Tom Chadwick, wood engraver
by Julian Francis
One of my treasured prints is The Introduction, a wood engraving of two Balinese men introducing fighting cocks to each other, by Tom Chadwick. Tom died at an early age – just 30 – while fighting at El Alamein in the Second World War, but in his short life had managed to engrave images of the highest quality. Taught at Iain Macnab’s Grosvenor School of Modern Art, Chadwick was also a talented painter, and more besides. Julian Francis has made a special study of Chadwick’s life and work, and it forms the first monograph on this important artist.
With such a short life and relatively limited body of work, Chadwick’s prints are rarely seen, so it is delightful that about eight relatively large-sized blocks survive in printable condition and will be included here, most likely as loose prints. One of them is Derby Day, of which a rough print is shown above; it is an astonishing piece of work as are the other surviving blocks. A prospectus will be available shortly.
Long Live Great Bardfield, & Love to You All
The Autobiography of Tirzah Garwood
edited by Anne Ullmann
Planned for seven or eight years, this will be a monumental production based on the Autobiography which Tirzah Garwood, the wife of Eric Ravilious, wrote when she was coming toward the end of her life. Tirzah has a facility in her writing for perceptive observation of the world around her, and I would happily rate her story alongside Gwen Raverat's Period Piece, while being substantially longer and more detailed. The section on life in Great Bardfield during the 1930s, among the unique artistic community is a fascinating first-hand, slightly detached account of a precious and outstanding group of artists.
The text has been transcribed from a number of Tirzah’s handwritten notebooks, and edited by her daughter Anne Ullmann; she has in addition written a separate critical study of Tirzah's work, which will be published after this volume (in a further separate volume, since the Autobiography is very substantial, and demands illustrations of work other than Tirzah's own).
304 pages, bound in quarter patterned paper (designed by Tirzah) with a cloth spine and paper label, there are 550 copies, of which 475 will be for sale.
I ofen feel that books I publish have been a privilege to bring into the world, Long Live Great Bardfield being no exception. A detailed prospectus is now available and the book will be published in February 2012, price £234
The Fleece Press Bibliography, 1980-2010
by David Butcher and Simon Lawrence
After thirty years it seems no longer to be premature to think of publishing a Bibliography, and David Butcher has been working towards the Press' first such production. David is a pre-eminent bibliographer who has specialised in the private presses (Whittington, Stanbrook and Weather Bird), in addition to a career as lecturer in information resources and bibliographical studies for 30 years. In addition to the details recorded for each book, he has listed the ephemera printed, with work done (albeit only rarely) for other publishers, and has contributed an introductory essay setting the Press’ work in context.
Complementary to the information compiled by David, I have made notes on each of the books, relating to how they were printed, the problems, successes and failures, along with my own essay on the Fleece Press. It has been a fascinating exercise, heightened considerably by the opening of the many packs of spare sheets from books and pieces of ephemera, put aside steadily over 30 years for this occasion, and now being put to good use. The book will be printed letterpress.
The book will be illustrated with tipped-in ephemera and pages from books, all original and none reprinted for the purpose, along with previously unpublished photos. This will be its only edition – no reprint will appear.
All copies of the A and B editions will consist of the same printed book of an estimated 160 pages, with binding variations; internally they will have the same number of tipped-in samples and other illustrations, while the A edition will be enlarged to include two additional guard-book albums of copious extra material. The details are as follow:
A) 95 special copies will be issued in a quarter vellum binding, with an additional same-size quarter cloth album bearing a large number of tipped-in examples with printed captions, and a double-sized album bearing larger samples (three volumes in all), housed in a solander box.
B) 220 standard copies of the book will be the main textual volume itself, an estimated 160 pages, bound in quarter cloth, illustrated with tipped-in original material, housed in a slipcase.
There will also be up to 50 copies of the text which will be a designated ‘student’ or ‘reading’ edition with a severely reduced number of original specimens, maybe half a dozen only, in a plain binding and at a correspondingly lower price.
There will be a prospectus issued during the winter of 2010.
John Buckland Wright's intaglio prints
by Christopher Buckland Wright
Collectors of the Press' books will know that five books relating to the work of John Buckland Wright have appeared under this imprint, and have been among the most successful publications. Christopher Buckland Wright, the artist's son, has gathered together surviving copper plates left in the artist's studio at the time of his death, and has compiled a full catalogue of all the engravings which JBW made, both for book illustrations and as autonomous prints; some of the artist’s intaglio work is considered to be at the pinnacle of his achievements. Copies of the book will include at least one tipped-in image printed from the original copper plate, and special copies will include a larger variety. More news shortly.
Thomas Bewick's Last Days
with a Commentary by Iain Bain
Aware that his final days were approaching, Thomas Bewick made a journey – his second – to London in 1828 in order to tie up sales of remaining stocks of his books, and to see old friends. The journey began on his 75th birthday, and within three months he had died. He wrote the account of his journey on a piece of banknote paper, and his daughter Jane later pasted it into a bound set of corrected proofs of her father's Memoir. Iain Bain, renowned scholar of all that is Bewick, has added a prefatory note and fascinating commentary bringing Bewick's account to life. For publication in 2011.
Edward Walters, printer-engraver
by Richard Russell with a bibliography by John Gray
Edward Walters, wood engraver and publisher who ran his own private press, also taught at Marlborough School and had links to St Dominic’s Press and various presses operated by religious orders. His work has been shown in several issues of Matrix, and his life written up in several places too, but it is time his work is recorded in book form. Richard Russell was taught to print while at Marlborough by Walters, and here writes of his debt to this unassuming and modest man. John Gray has compiled a full first bibliography of the printed work, including Walters’ ephemera, which is included here. About 72 pages, 30 blocks and various tipped-in photos, prospectus due nearer publication.
Simon Lawrence, The Fleece Press, 95 Denby Lane, Upper Denby, Huddersfield HD8 8TZ
Telephone 01226 792200