Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d.
6.4 x 9cm, 2pp. Artist's card with the text:
The Flageolet's Surname
drum
A flageolet is a woodwind instrument like a flute - or a pipe. Often in the military, it was paired with a drum (a pipe and drum) - hence the flute's "surname" is the drum. VG+. ...
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1992
11 x 15.5cm, 1pp card. A drawing by Wes Christensen of a modern man and a classical Greek man both holding up a leaflet. The text below the drawing asks "Which figure in in Costume?". The card simply seems to bring to attention that modern dress is as much a common costume as that of antiquity - which is a tad uninteresting but there you have it. We do not know the exact date of this card - our best guestimate based on the collaboration is 1999. VG+.
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London: ICA, 1992 62 x 50cm, full colour offset print with an image of one sculptural work "LA REVOLUTION EST UN BLOC". A limited edition print released during the ICA exhibition - apparently in a very small number (according to Pia Smilig only 30 copies were released). This print differs from the poster released in that Finlay's name is not printed in large letters top right and the white unprinted strip is not found along the bottom (making the print smaller). Additionally the paper is a little thicker than the poster. One small mark top right else VG+. ...
London: ICA, 1992
21 x 13cm, 4pp folded invitation card for the private view with one bronze large work "La revolution est un bloc" from 1990 in b/w on the front. VG+.
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London: ICA, 1992
14.5 x 15.5cm, 28pp plus card covers and printed light brown dustjacket. Exhibition catalogue of ten large bronze sculptures most of which relate to Finlay's interest in the French revolution. Ten duotone images are tipped onto pages. The exhibition then went to Yorkshire. VG+. Minimal text.Endpapers have a short musical phrase which (I think) is from La Marseillaise.
JOINTLY INSERTED (AS ISSUED):
14 x 14cm, 8p accordion fold insert with a commentary in English by Stephen Bann. VG>
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London: Victoria Miro Gallery, 1992 22 x 15cm, 4pp , triangular shaped announcement card fpr an exhibition of small maquettes for sculptures. These small works are delights and one - Pyramid Beautiful Fanatical - is reproduced on the front (the card shape having been chosen to reflect the shape. The work probably references either Saint Just or Robespierre. VG+. ...
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1992
21.0 x 8cm, 2pp. A valentine's day card with several images of a flower with the petals slowly being lost until the last has gone leaving only the stalk. Much like a lover may decline a traditional question associated with valentine's day the words he loves her/he loves her not are repeated in turn until the petals have all gone. A final flower here with all the petals unplucked however rescues the day and the card announces "he loves her".
There was a companion card that reverses the gender of the words also released by Finlay at the same time. The drawing was by Gary Hincks. VG+
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1992 14.7 x 10.4cm, 14pp concertina artist's card with five different finials (the small sculpture on top of a pillar), the first four of which are traditional (Ball, Vanburgh Ball, Acorn, Pineapple) and the final one is denoted as a Pineapple Grenade Finial (based on the throwing weapon). Drawings by Andrew Townsend. VG+. ...
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1991
10.5 x 7.2cm, 12pp plus wrappers and printed dust jacket. Four "proverbs" by Finlay are illustrated with drawings by Kathleen Lindsley.
"The poor fisherman counts his diamonds" for instance depends on the drawing to explain the diamonds is a metaphor for silver-backed fish.
Very good condition apart from some minor rust on staples. Murrsay has this as 1992 but the book has 1991.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1991
21 x 15cm, 36pp with card covers and printed dust jacket. Image by Gary Hincks. The annual Christmas book publication by Finlay is here a collection illustrated short poems (most two-liners and most rhyming).
COUPLET
Doodlebug, doodlebug, where have you been?
- I've been to London to visit the Queen."
has a drawing of a V1 rocket bomb used during the blitz which was often called a "Doodlebug".
The staples are a little rusty else VG+.
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Edinburgh, Scotland: Morning Star Publications, 1991
18 x 25.5cm printed publisher's envelope content of a 24 x 16.5cm, 4pp (top folding) folded card with a silkscreen image in green and black on beige with the poem:
pool
fall
pool
fall
pool
fall
rill
over an image of green ferns. A concrete poem which is denoted as a "proposal" by the Press and we have placed it in that category.
This is one of 250 signed and numbered copies from the collaborating artist Solveig Hill. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1991
9.9 x 8.2cm, 4pp. A painting which may well be a potato print beloved of young childen shows a blue and red pattern which could be seen as a paper crown worn at a Xmas dinner. Internal to the card Finlay notes:
Shepherds - Bath Towels
Angels - Sheets
and below "(Instructions for a school play)".
The painting therefore can be read as also displaying the bath towels (with patterns) for use to make costumes for a school nativity play. Angels all in white obviously need sheets that do not have patterns. Perhaps Finlay is displaying his identification more with the shepherds (a job after all that he did as a young man).
This example has a hand written note on the back cover "Happy Christmas from Ian" in thick red felt tipped pen and is joint with the origina plain white envelope that also has writing by Finlay; "Edward". Both VG+
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