[Ravilious, Eric / Pierre-Simon Fournier].

Almanack 1929. With Twelve Designs Engraved on Wood by Eric Ravilious – And a Specimen of the Roman & Italic of Fournier-le-Jeune composed on the ‘Monotype’.

First Edition, First state in full buckram. London, Lanston Monotype Corporation Ltd., 1929. Slim Octavo (12.8 cm wide x 19.2 cm high). 46 unnumbered pages with twelve Zodiac-woodcuts by Eric Ravilious, a two-colour titlepage with typographical zodiac-designs on the titlepage. Original Hardcover in Mylar/ Full tan buckram with the year 1929 in gilt on upper spine. Minor staining to edges. Note on endpaper states: “On Japanese Vellum”.

Eric William Ravilious (22 July 1903 – 2 September 1942) was a British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver. He grew up in Sussex, and is particularly known for his watercolours of the South Downs, Castle Hedingham and other English landscapes, which examine English landscape and vernacular art with an off-kilter, modernist sensibility and clarity. He served as a war artist, and was the first British war artist to die on active service in World War II when the aircraft he was in was lost off Iceland.

Ravilious engraved more than 400 illustrations and drew over 40 lithographic designs for books and publications during his lifetime. His first commission, in 1926, was to illustrate a novel for Jonathan Cape. He went on to produce work both for large companies such as the Lanston Monotype Corporation and smaller, less commercial publishers, such as the Golden Cockerel Press (for whom he illustrated an edition of Twelfth Night), the Curwen Press and the Cresset Press. His woodcut of two Victorian gentlemen playing cricket has appeared on the front cover of every edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack since 1938. His style of wood-engraving was greatly influenced by that of Thomas Bewick, whom both he and Bawden admired. Ravilious in turn influenced other wood engravers, such as Gwenda Morgan who also depicted scenes in the South Downs and was commissioned by the Golden Cockerel Press. (Wikipedia)

• Keywords: Art – Rare · Catalogue Four – International Art · Catalogue No.10 – International Literature · English Literature – Rare · Illustrated Books · Illustrated Books Rare · Press · Pressendruck · Ravilious, Eric · Typography · Typography Rare
• Language: English
• Inventory Number: 32055AB

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