Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara
Visit a wonderful land where humans and dinosaurs coexist
If you’ve never visited Dinotopia before, then you’re in for a treat. Dinotopia, an amazing land created by artist and writer James Gurney, is a place where dinosaurs and humans live together in harmony.
Dinotopia was discovered by the intrepid explorer Arthur Denison and his son Will, as related in the first book, Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time. First published in 1992, the book was picked up by Dover and reprinted for a twentieth anniversary edition in the Dover Calla line of wonderful hard-bound books. The book is designed like a field journal, including sketches and field observations made by the professor and his son, and has been delighting readers since it first arrived on the store shelves.
Dover has just published an expanded version of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. This volume is a stand-alone Dinotopia adventure, so readers needn’t be familiar with all that came before to enjoy this story. This Calla edition features full-color paintings, cut-away views, mechanical diagrams — and totally envy-making pictures of what it must be like to fly on the back of a pterodactyl while doing recon or survey work. Like Oz or Narnia, you’re going to try and figure out the best way to get there.
Author and artist James Gurney is a well-respected authority on color and light. He’s also had quite the career this far, having started painting and drawing on his own before attending college to major in anthropology. Gurney worked for the famous animator Ralph Bakshi, who co-produced a film with fantasy artist Frank Frazetta. , He’s also an excellent teacher and has a complete line of instructional videos that focus on multiple styles and techniques.
James Gurney has illustrated for National Geographic, recreating ancient civilizations with clarity and authority. He also loves fantasy and offers fascinating and useful examples in some of his books. Dover is proud to offer two books other books with Gurney’s name on the cover: Adolph Menzel: Drawings and Paintings and The Practice of Drawing and Oil Painting. These works by masterful artists more than deserve a reconsideration, and a modern master provided the context and insight.
