Land To The West Geoffrey Ashe 1962 Uncorrected Proof Illustrated
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
 
Land To The West: St. Brendan’s Voyage to America
By Geoffrey Ashe
Uncorrected Advance Proofs
Published 1962
London: Collins, St. James’s Place
Printed by Collins Clear-Type Press, London and Glasgow
Paperback advance issue.
339 pages (fully collated and present)
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
 
Land To The West explores the provocative and enduring theory that St. Brendan may have reached America centuries before Columbus. Geoffrey Ashe, one of Britain’s most respected historical writers and Arthurian scholars, combines scholarship, legend, early navigation theory, and geographical analysis.
 
Published during the early 1960s revival of interest in pre-Columbian transatlantic contact, this work helped popularise serious reconsideration of medieval Irish voyaging traditions.
 
Uncorrected advance proofs were produced in small numbers for reviewers, editors, and internal circulation prior to publication. They frequently contain:
Printing errors
Pagination anomalies
Textual variants
Temporary bindings
 
Such copies are increasingly sought after by collectors of publishing history and modern first editions.
 
About the Author
 
Geoffrey Ashe (1923–2022) was a distinguished British historian, lecturer, and author, particularly noted for his work on Arthurian legend, Celtic Christianity, and early exploration. His writings helped bring scholarly interpretations of mythic history to a broad readership.
 
His works remain collectable among enthusiasts of early medieval studies and speculative exploration history.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
 
Original red veined soft paper covers.
White printed label to front reading:
“Uncorrected Advance Proofs”
“Land To The West”
“Geoffrey Ashe”
“Collins”
Spine with handwritten pen titling: “ASHE Land To The West”
Cover intact.
Wear includes:
Light creasing
Rips at head of spine
Very small rips at foot of spine
Rubbing at edges
Light patches of fading
Minor pencil and rubbing to front label
A characteristic and honest proof copy with strong collector appeal.
 
Interior Condition
 
Pages very lightly tanned.
Rectangular section cut from lower portion of title page and overleaf, obscuring part of publisher imprint (“Collins”) and part of printer line. Remaining text still legible and identifiable.
Light creasing to pages.
Very occasional light foxing or small marks, not affecting text.
Notable proof-state features:
Partial word omission on pages 20 and 34 (printing errors)
Bibliography pages renumbered in ink by previous owner, starting at page 332 renumbered 333 in ink and ending at page 339 crossed through and renumbered 340 in ink
Pages 334–336 uncut
Small inner margin rip to half-title (top)
Edge rips to page 331 and overleaf
Very small edge rips pages 334–336
None of the above affect legibility.
All 339 pages present and checked carefully page by page and in correct order.
Pages tightly bound and secure.
 
Illustrations
 
Includes:
Full page map: “Places Visited by the Author” (facing p.17)
Illustration: “Orb of Crates” (p.184)
“Sketch of North Salem” (p.202)
Figure A: Irish Inscribed Cross-Circle Design (p.273)
Figure B: Cross-Circle design on disc carried by Quetzalcoatl (p.273)
 
Physical Details
 
Approx. 21 x 14 x 1.6 cm
Weight: approx. 311g
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
 
Uncorrected advance proof copies were issued in small numbers and rarely survive in clean, complete condition.
Desirable features include:
True pre-publication proof state
Textual errors not corrected in final edition
Original proof label intact
Complete and fully collated
Early exploration subject matter
Modern proof copies are increasingly collected as part of first edition scholarship.
Scarcer than the standard 1962 first edition.
 
Provenance
 
Annotated bibliography renumbered in ink by an early reader.
No named ownership, but evidence of editorial or scholarly engagement.