What to do when your printing press goes phut?!

It really was a bit of a blow.

After months of not printing any major projects (while I slaved away at the final stages of the Bibliography and dealt with sundry other aspects of our life) I finally got back to the Printing Office and became really happy to be working there again when . . . SILENCE. There is nothing deader-looking than a machine that was happily working a minute ago and now is not.

The answer (as so often) was to go for a walk . . . with my camera, naturally. The fact that it was a glorious, golden day helped the decision of course. I had thought that the high winds the night before would have done for the leaf colour as they would all be on the ground underneath. True there were far fewer leaves on the trees but the glorious light seemed to make the most of the ones that remained and made them seem like jewels.

Anyway, I had great fun and I like some of the results rather a lot.




















Now a couple of reflection/window shots. First of all we have Frances in her workshop making Quince Jelly and Apple Jelly.




And secondly . . . !




Latest News: I am VERY happy and relieved to be able to say that dear old Press is humming along again. Ever since we arrived in Wales, our electrical needs (and especially those of the FAG Control 900) have been answered by John Lee who lives close by, at least by the standards of the country. Something happens to the Press about once every six or seven years I would think and every time I dive for the phone in the hope that John Lee will still be there at the other end. The happy thing is that he has similar notions about that curious word 'retirement' as we do, so I have a good hope that he will be able to rush round to minister whenever the next crisis arrives!

La Bibliographie nouvelle est arrivée!

Seldom has any pair of kids waited so eagerly for the postman as we did this morning, knowing that the first copy of what we have been working on for so long had been posted from the printer yesterday. Finally the doorbell went and we both rushed to grab the parcel and tear off its wrappers!




The all-important first glance was entirely positive for both of us. The book felt solid, sturdy and workmanlike. As we had already seen a set of printed sheets, it was of course the effect of the cover image that we had been most looking forward to. As everyone reading this is likely to know, Clive Hicks-Jenkins made a deliciously romantic black and white drawing (of our lair in the Wye Valley - seen somewhat fancifully!) for our first Bibliography, ten years ago, and he agreed to paint another picture for the second . . . this time in colour to reflect that this book also has colour throughout. We are of course thrilled with the result and we judge that the artist himself has been quietly confident that his painting would have the desired effect. Thank you Clive!





It was important for us, also, to see the two books side by side as they are meant to go neatly beside each other on a shelf. Yes the two spines were equal and the two spine letterings aligned. And, of course, the all-important sheep (see previous post) . . . there they are, all exactly placed on the spine giving their message clearly!





Here then is an upright view of the two books showing the delicious similarities (and differences) between the two designs. And then there is the whole back of the book which I have not shown you at all!

But now, to be serious for a moment. These Blog glimpses have been just that but we expect the books to be delivered on Monday and then our promotional activities will begin in earnest.

We can, however, now announce one all-important set of facts . . . namely the prices.

The new book (The Old Stile Press . . . the next ten years) is £45 (plus £4 p&p in UK).

A limited number of copies of the earlier book (The Old Stile Press . . . in the twentieth century) remains and these are £40 (plus £4 p&p in UK).

If you do not have a copy of the first book, you can have a copy of both at a special price of £75 (plus £6 p&p in UK).

There are 15 Special (or Archive) copies. These will include pages or spreads from almost all the books together with many other items. The selection is still being made and the box is still being designed but some copies have already been spoken for. The price of this Special Edition is £850.

As we still await bound copies of the second Bibliography . . .

. . . I have been preparing a little 'present' to be slipped into the first 250 copies to be sold. Early birds who ordered copies quickly of our first Bibliography ten years ago found (and, we gather, appreciated) a jeux d'esprit involving a piece of Frances' paper, a couple of poems and some sheep!

This time they will find the above. We have been fortunate to own that wood block by Eric Gill for many years. It gets an outing on special occasions (our daughter Cressida's wedding invitation for example!) and this is a special occasion.

For those who like to tot up monetary 'value' . . . as this is printed direct from the actual block, it means that this is an 'original print' by Eric Gill and so the book itself could be seen as coming more or less free!

As soon as we receive copies (and I can photograph them), we will post final details of prices and ordering. It should not be too long now!

Excitement is mounting here . . .

. . . and this is a big hint for our many friends who have been around a bit!


