A Garland for the Laureate.; Poems presented to Sir John Betjeman on his 75th birthday.
Stratford-upon-Avon: Celandine Press, 1981. Miriam Macgregor. First, Limited Edition. Royal 8vo, 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches (265 x 190 mm), 48 pp (unnumbered). Title page wood-engraving by Miriam Macgregor. Hand-set in Bell type and printed in dark brown and purple on Zerkall mould- made paper by the Whittington Press. Quarter-bound by Smith Settle & Company in black buckram and Whittington marbled paper-covered boards, gilt rules and spine titling; Colorplan Bokhara Red endpapers.
Copy 81 of 350, as stated on the limitation page.
[Butcher 59].
A finely produced private-press tribute volume issued in honour of Sir John Betjeman on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday. The anthology includes contributions by notable poets and writers including Philip Larkin, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, Kingsley Amis, Elizabeth Jennings, and Gavin Ewart, among others, reflecting the wide affection and esteem in which Betjeman was held by his literary contemporaries. The combination of Bell type, Zerkall paper, and Miriam Macgregor’s wood engraving gives the book a particularly handsome and tactile character, representative of the English private-press revival of the later twentieth century.
Sir John Betjeman (1906–1984) was one of Britain’s most beloved twentieth-century poets, celebrated for his evocative verse on English architecture, suburbia, faith, and nostalgia. Appointed Poet Laureate in 1972, he also became a prominent champion of Victorian architecture and historic preservation through his broadcasting and conservation work. His accessible style and distinctive wit brought poetry to a broad public audience uncommon in his era.
Condition: Fine.
Item number: 2413
Price: $110.00
Share: