Our online store has just received the shipment of the newly republished Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time: Special 20th Anniversary Edition, published by Calla Editions.This is the same unabridged book that I wrote and illustrated, with over a hundred color plates. It has long been out of print.
The story is set in the 1860s, following the adventures of scientist Arthur Denison and his young son, Will, as they embark on a voyage of exploration.
In the middle of the ocean, a terrible storm wrecks their ship and they find themselves washed up on a mysterious island called Dinotopia, where humans and dinosaurs have coexisted for thousands of years.
In this new hardcover edition, the artwork has been reproduced from new plates digitally scanned from the original transparencies, and every word and image has been faithfully included.
But in addition, there are 32 new pages, including a foreword by literary historian Michael Patrick Hearn and an afterword that I wrote specially for this edition. In the afterword, I discuss the inspiration, research, and production of the original book.
I dug through the archives to select 45 behind-the-scenes sketches and photos, most never before published, showing location research, maquettes, sketches, in-progress shots, studies, and photo reference.
For example, here's one of the unused illustrations showing a dinosaur swim platform. It was intended for the original book, but I cut it at the last minute when paleontologist Michael Brett-Surman of the Smithsonian pointed out that the dinosaur would break its ribs (and neck) in that position.
Even with that extra content, the price is still the same as it was 20 years ago. If you order through our store at the James Gurney website you can get the book signed, and pay with Paypal.
EDIT: We can now provide copies for our international customers, though the shipping cost is rather expensive.
Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time: Special 20th Anniversary Edition (Signed by the author)
The publisher is Dover Publishing in Mineola, NY
23 comments:
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Let these dots represent my loss for words.
I wish I could buy it in my country. Sigh.
Do we get a little drawing of a Carnotaurus from the signed copy? ;P
YES! So looking forward to gifting this to my young cousin and sharing Professor Denison's story to the younger generations (hehe although I'm only 25). I loved all of your raw work in "Color and Light" and "Imaginative Realism" to help me with my own work and studies. Maybe I'm just a behind-the-scenes kind of guy but I love seeing all the artistic process and exploration that the wizard weaves into a unique piece of art. Congratulations Mr. Gurney
I'd love to see a post about the
scanning process and how these reproductions compare to the previous edition's!
Justin, I'm a behind-the-scenes kind of guy, too. I often watch the Special Features and skip the movie.
Mr. Ugne, yes, I'll do a dino doodle in each of the books. Can't promise a Carnotaurus.
Adam, I'll do more blog posts about the making of in the future.
Good work, I read a lot of something about this book and this ideea - dinotopia!
Great News!
I would love to buy directly from you... but do be sure I'll buy a copy anyway.
I love Dinotopia and I love that another generation will be able to visit this wonderful land, and that we'll get a new chance to do it.
Is the Styracosaurus Roman Circus Race in the extras? I love that painting!
Oh, is there going to be a new edition of the World Beneath, too? I loved Dinotopia, but World Beneath sold me as a fan forever. That two-page spread painting toward the end with Arthur riding on the giganotosaurus down the beach to catch the fleeing strutter ... sigh ... so much epic win ...
This is like an early Christmas present. I am so excited to get this edition! Especially after I loaned out my first 2 copies of Dinotopia to friends who never game them back!
Thank you always for inspiring us with your amazing story and paintings.
Andres, yes, the Styracosaurus "Ben Hur" image is in the extra features.
Kessie, yes, Dover/Calla will come out with enhanced editions of World Beneath and First Flight as well.
Matthew, that's generous of you to lend out your precious books. Well, hopefully this book will be your reward.
I had a first glimpse of Dinotopia: A Land Apart From Time through a co-worker who had a hardcover book published in portuguese (can't recall if it was brazilian or european portuguese), and it was that what made me seek out everything dinotopia. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on a copy, and those in english (through amazon) were only available as paperback, which I ended up purchasing. I'm so happy that it's getting a HC re-release -- with bonuses!
