THE POEM AS OBJECT

Price, Jonathan; Simon Brett, illustrator

Private View [Signed by Simon Brett — Rocket Press — One of 230 Copies]

London: Valerie Parry at the Rocket Press, 1985. One of 230 copies. String-tied Wraps.
POETRY, HANDMADE PAPER AND WOOD ENGRAVING MEET IN A ROCKET PRESS EDITION OF 230.
A finely produced collection of nine poems by Jonathan Price, designed and printed at the Rocket Press and signed and illustrated with an original wood engraving by Simon Brett. 

A SMALL PRIVATE-PRESS COLLABORATION.
The poems had previously appeared in The Listener, Critical Quarterly, or the Times Literary Supplement, with the exception of 'The Old, Old Story,' published here for the first time.

The physical production is central to the book's appeal: Zerkall mould-made text paper, handmade Richard de Bas wrappers, deckled edges, two-color printing, sewn construction, and Brett's wood engraving combine poetry and traditional bookmaking in a deliberately restrained private-press format.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.
+++ Handmade blue Richard de Bas paper wrappers with printed paper title label to the front with the naturally irregular deckled edges inherent in the paper. 
+++ Printed in blue and black. Title page illustrated with a wood engraving by Simon Brett.
+++ Text printed on Zerkall mould-made paper, with untrimmed/deckled edges.
+++ Quarto, approximately 7.75 × 11.375 inches. 
+++ Unpaginated, 16 pages. 
Designed and printed in Garamond with Castellar titling by Jonathan Stephenson of The Rocket Press at Steventon Vicarage, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, for Valerie Parry, London.
+++ Signed in pencil by illustrator Simon Brett at the colophon. 
+++ Edition limited to 230 copies.

CONDITION: Fine. No Flaws or Blemishes; Gift Quality.

PRIVATE PRESS SIGNIFICANCE: POETRY AS A MADE OBJECT—THE MATERIALS MATTER.
Private View belongs to the modern British private-press tradition in which typography, handmade and mould-made papers, illustration, and physical construction are treated as integral parts of the literary work.

SIMON BRETT AND THE WOOD-ENGRAVING REVIVAL.
Simon Brett is an important figure in the modern British revival of wood engraving. Trained at St Martin's School of Art under Clifford Webb, Brett developed a substantial career as an engraver, illustrator, author, and private-press publisher; his work for the Paulinus Press included The Animals of Saint Gregory, for which he received a Francis Williams Illustration Award from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

GENRES: Private Press, Poetry, Fine Press, Wood Engraving, Limited Editions, British Poetry, Artist-Illustrated Books, Small Press
SUBJECTS: Jonathan Price, Simon Brett, Rocket Press, Jonathan Stephenson, Valerie Parry, British Private Press, Wood Engraving, Zerkall Paper, Richard de Bas Paper, Typography, Modern British Poetry, Fine Printing,

Item #22477

Price: $65.00