A Long Story
Bath: Old School Press, 2001. Hardcover. Number 131 of 230 copies signed by the poet and illustrator. From the press: "For the fifth title in our series of the work of contemporary British poets, we were fortunate to have the opportunity of printing an extended four-part poem by Poet Laureate emeritus Andrew Motion. He was England's Poet Laureate from 1999-2009. Writing of his work, Motion says 'A Long Story assembled itself over several years into a loose sequence of four sections, none of them rhymed, and all are written in a very loose, rambling rhythm. I began with the wish to identify certain memories in my childhood which I've always considered to be 'spots of time' - ie, moments which have a self-contained interest and drama - and ended up with scenes which anticipate (even predict) certain moods and attitudes I have as an adult. 'To complement Motion's narrative style, we turned once more to leading wood-engraver Simon Brett, whose ability to tell a story in a single sinewy image we greatly admire, and who cut four wood-engravings for the book.''
For this elegant book, the text was hand-set in 14pt Fournier italic and printed on 170gsm Magnani mould-made paper. Brett's engravings were printed from the wood onto dampened paper. The book was bound by Rachel and Richard James. It is quarter-bound with yellow cloth on the spine, with a rich dark green hand-made paper from the Larroque mill covering the boards, black Canson end-papers, and the title embossed in gold on the front cover. In fine condition. Measures 8 x 11 inches. Unpaginated [44 pages] PRI/082823. Fine.
Item #36752
Price: $125.00