“Looking Backward”
Date
1941
Credits
- Merle Armitage 14 Designer
- Edward Bellamy Author
- Elise Cavanna Illustrator
Format
- Book 588
Type of Work
- Finished work 5243
Printers
Publishers
Dimensions
6 × 9 in
Locations Made
- California 159
"Armitage received a commission from the bibliophiles of the Limited Editions Club to reinterpret Edward Bellamy’s novel Looking Backward (1888), in which the protagonist falls into a deep, hypnotic sleep and finds himself transported 113 years into the future. In a fantastical leap of graphic production that matches the science-fiction theme, Armitage tried to imagine what books might look like in the year 2000—a vision that featured a shocking-yellow cover made from a new DuPont binding linen that was both 'washable and vermin-proof.' Meticulously printed by Ward Ritchie Press, the book included 14 vibrantly
colored illustrations by Elise (Cavanna) printed on stock embossed with a custom watermark of the story’s 'time spiral.' Armitage enclosed the volume in a slipcase made of an early clear plastic (Plasticle) that was quite expensive at the time."—Louise Sandhaus, Earthquakes, Mudslides, Fires & Riots: California and Graphic Design, 1936-1986, pp. 52