The fact is that, in 2000, we published The Old Stile Press . . . in the twentieth century which gave the history of the Press and described all the books made up till that point. The cover of this book was taken from a specially commissioned pen and wash drawing by Clive Hicks-Jenkins which took the form of a fanciful and highly romantic vision of Catchmays Court, the home of the Press and of ourselves. Bang in the middle of the spine was a single sheep. The conceit at that time was that, if you put a line of copies on a shelf, then you got a line of single sheep!

To the astonishment of all concerned, ten years have passed and that time has seen the production of a respectable number of serious and major publications . . . which of course do not get a mention in the first Bibliography. So, for most of this year, I have been writing and photographing away towards the production of The Old Stile Press . . . the next ten years which (I am thrilled to say) has already been printed and is with the binder as I write. I am (relieved and) happy to be able to say that it has turned out rather well and we are very happy with it.

At the very last minute (because of pressure of work) Clive H-J managed to complete for us the long-ago asked-for painting for the cover. It is again a fanciful take on Catchmays Court but this time is in full colour (as is the entire book, incidentally) and, yes, on the spine there are TWO sheep.

This post is merely a slight over-boiling of excitement on our part about the imminent arrival of the book and we will be posting again soon with photographs, prices and full descriptions. Ordering can, therefore, wait until then BUT do email, if you would like, so as to get your name down on the reservation list . . .

. . . especially if you might be considering one of the 15 Special Copies (a number are bespoke already) for which Frances has been gathering together sample pages and whatnot of almost all the books made during this period together with many other items.

Editing the evening sky

Heartened by the fact that four or five people, quite separately, have said, during the last few days, that they are avid readers of this blog and that they like some of the photographs, I am encouraged to get some recent ones 'up'.

After posting on previous occasions my 'editing' of rocks and sand and one thing and another, I present this tiny exercise very modestly as it was all over in two or three minutes and I did not take many shots!

I should incidentally say a thankyou to Frances for drawing my attention to these sights in time for me to grab my camera before it was too late!

And, as a ps, here are some studies of a rose hedge in October.

The leaves are still full of green life but the hips . . .




those that were not eaten by the finches and whatnot when they were so invitingly scarlet . . .

have decayed into a state which I find distasteful and beautiful at the same time.

Où est 'le spectre de la rose'?

Candles and sunshine for Peter Reddick

Peter Reddick
1924 - 2010

Today, Frances and I were happy to be able to join many scores of his family and friends as Peter Reddick was laid to rest in the remarkably welcoming acres of the woodland burial site close to his home town of Bristol.

Of course, the weather smiled on the event. From morning, it was a scintillatingly beautiful day - with bright and warm sun and a cooling breeze that moved the leaves of the established trees at the margins and the young ones planted near individual plots. "Peter would have loved it", everyone said.

People greeted each other over coffee and then moved to a beautifully reappointed stone barn that was the chapel/meeting house. We opened our throats with some good singing (as Peter had done when he elected to join choirs very late in his life). We had readings of various sorts and long moments of deep silence during which individuals spoke of how much they had valued Peter's friendship. The variety of these, wood engravers, teachers, Quakers, as well as Peter's children and a sturdy crew of grandsons.

After this, we all made our way to the spot where Peter was to be laid. Crackly dry leaves were thrown into the grave and we returned to enjoy delicious plates of food and further conversations with friends.

This was the point when I took up my camera, to aid our memory later.

This is taken through the door of the chapel where, still burning strongly, are the candles which all who were there had moved forward to light.

This is the same scene from inside the building. I had taken the photograph at that moment because that is just how it happened. It was not until I was working on it a bit that I realized quite how remarkably fortunate and apt that moment had been. That is not a fixed light on the floor. Rather, the strong sunlight was simply shining through the window and, at that precise moment, was falling on the exact spot where Peter had been laid, in his gentle-looking basket made of twisted rushes.



Extraordinarily, a wonderful day. Peter's day.

Quince . . . lovely word, lovely jelly!

We are heading off tomorrow morning for The Whitechapel Gallery in London to look after our stall at The London Art Book Fair. Lots to pack up and last minute things to remember to do.

I just want, however, to make a little post in honour of our Quince tree which has made a jolly good effort this year and has provided us baskets of these strange fruits from which Frances will make delicious jelly.




Inevitable, too, that we should be reminded that Robin and Heather Tanner chose this word (obvious, really!) to show off what a delicious capital Q can do! Here is the the spread from A Country Alphabet so that you can see the pen and ink drawing and an example of Heather's gentle but precise commentary.




Amazing to realize that this book was published 26 years ago. But . . . I must apologise for going on and on about the passage of time. This is what comes from being stuck to the production of a Bibliography for such a long time!

