Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1987
6.9 x 16.4cm, 1pp artist's card with a drawing of a musket with bayonet from the French revolutionary wars. A socle is a plinth that is underneath a block, a column, urn, or a statue. The bayonet is supported by the gun in the same way and the stock is thus in some sense a socle. VG+.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1987
7.5 x 7.5cm, 4pp artist's card with a drawing of an arrow wrapping around the card and overprinted with a poem:
MEMORY
Arrow
which never
forgets
Time moves only in one direction like an arrow but one might also suggest a wound or mark from an arrow is somewhat irreversible. VG+.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1987
12.1 x 13.2cm, 1pp. Artist's card where Finlay uses a quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge "Nature is the devil in a fancy waistcoat" to create a new aphorism "Nature is a storm trooper in a camouflage smock". Finlay's fascination with warfare in Arcadia is to the fore here again - and the Romantic view of nature of wild and dangerous is reinforced by the idea of the fast moving and effective German soldiers typifying that aggression. VG+.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1987
10.7 x 8.2cm, 4pp. Artist's Xmas card wishing them aa "Happy Christmas", a "Happy February Battle" and a "Happy March 15" - the last two being dates of the battles of Little Sparta. This example has a handwritten note from Sue Finlay - "Very sorry I ddid not manage to sent this off to you sooner. Many thanks for your cheque. best wishes Sue." VG+.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1987
8.8 x 7.8 x 1cm, printed red box content of eleven small folding cards (sizes vary) - each with a concrete poem, a monostich or other poetry form. The text come from the book of the same name. This was the annual Christmas present from Finlay and was issued in only 200 examples. Slight wear and creases to the slightly fragile box else VG+. Scarce.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1988
10.3 x 14.2cm, 1pp. Artist's card with a quote from Robespierre to Catherine Millet and Jonathan Hirschfeld (obviously re-applied by Finlay) which suggests that they are charlatans and that they will "be carried away like insects in its on-rush; your success will be as fleeting as lies and your shame as immortal as truth". The design here is the same as that of the following card "Paris is the sink of all virtues. VG+.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1988
10.3 x 14.2cm, 1pp. Artist's card with a quote from Jean-Paul Marat to Michel Blum and Yves Hayat (obviously re-applied by Finlay) which suggests that they do not have judgement, courage or virtues. The design here is the same as that of the previous card "Cruel and ingenious sophists". VG+.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1988
10.3 x 15cm, 1pp. Artist's card with an amusing adaption of the much loved children's first line of learnt French - taken from a song - here altered to become:
Le Pen est dans le jardin avec ma tante."
and dedicated to Catherine Millet. The "Le Pen" refers to the French leader of the fascist Front Nationale and one assumes the "aunt" is Millet. Nicely barbed. A monostich is a one line poem integral to itself. VG+
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1988
10.1 x 12.7cm, 1pp. Artist's card with a quotation - "Racism of the anti-racists, terrorism of the anti-terrorists: the 1980's are the 1930's stood on their head." (sic) Typographically the two dates are set above in large font size with the 1930 upside down to make a visual correspondence to the each other and the text. Another attack card here without naming criticising Millet and her cohorts. Interestingly Finlay makes one of his rare mistakes in the text and incorrectly adds a " to the years. VG+.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1988
10.1 x 14.8cm, 1pp. Artist's card with a declaration that mirrors those of the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution where (here) Michel Blum) is referred to the Committee of General Security, for his various crimes and asking anyone wishing to offer evidence for or against Blum to write to Finlay. Dull and probably produced in the hope that some dirt on Blum might actually arise from someone reading the card.VG+.
