Sterling Edmund Lanier sculptor Bronze British Colonial Admiral
Sterling Edmund Lanier author and sculptor. Bronze figure British Colonial Admiral , 1960-1970s original hand cast in as made condition . Size h 2.25" w 1.5" signed Lanier under front r arm it was struck multiple times making the signature mostly illegible . Lanier was born on December 18, 1927 in New York City . He was trained as an anthropologist and archaeologist, and educated at Harvard, from which he graduated during 1951. He was a lifelong devotee of speculative fiction, as well as a cryptozoology enthusiast. Before beginning his literary career Lanier worked as a research historian at the Winterthur Museum from 1958 to 1960. He was with Chilton in 1965, when he was instrumental in persuading the firm to publish Frank Herbert’s Dune but due to low sales he lost his job.Lanier’s sculptures have been exhibited at a number of museums, including the Smithsonian Institution. He specialized in miniatures, among which were a series featuring characters from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings . One set was given to Tolkien himself, with whom Lanier corresponded. Tolkien reportedly admired the miniatures but did not want them to be marketed commercially . These were never retailed but hand cast and sold or given by Landis personally.