It's proof time!

This morning arrived from J.W. Northend Limited a large packet of proofs - for The Old Stile Press, the next ten years. This is, as I have mentioned a number of times before, the sequel to our first Bibliography (The Old Stile Press, in the Twentieth Century) which we published in 2000 and which, if numerous comments can be cited, has been enjoyed by many.

This new book I have prepared entirely on my computer - with the help of InDesign, Photoshop and a digital camera. When I was not doing other things in a particular day, I could usually deal with, and put behind me, one double-page spread. It was very hard work but I really loved doing it and I am feeling so relieved that (having sent one single recordable DVD to them) the proofs that the printer has sent looked just as they should.

However long my bit took, the printer's schedule is fast and furious. I would not be surprised if our book (even though it is 236pp and in 4 colour throughout) will be put on the press after breakfast and will be completed by lunch!

SO . . . Before you know it, we will be back with further information, including price etc.

If, however, you would like to 'reserve' a copy now, we will happily put you on the list.

This is particularly important if you feel even a theoretical desire to have a 'Special'. There is to be one (as last time) and it is likely to number 15 copies only.

Also as last time, I shall be printing a tiny keepsake or jeu d'esprit and this will be slipped (at no extra cost) into the first 250 copies to be sold.

A one way trip to Bloomington, Indiana!

These have been really exciting times for us here . . . but first I must indulge in a little history.


When I was a junior editor in London, at the start of my (commercial) Publisher's career, I was already an avid hunter for books - of different sorts but especially for Illustrated Books and the productions from Private Presses. If I had a free lunch hour, I could just get to The British Museum with enough time to see exhibitions and such like but otherwise there were (then) a number of really great bookshops within reach in that part of central London and I would almost run to one or another to have as much time there as possible before more or less running back. No time for actual lunch, you notice, or a sandwich on the hoof at most. One of my favourite places to go was the emporium of Bertram Rota.






This wonderful photograph is of one of their 'homes' but, although it was a long time ago, I cannot claim to have known them in those illustrious days. This was Bodley House and I think the photograph was taken in 1964. For those who know London, the flower shop next door is at one end of Albany and it was in that famous and fashionable apartment complex that Bertram Rota started.

By the time I came on the scene, as a shy book lover embarrassed that I was always gazing at the glorious tomes laid out in their glass cases but never buying anything, Rota had moved again . . . but not far. The road in the photograph above in which the photographer seems to be standing, and which shoots off in the direction of about 8 o'clock, is Savile Row (from which I have never bought a suit!) and it was to there that they had moved in my time and where I plucked up enough courage to visit.

Time passes . . .

I begin to print and we have books to publish. In the early days, the indefatigable Frances tramps round the streets of London with a case of books hoping to get booksellers to stock them. Not easy then and pretty well impossible now! At Rota, however, she enjoyed an increasingly warm welcome until, over the years, the shop (now moved yet again to Long Acre) were happy to hold a complete set of those of our books still in print. They did us a marvellous service, of course, by showing the books to visitors to London, especially from overseas.





At this time, our great ally at Rota's was Anthony Rota (son of Bertram) and the antiquarian book world lost a giant when he died last year. Now at the helm is his son, Julian, and with him we come up to date and the start of this current little saga.

Decades ago, when Libraries and Museums had pots of money for acquisitions, we heard that a number of egregious Private Presses had had their Archives purchased and borne away to this Library in America or that Museum in the UK. If I had been asked the question, I would have thought that in today's dire financial climate, there would be little money for such activities.

HOWEVER, and here I finally get to the point, Julian Rota contacted us some months ago and asked whether we would like him to try to 'place' our Archive in this way - he being adept in this activity. We were amazed but said yes please and privately thought it a bit of a fantasy.

Finally, however, a phone call told us that he had been successful and could we pack all our relevant correspondence, documents and suchlike pertaining to the activities of The Old Stile Press over the last thirty years and a carrier would arrive to deliver the lot to:

The Lilly Library
Bloomington
Indiana
USA

As usual it was mostly Frances who undertook the searching for files and packing boxes (I was busy writing and laying out on my computer our second Bibliography - but more of that later) but eventually the day came and here are some snaps to remind us of the day when we waved all those boxes away to America!

I need hardly say that we feel enormously proud at this development. Indiana may be a bit of a step away from The Wye Valley but we know that our stuff will be in amazingly good company. The Lilly Library owns an early Gutenburg Bible, MSS by Burns, J.M.Synge and James Barrie (Peter Pan, I think) and the Archives of Sylvia Plath, Ezra Pound, Orson Welles among many others. Can't be bad!

The Library also has the right to purchase future tranches of material relating to the Press' activities . . . so we had better just get on with it!

a bit of a special day . . .

We are not usually ones for foisting on others the more personal details of our lives but, probably encouraged but a nice lunchtime bottle of wine with our prawns, sunshine and wonderful wind in the birches and the aspen, I am posting these photos without even consulting Frances, because I would like to share our happiness with our friends.

What are we celebrating?

Our 47th wedding anniversary. Seems like only yesterday!

Worth and Value

Sometime in the early 1960s, my new job involved lots of driving round the country (UK) but I always tried to find a moment to pop into any antique or second-hand bookshop I passed. My funds then were by no means lavish but I did pick up one or two items which still give me pleasure and which retain the fascination they had when I came upon them.

One such item is pictured here . . . although it only got its frame a couple of years ago and previously lived in a portfolio, being visited rather seldom. But each time I renew acquaintance I am stunned anew. I get tingling up the spine as with certain pieces of music. I get a magnifying glass and go for journeys round this enchanted land.





Here are a few close-ups and, if you click, you should get them much bigger.




The complete piece of paper is only 18.5 x 10cm but look below at the trio (or quartet, if you count the horse!) to the extreme left. These characters, walking or riding up the hill with their long pikes or staves are recognizably individuals - and each about 1mm.




Below is my favourite bit, much enlarged. The idea of sailing under those wind-blossomed sails towards that idyllic shore-side town seemed utterly romantic.





So, what do we have here? Clearly it was a piece of an engraving but, until recently, my almost complete lack of knowledge of the subject did not help me towards an identification. A year or so ago, I did have the opportunity of talking to an 'expert' and I showed him the sliver of paper. For a few seconds I could almost hear the hard-disk whirring in his head and then a finger shot out and pointed to a spikey thing about a quarter of the bottom edge in from the right. 'Ah', he said, 'It is Albrecht Durer's The Sea Monster but you have lost all the main subject and an inch off the top. It is, I am afraid, OF NO VALUE'





INDEED! Here is the proper thing (off the internet) and it is indeed magnificent but what have I got?
I have a piece of paper more than five hundred years old on which is printed an image which was drawn and engraved in 1498 by Durer, aged 27 at the time. It is, I gather, now thought that he probably did not actually cut his wood blocks himself but I am sure that it would be he who was guiding the burin So, at the very least, this paper was directly printed from a piece of metal that was touched in one way or another by this consummate artist.

Of no value . . . . . . ?

Another coincidence

For the past many weeks, I have hardly been in my printing office at all . . . rather I have been holed up with my computer, camera, Photoshop and InDesign wrestling with (but actually much enjoying) the putting together of the 'sequel' to our Bibliography, now ten years old. The photograph below is of a selection of spreads in rough proof form. I am hoping that my task will be completed in a few weeks so then it will be up to the printer and binder how long it will be before publication. I will keep you posted.



It happened that I was working on the four pages concerning the book, The Girl from the Sea that was published quite recently. This is a posthumously published "Play for Voices" by George Mackay Brown with wonderfully atmospheric woodcuts and wood engravings by the American artist Michael Onken.



On that very day we had the pleasure of being able to welcome Llewellyn Thomas and his family for a short 'motorway stop' in their journey from west Wales to their home in Kent.





The coincidence lay in that it was Llewellyn who had, way back in 1991, made the (fiendishly detailed and difficult to print!) wood engravings for In the Margins of a Shakespeare also by George Mackay Brown. This book (long out of print, sadly) was one of my favourites and we were all greatly pleased when George said how well he thought of it.

He was unable to see the 'Selkies' book of course but I hope (and feel) that he would have approved as much.


So . . . now back to the Bibliography!

Sensuality in the garden!

When, years ago, I first saw the flower photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe, I stared and stared to try to work out how he made them so unashamedly erotic. Yes there was choice of subject, angle, reflections on the surface and so on but I ended up reckoning that much, if not most, of Nature really is, shall we say, sensual.

Now is the best time of year of course so . . . out came the camera.









I hope you can click the three above as large as possible. Living Rodins!














And here, by way of a coda, is a cool Frances walking into the light. When I look at the composition of this I find myself thinking of a painting of Stanley Spencer. I can't quite think why!