BLUE ANGELS AND WHALES - A RECORD OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCES BELOW AND ABOVE WATER.

UK,slim 8vo HB,no dw/dj,1st edn thus.[First published/printed as a Pelican Special by Penguin Books,1938.A 2nd edn,revised and enlarged in 1946.This edn aTravel Book Club issue,so a 1st thus edn.] VG++.No owner inscrptn,no dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, publisher's original undecorated,plain bright green cloth boards with black printed letters to spine/backstrip and lightly foxed/spotted white sets of endpapers.Top+fore-edges lightly aged/toned but still fairly bright,clean with very minimal sporadic foxing/spotting; contents bright, tight,clean,solid and sound but with minimal,sporadic foxing to text body's pages' edges - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - appears unread,other than my own collation.UK,slim 8vo HB no dw/dj,1st edn thus,1-114pp [paginated] includes XIV (14) chapters,a Postscript with a bibliography to its reverse - each of which with black half-tone illustrated tail-piece,half-tone illustrations (19 blue and 47 black) throughout the text - some chapters with head+tail pieces; plus [unpaginated] half-title with a blue half-tone illustration to its reverse,a blue half-tone illustrated title page,a black half-tone illustrated dedication page with publisher's list of author's other published works, also with a black half-tone illustration to its reverse,a black half-tone illustrated contents list/table and a blue half-tone frntis illustration and last page with a black half-tone illustration and a blank reverse. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional for a book of it's age, and even internally,the book is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation.It is only the minor faults described that prevent a higher grading. Gibbings's account of his diving adventures,beginning in Tahiti and proceeding to 'the reef',to the world of atolls and lagoons,and then on to Bermuda,and then the Red Sea,where he recalls events on both ship and shore. Robert John Gibbings (1889-1958).Usually worked as Robert Gibbings.Born Cork,Ireland,son of a clergyman.Briefly attended medical school,then studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and at the Central School of Arts and Crafts under Noel Rooke.Wounded at Gallipoli during his army service in WW1.Post war,he supported himself as a freelance artist/engraver.He founded the Society of Wood Engravers in 1919,and bought the Golden Cockerel Press in 1924.As a printer of fine editions,he often worked in collaboration with Eric Gill, and commissioned wood-engraved illustrations from John Nash, David Jones, Eric Ravilious, Blair Hughes-Stanton, John Farleigh,and Agnes Miller Parker.A visit to Tahiti in 1929 inspired 'Ioriana: A Tahitian Journal' (1932),the first of many books that he both wrote and illustrated over the following 25 years.Financial problems led to the sale of the Press (1933). Gibbings later settled in Berkshire and lectured in book production at Reading University (1939-42).His experience in publishing and printing made him exceptionally sensitive to the relationship between illustration and the printed page.He regarded wood-engravings primarily as ornaments that should harmonise with the refinement and finish of the typeface used in the book.His own engravings were characterised by exceptional economy and precision.In his early work (coinciding with his period at the Golden Cockerel Press),outlines were often replaced by articulated areas of black and white (showing Rooke's influence); his later works became more descriptive,with white line details worked into the areas of black,reflecting his acute powers of observation. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US customers please be aware: US Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to USA can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.