and received a scholarship (money given to a student to help pay for further education) to the School of Art at Armstrong College in Newcastle (which later became part of Newcastle University). In 1912, he moved to South Africa where he completed his training in Art and Architecture and remained for the rest of his life, where he developed a successful career for himself as an architect, illustrator and author. William Timlin, talented and aspiring artist and architect living in South Africa, began in 1921 to create for his young son's enjoyment each of the 48 hand-lettered calligraphic text plates and 48 color illustrations, published in 1923. The story is presented as "told and pictured" by the author, implying it may not be a made-up tale, and it does not conform to science-fiction or even fantasy story-telling tropes, weaving a path of its own.