The Chester Play of the Deluge

London [Cambridge]: Clover Hill Editions [Printed by Will Carter at the Rampant Lions Press], 1977. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. Jones, David. One of 250 copies, folio size, 45 pp., with dust jacket. From the web site of PB Press Books: "The 'Chester Mystery Plays' is a cycle of mystery plays originating in the city of Chester, England and dating back to at least the early part of the 15th century ('Chester Mystery Plays')....The plays are based on biblical texts, from creation to the Last Judgement. They were enacted by common guildsmen and craftsmen on mounted stages that were moved around the city streets, with each company or guild performing one play."

This book presents ten stunning wood engravings by David Jones (1895-1974), who was both a writer and an artist. As a writer, he was one of the first-generation British modernist poets and was highly regarded by both T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden. As an artist, he learned wood and copper engraving from Eric Gill, providing illustrations for the Golden Cockerel Press, for which he engraved the Cockerel itself in 1925.

Jones' wood engravings accompany the third of the cycle (24 total) which presents the story of Noah and the flood. The engravings are incredibly rich and complex, from the first cut which depicts "[God's] people, in deede and thought...sett fowle in sinne", the second which depicts the beginning of the building of the ark (complete with an angel showing the plans), the animals entering the ark, the dove plucking an olive leaf, the final cut showing Noah making a sacrifice to God surrounded by both his family and the animals, all kneeling.

One must see these engravings in person to truly appreciate them. The play, with David Jones' blocks, was initially published by The Golden Cockerel Press in 1927 (Chanticleer, no. 52) but the results were dissatisfying ("...the engravings in this book are the greatest graphic achievement of the Press. They are, however, very poorly printed in the book"). Fortunately the wooden blocks survived (there is a story to that which is laid out in the Publisher's Note which opens the book) and the engravings in this publication were printed directly from those original blocks, fully showing the glory of David Jones' work.

___DESCRIPTION: Marbled paper over boards with a tan linen shelfback, gilt lettering on the spine, fore-edge uncut, bottom edge rough-cut, title page in red and black, sectional title also in red and black; Golden Cockerel type on Barcham Green mould-made paper, folio size (13 1/8" by 10 1/8"), pagination: [i-x] [1-2] 3-30 [5], this no. 6 of 250 copies (total edition 337). In a heavy paper jacket of orange, brown lettering on the spine and front panel.

___CONDITION: Volume fine, with clean boards, the linen shelfback without wear, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; clean, crisp, and as new. The dust jacket near fine, clean and without rips or tears; a modicum of edgewear and sunning to the spine, else fine.

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