“Looking Backward”
Date
1941
Credits
- Merle Armitage 14 Designer
- Edward Bellamy Author
- Elise Cavanna Illustrator
Format
- Book 624
Type of Work
- Finished work 5388
Printers
Publishers
Dimensions
6 × 9 in
Locations Made
- California 215
"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
![“Looking Backward” 1](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6057/upto-1440x1786/61ba2578/1/IMG_9232.jpg)
![“Looking Backward” 2](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6058/upto-1440x1786/61ba2578/1/IMG_9230.jpg)
![“Looking Backward” 3](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6059/upto-1440x1786/61ba2578/1/IMG_9234.jpg)
![“Looking Backward” 4](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6060/upto-1440x1786/61ba2578/1/IMG_9236.jpg)
![“Looking Backward” 5](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6061/upto-1440x1786/61ba2578/1/IMG_9239.jpg)
![“Looking Backward” 6](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6062/upto-1440x1786/61ba2578/1/IMG_9228.jpg)
![“Looking Backward” 7](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6063/upto-1440x1784/61ba2578/1/IMG_9250.jpg)
![“Looking Backward” 9](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/6065/upto-1440x2964/61ba2578/1/IN_EARTHQUAKES_Armitage_Looking_Backwards_%281%29.jpeg)
![“Looking Backward” 10](https://thumbs.peoplesgdarchive.org/static/media-items/image/14799/upto-1440x2964/61ba2578/1/IN_EARTHQUAKES_Armitage_Looking_Backwards_%281%29.jpeg)