High Street

Product Information

Much praise should be reserved to Jim Richards for his illuminating and highly detailed descriptions.

Eric Ravilious (1903 - 42) was a painter, designer, illustrator and wood engraver and remains one of the best-known English artists of the 1930s. PROVENANCE: Paul S Sharp (1921-1998; Artist and graphic designer; Wakefield School of Arts and Crafts prize plate to front pastedown). The window display ' shows a diver working at the bottom of the sea, and several different kinds of helmet.But the confl ict that killed the artist also destroyed his High Street lithographic plates, when the Curwen Press was bombed. In a substantial and wide-ranging examination of the making of High Street, art historian Dr Alan Powers places the original 1938 book in historical context, giving new and significant insights into its conception, production and publication. illustrated, 4to, dark blue cloth, paper title label mounted on upper cover, silver gilt spine title, paper-covered slipcase. In this environment there was no reason for a retailer to specialise, hence the diversification noted by Burke, and the accompanying loss of distinctiveness. Published by Published by Victoria and Albert Museum (Publishing), South Kensington, London First Edition .

In this context the Mainstone Press is pleased to announce the publication of The Story of High Street. Here you’ll find a growing selection of our art prints for sale – all are available for immediate purchase online. From about 1934 some publishers in the UK had experimented with the material as dust jackets over decorated boards. When one could watch the butcher cutting the meat, enjoy the smell of the coffee grinder and the baking of bread. If you require something to be posted sooner or by special means please get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate requests.

His enthusiasm for autolithography and children's books - he also launched the famous Puffin Picture Book series - made him the ideal publisher for High Street, although Ravilious also benefited from the invaluable support of the Curwen Press.

The book was never reprinted because the original plates were destroyed in a bombing raid in 1942 (in the same year Ravilious, who was a captain in the Royal Marines and an official war artist, was killed in action). Publisher's dark blue cloth, silver lettered to spine, pictorial title label to upper board, housed in matching slipcase. Notoriously hard to find in decent condition, as the publisher's pictorial boards are so fragile, and virtually unknown in its glassine complete with flaps. there is probably no-one else who could have made these records at once so faithfully and imaginatively. This is followed by two illustrated essays, "The Making of High Street" and "High Street at Seventy" by Powers and Russell, respectively.Size 23 x 15cm (I did break the book decades ago, but I still have the covers and some of the spine.