Number Two in the series of Christmas cards printed by the Favil Press for the Poetry Bookshop, containing the poem 'Fair-Cakes a Penny!' by Doyle, and three coloured engravings by Gwynne-Jones.
Author:
Camilla Doyle (1887-1944); Allan Gwynne-Jones (1892-1982); The Favil Press; The Poetry Bookshop; Harold Monro (1879-1932)
Publication details:
This card was completed and issued in 1928, printed by The Favil Press, 152 Church Street, Kensington, W.8 and published, in collaboration with the printers, by The Poetry Bookshop, 38 Great Russell Street, London.'
£45.00
SKU: 8012
An attractive item, printed on one side of a piece of paper roughly 46 x 32 cm, folded twice to make a 23 x 16 cm card. Good, on lightly aged and spotted paper. On the front is a small illustration in yellow and black, roughly 2 x 8.5 cm, showing the word 'CHRISTMAS' within a floral border. Inside the card, on the left-hand page, is Doyle's poem, of 16 lines arranged in four stanzas, the first of which reads, 'I bought a cake at Batchworth Fair | Last week, and still it's standing there | Upon the drawing-room mantel-piece, | With jars from Spain and shells from Greece.' On the facing page is a delicate illustration, 14.5 x 12.5 cm, in light red, yellow, green, blue and black, showing milling crowds at a country fair, captioned 'Decorations by Allan Gwynne-Jones'. The back of the card carries the third illustration, 5 cm square, showing children at play, as well the publications details, beginning 'THE CHRISTMAS CARDS IN THIS SERIES are designed by artists of today and the verses are composed by poets of our time.' and ending, 'It is known as NUMBER TWO in the present series'. Scarce: no record of this item on COPAC under the title of Doyle's poem, or in the list of Favil Press items.