James Gurney
Journal in the Bookshop 2005

"Some years ago in a university library," James Gurney wrote, "I stumbled across a sketchbook by a little-known explorer named Arthur Denison. Like many other travelers in the Victorian age, he documented the landscapes, people, and animals that he encountered as he journeyed to remote frontiers of the globe. I have been searching for a long time to find out more about Mr. Denison," he continued. "My breakthrough came last March when I found this advertisement in Rare Book Weekly."

For Sale: 19th Century Journal. Cover stamped with footprint like letters. Dinosaur on cover. Novelty brasswork binding.

In this painting, light emanates from the window of a rare book shop, where Arthur Denison's journal is displayed among other dusty volumes of travel and adventure. The artist portrays himself peering in to examine it more closely. Arthur Denison's expedition to Chandara, the fabled capital of Dinotopia's eastern realm, are brought to life in this newly discovered journal. Chandara is conceived as a crowded, colorful city blending Islamic, southeast Asian, and Chinese architectural styles.

James Gurney set his series of books in the 1860s because that was a time when people longed for information about our world, which was still largely unexplored.

Illustration for Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara
Oil on board

Link to image of plaque at Norman Rockwell Museum