Alain Gerbault Gospel of the Sun 1933 First Edition Illustrated
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
 
Title: The Gospel of the Sun
Author: Alain Gerbault
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, London
Date: 1933
Edition: First Printed Edition, August 1933
Printer: Hazell, Watson & Viney Ltd., London and Aylesbury
 
Illustrated with 12 photographic plates including a frontispiece portrait of Alain Gerbault from the painting by John Lavery.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
 
This evocative interwar travel narrative records Alain Gerbault’s voyages across the Pacific and Polynesia during the early twentieth century.
 
Gerbault became internationally celebrated for his pioneering solo ocean voyages and his writings on island cultures, colonial influence, and life in the South Seas. The Gospel of the Sun reflects both the adventurous spirit and romantic travel literature of the period, combining autobiographical sailing narrative with observations on indigenous cultures and remote island communities.
 
The work documents travels through:
Bermuda 
Panama 
The Galápagos Islands 
Mangareva 
The Marquesas 
Tahiti 
Bora Bora 
The New Hebrides 
 
Books by Gerbault remain collectible within:
maritime history 
exploration 
Polynesian travel 
sailing literature 
interwar travel writing 
 
About the Author
 
Alain Gerbault was a French aviator and sailor best known for pioneering solo ocean voyages.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
 
Bound in the publisher’s attractive multi-coloured cloth with geometric decorative patterns to the front board and gilt lettering to the spine.
 
The binding remains robust and visually striking, with wear including:
fading and rubbing to lower board sections 
bumping to corners 
light rubbing to edges 
light fading to the spine 
small marks and handling wear 
 
The book retains strong shelf appeal despite the absence of the dust jacket.
 
Interior Condition
 
Pages are lightly tanned with light foxing throughout and to the page edges. The paper stock remains pleasingly thick and of good quality.
 
The contents are generally neat with only occasional small marks or light stains not affecting readability.
 
Features include:
inscription to front free endpaper reading “HWG to GWS 30/1/34” 
all 12 plates present as called for 
light edge staining to plates not affecting illustrations 
occasional small edge tears to a few pages 
a few light gutter cracks, though all pages remain secure 
 
Overall, a well-preserved and complete example.
 
Physical Details
 
Pages: 224
Dimensions: Approximately 22.1 cm x 14.8 cm x 4 cm
Weight: Approximately 650 g