FERN HILL — ONE OF ONLY TWELVE

Thomas, Dylan (1914–1953)

Fern Hill [Number 1 of 12 Copies] [Signed/Inscribed by the Printer] [Waseley Hills Press Edition]

The Waseley Hills Press, Harvington, UK:, 1998. Limited #1 of 12.
A CELEBRATED POEM, BEAUTIFULLY PRINTED. 

DYLAN THOMAS — A PRIVATE PRESS EDITION OF ONLY TWELVE COPIES.
A beautifully produced private press edition of Dylan Thomas's Fern Hill, limited to just twelve copies, this being Number 1. Printed by hand on Wookey Hole handmade paper, the poem is set in Baskerville type and decorated with hand-colored initials, floral ornaments, and touches of gold leaf.

Produced by Paul G. S. Osborne at the Waseley Hills Press, the edition brings together traditional letterpress printing, fine handmade paper, and carefully executed decoration in a particularly attractive presentation of one of Thomas's best-loved poems.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: TRADITIONAL PRINTING AND HAND DECORATION.
+++ Hand-set in 12-point Baskerville Roman and printed on a Farley proofing press. Four leaves of Wookey Hole handmade paper, with deckled edges, comprising [8] unnumbered pages.
+++ Two large decorated initials, 'N' and 'T,' hand-colored and highlighted with gold leaf, together with two additional hand-colored floral decorations.
+++ Tan stiff-paper wrappers secured with a brown silk ribbon tie, enclosed in a matching wraparound jacket with an applied paper title label.
+++ Quarto, 10.5 × 7.5 inches.

CONDITION: FINE.
A beautifully preserved copy, with clean wrappers and jacket, a sound ribbon tie, and bright, undisturbed hand-coloring and gilt. No significant wear noted.

LITERARY SIGNIFICANCE — A POEM REVISITED BY THE PRIVATE PRESS

DYLAN THOMAS AND THE MEMORY OF CHILDHOOD.
First published in 1945, Fern Hill is among Dylan Thomas's most celebrated poems, recalling the freedom and wonder of childhood while reflecting on the passage of time. Its musical language and pastoral imagery make it especially well suited to an edition in which typography, paper, and decoration receive such close attention. This private press treatment elevates the text from its commercial 'Penguin' origins back to the tactile, liturgical experience Thomas’s lush language demands.

THE CONTINUING TRADITION OF HAND PRINTING.
Paul G. S. Osborne's Waseley Hills Press continued the British private press tradition through hand-set type, letterpress printing, and carefully chosen materials. The use of Wookey Hole handmade paper adds particular interest, connecting this late-twentieth-century edition with a long history of English papermaking providing a rare look at the intersection of Welsh literary heritage and traditional English hand-press craftsmanship.

Copies are recorded at Swansea University and the National Library of Wales.

SUBJECTS: British Poetry, Fine Press, Dylan Thomas, Wookey Hole Paper, Hand-Gilding, Harvington Printing, Limited Edition, Private Press, Signed, Poetry, Illustrated, Pioneer Valley, UK Fine Press movement

Item #21700

Price: $385.00