Estampas

1985 · ref. 2415 — Andoversford: The Whittington Press 1985. First Limited Edition. Fine. Miriam Macgregor. Oblong 8vo; 7 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches 190 x 265 mm; 39 unnumbered pages. 41 wood-engravings by Miriam Macgregor. Machine-set in 12-point Bell roman and 14-point Bell italic; printed in black and olive-green on Zerkall cream smooth wove paper. Quarter-bound in brown buckram by Woolnough title-label in a blind panel on the spine Zerkall Silurian patterned paper-covered boards with a repeat pattern of three engravings printed in olive-green and dark green. Headbands top edge red-brown. Zerkall Silurian endpapers. Colorplan Bagdad Brown paper-covered slipcase title-label. Copy 81 of 335 numbered copies signed by R. P. Lister and Miriam Macgregor. Butcher 81. A finely illustrated account of English allotment life combining the understated observant gently humorous prose of R. P. Lister with an extensive series of wood engravings by Miriam Macgregor. The text considers allotment gardening as both practical activity and social practice noting its rituals routines characters and seasonal patterns. Macgregor's 41 engravings depict tools plots and gardeners with clarity economy and wit closely aligned with the tone of the text. Together text and image create a portrait of allotment culture that is both documentary and affectionate preserving a distinctly British way of life undergoing gradual change in the later twentieth century. The Whittington Press unknown