Octon, France: Editions Verdigris, 2007. Softcover. Number 42 of 45 copies signed by the renowned mezzotint artist, Judith Rothchild. A re-printing of Victor Hugo's letter to the editor of the London News in which he condemns slavery and champions abolitionist John Brown (1800 - 1859) for his rebellious raid at Harpers Ferry. Written on the occasion of John Brown's trial, he compares John Brown to Sparticus and implores the U.S. not to hang him. Brown was the first person to be found guilty of treason in the history of the U.S. and was executed on December 2, 1859 - the same day that Hugo originally wrote his letter.

Bound in black and brown marbled paper over black cloth covered boards with title label to spine and embossed title to front board. The text is printed in both English and French. Includes a single, but powerful mezzotint illustration of a feet in shackles. Housed in a brown marbled paper covered slipcase.

From the press website describing this prolific and important press: "With their well equipped workshop in the south of France enabling them to be completely independent, Judith Rothchild and Mark Lintott imagine and produce artist’s books from start to finish. Concerned by the rhythm between text and image, the visual and literary relationship between the blocks of print, the mezzotints and the white page, the artist’s book becomes a spatial adventure. The book as art, a singular typographical, visual, boxed object. At the helm of this creative process, Mark Lintott, passionate about letterpress on antique presses, paper and serigraphy. Each project taken on by Verdigris is a new technical and visual challenge. The ideas often start with Judith’s mezzotints or with a text of a contemporary author they wish to work with : Marie Rouanet, Claude Ber, Ruth Fainlight, James Sacré, Frédéric Jacques Temple… or a classical author they feel a connection to: Charles Baudelaire, Pablo Neruda, Paul Valéry. The first surprise, the wide variety of formats (nothing is forbidden, everything is possible), the mezzotints by Judith, the centre of this sensual ritual and not simple illustration, the precision letterpress of Mark and finally the boxed object. The book is finely finished, reflecting the love of work perfectly done. The chosen texts are in French, English, bilingual, and recently in Portuguese, always printed with the desire to communicate and for the artists to reinvent themselves." Size: about 8 x 5 inches. PRI/032025. Fine. More