James, I remember the first time I saw Dinotopia. It was in the little book shop just off the central courtyard of the old Marine World, in Vallejo, Ca - just across from the aquarium & the bronze statue of cavorting dolphins. The bookshop itself felt like something from Dinotopia - dark, shady, and (to my twelve-year-old self) immensely tall, with bookshelves stretching up to the ceiling in a corbelled vault. And there, tucked in among the Dorling Kindersleys and Audobons, was a slim volume that called out to me. Indeed, the entire book seemed to have been written just for me.
Small wonder then that I "suffered" from Dinotopism, reading every article (I still have the one from Smithsonian clipped), and every book - including the junior novels published through Scholastic. It has been one of the most significant influences on my art and my writing, on the way I view the world and the books I read.
I'm thrilled to hear that you are re-releasing your masterpiece, and with the new content...well, perhaps it's time to retire that first copy I bought, the one whose cover has finally decided to secede. Over a decade of heavy reading will do that to a book.
Thank you, James.
Breathe deep, seek peace.
Whoops, I meant The World Beneath!
Now my post makes almost to no sense!
Fantastic!
Will tell all my artist friends... if they don't know already. ;)
And I know my dad will be getting a copy for the grandkids... Just in time for Christmas-Very Cool- Awesome-Thanks! :D
Congratulations on such a successful series! I remember getting The World Beneath for my 8th birthday and being blown away by every page.
This'll definately be on my Christmas list.
I'm not sure it was a good idea to cut the "dinosaur swim platform" illustration. Art has its own rules, and that is a good image. Who cares if, according to our current ideas, dinosaurs can't do that? Many "big" animals can do that, and that's enough to make that image believable and enjoyable.
There are probably a million things that are impossible in many fantasy books, and many will probably become impossible in the light of future knowledge. Art doesn't have to go after science.
That is awesome! :)
Carnotaurus has been my favorite since I knew the difference between a boy and a girl. Hope you will do it by accident when you sign my copy..!
PS. Ugne = Eugene
Wow, 20 years. What a landmark. That also means I got my copy when I was 15!
Darn. Blew my savings on buying a secondhand copy last year and now this comes out...
I've been excited for the release of this edition since I saw it announced on the website. I lost my copy of the original edition a long time ago and was poised to buy another one when I heard about this--now I know what my Christmas present is going to be. Thanks a million for taking the time and effort to release another edition. This one will be treasured in my home forever (I'll find some way to ensure that, such as cryogenic storage in some sort of stasis shrine).
This comment came on an alert, but didn't seem to post:
"Great News!! I've been a lover of the book since I found it at a library clearout at Australia, Brisbane (it was the oddest place to find the amazing book) when I was 10. Going to those clearouts were like having treasure hunts and Dinotopia was without a doubt the most precious treasure I got out of them. I've kept the book safe from my little brother's clumsy hands and my mother's numerous attempts to get rid of it (we moved to China from Australia when I was 12 so could not carry most of the books with us) until I lost it with few other of my favorite books to a Book Thief. After I've become old enough to buy my own books and use the internet without help, I been looking everywhere for Dinotopia only to learn that it is out of print. I had always imagined as a kid that you would either be a santaclaus-like old man about to die or a mythical dead man, so when I found your blog, it was like a miracle to me! You were Not dead, Not old and posting your pictures online! This 20th Anniversay Edition of Dinotopia is the great news I've been waiting for years! Would it be possible for me to order the book from Korea (where I currently am) through your website? I would really want to get it signed."
My answer is Wow, great story! Thanks, and YES you can now order the book overseas. Just go to JamesGurney.com, order the unsigned book (which I think allows you to have it shipped to Korea), and then send me a private email about the signature." I not only sign every book, but also do a little dino doodle in each one.
I recently heard about these editions...11 years late. Whoops! You should publish the extra pages for all four books in a 'Dinotopia Appendices' book for those of us who wouldn't dream of replacing our original editions. I want the knowledge!!
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