N.p. (Nailsworth): Moschatel Press, 1975
10.2 x 5.7cm, 4pp green outer cover and bound in (string) is a folded white sheet with the vertical four word text "SNOW SAIL DROP FLAKE". A visual poem with the double meaning of the fall of a sail (a Snow is also a type of boat) and the fall of a snow flake. VG+ . Rather scarce.
JOINT:
Original printed envelope.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1974
25.5 x 10.5cm, 12pp plus card covers and printed dustjacket. Artist's book after Robert Lax's style and typography - each page has a group of descending words (often hyphenated) - in order RICHT-HOFEN (in red) /REIN-HART (in black)/CRIM-SON/BLACK/then RICHT-HOFEN and REIN-HART then CRIM-SON and BLACK - the colours reflect the nickname of the Red Baron, and the minimalist black paintings of Reinhart, The combinations of the words changes the meaning of each page as subtle alterations to the word order infers new imagined images.
One the 5th page Finlay has noted that this proof has missed out a hyphen and he has written on that page thus, On the last colophon page has the word Proof written by Finlay in blue ink and the page is signed. VG+. An unique copy.
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Exeter: The Rougemont Press, 1974
27 x 20cm, 16pp. Original pictorial card covers. Artist's book comprising three orange and brown offset designs for sundials (one is a centre-fold double page) and brown divider pages. Each is also a visual/concrete poem - for example the double page sheet has four boats - a clipper, a barque, a mumble bee (name of the boat rather than the type) and Snow - again a type of boat. The four sides of the sundial therefore has one each of these boats and represents the four seasons (Spring- clipper/Summer Mumble Bee/Autumn - wood barque and winter - wood snow) hence adding time passing through the year to the daily cycle of hours. This is one of only 150 signed by numbered copies. Near Fine.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1974
29.6 x 12.8cm, 8pp plus card covers and dustjacket. Artist's book which has 8 silhouettes of boats or landscapes drawn by Laurie Clark. Each image has a two-part description underneath - such as HUSH-HUSH CRAFT - Vosper. Vosper according to Finlay was a service launch ie an open boat. The dj here has some spotting but else this is VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1974
11.7 x 12cm, 24pp (double folded and printed recto only) plus card covers and printed dustjacket. Artist's book with eight concrete and visual poems such as
ELEGY FOR A
wheelbarr w
o
The "o" becoming the single wheel of the barrow.
There are also images of a wooden sculpture of fish on a line made by Finlay himself. VG+
This is one of 350 signed and numbered copies on colophon.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1973
14 x 9.5cm, 24pp plus card covers and printed dust jacket. Artist's book where Finlay has listed a number of scenarios where an X might be created - each slightly different. The pages being drawn by George L. Thomson.
From a letter to Robin Crozier in 1970 - Finlay explained the idea: "Finlay says "I must stress that I don't consider this booklet profound. Everyone knows that nuance exists. On the other hand, I get pleasure from showing how much one can change a thing while scarcely from the spot , as it were. If we make dramatic (moving) differences between the visual representations of the Xs, we will undermine the whole point. If, for instance, "Two" and "Duet" are just noticeably not the same 2 crossing lines, we can rely on the words to complete the distinction, without taking it further than that. Likewise, "Duck-pond" needn't really try to depict the wakes left by 2 swimming ducks, but just by the merest alteration in the lines, allows the words to modify the image. Though obviously, if we had a blue rectangle on white one, there, and could have the lines white instead of black that would be pleasing.".
Finlay initially intended printing the book in 1970 with Crozier but changed his mind later for some unknown reason. VG+ although the cheap staples are showing some rust.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1973
9 x 7.5cm, 12pp plus card covers and printed dust jacket. Artist's book with Simon Cutts where similar sentences as subtly changes each illusrated by Sydney McK Glen with a landscape vignette. The sentences are "I prefer the streams of the mountains to the sea"/"I prefer the street of the mountains to the sea"/"I prefer the streaks of the mountains to the sea"/"I prefer the straiks of the mountains to the sea". The last work straiks is an unusual one - a less used version of the word stroke. Each slight change to the sentence gives a different poetic image of the landscape.
VG+ although the cheap staples are showing some rust.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1973
15.2 x 11.6cm, 16pp plus card covers and printed dust jacket. Artist's book listing a series of forenames in facsimile of handwriting in red
The names are "Rufe Betty, Val, Tony, Kate, judy, Nick, Cherry, Jill, Jake, Nell, Emily, Zeke" which are all nicknames of world war aircraft.
"In the second half of 1942, a colorful set of code names was developed in the Southwest Pacific Theater by the Air Technical Intelligence Unit (ATIU) of the Allied Air Forces in Australia. The head of the unit, Captain Frank T. McCoy Jr. was from Nashville, Tennessee, and the first few code names were hillbilly names such as ZEKE, NATE, PETE, JAKE and RUFE, as they were simple, short and distinctive. The basic system spread rapidly, and by late 1942, was adopted for use by both the USAAF and USN. In general, the code names were assigned using the following system, although several exceptions exist:". Hence Finlay shows the various aircraft as a related family because of this familiar way of reference. VG+.
A 3 x 14cm, 1pp "bookmark" which has the name of the Press on it and a red circle - referencing the Japanese origin of these airplanes.
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Belper: Aggie Weston's, 1973
25 x 20cm, 8pp plus card covers. Single number of Stuart Mill's publication which is entirely dedicated to photographs of Finlay's farm and the works taken by Mills. VG+
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1973
21 x 13cm, 8pp - a sheet of white tissue paper folded once lengthwise, printed with text and drawings by an uncredited artist inserted in slightly larger blue sheet similarly folded. An ephemeral artist's book where butterflies are likened to Japanese aircraft suicide bombers and cherry blossom to other fighter craft. VG+. Scarce.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1972
10.6 x 11.6cm, 24pp plus wrappers and pictorial dj - artist's book with ten concrete and visual poems and a frontispiece of a toy boat made by Finlay on the first end paper and also the dust jacket.
SHELF
sardines
pilchards
bottled ships
treats the tradition of making minature boats in bottles as if they are being preserved like tinned fish.
This is one of 350 copies each Signed and numbered by Finlay in ink at the back colophon. The date in some catalogue raisonne are given as 1971 but the colophon indicates with s Xmas publication in 1972.
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Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1972
28 x 20cm, 58pp. Boards with printed title. An anthology of concrete poems (in part designed by Michael Harvey) with a section dedicated to sundials. This is the second US publication (After the Something Else Press publication the year before. This is one of 200 signed and numbered copies aside from the 1,000 unnumbered copies. VG+. ...