Bid Time Returnis a 1975science fictionnovel by American authorRichard Matheson. It concerns a man from the 1970s whotravels back in timeto court a 19th-century stage actress whose photograph has captivated him. In 1980, it was made into the filmSomewhere in Time, the title of which was used for subsequent editions of the book. First published in February 1975 by Viking Press (withITC Grouchfor the title), this is Ballantine’s paperback edition from 1976. It featuresJohn S. Allen’s elusiveRiptide.
The typography creates a distinctly 1970s sci-fi pulp energy that balances literary gravitas with accessible entertainment. Allen Riptide's flowing, dimensional letterforms suggest temporal fluidity and romantic mystique, perfectly capturing the novel's time-travel romance premise, while Plantin grounds it with classical publishing authority that signals serious science fiction rather than cheap genre fiction.
Allen Riptide's distinctive wavy baseline and dimensional stroke treatment creates literal movement that mirrors the book's time-travel concept, while its moderate contrast and flowing terminals suggest both vintage elegance and otherworldly displacement. Plantin's sturdy serif construction and generous x-height provide essential readability and publishing credibility, its classical proportions echoing the 19th-century period the protagonist visits while maintaining mid-70s typographic sophistication.
The pairing creates perfect conceptual hierarchy where Riptide's temporal distortion effects handle the fantastical premise while Plantin's reliability anchors the literary credibility. This contrast between experimental display typography and trusted text serif mirrors the novel's tension between extraordinary circumstances and grounded human emotion, with Riptide's flowing qualities suggesting romantic longing while Plantin ensures serious genre fiction positioning.