POEMS

New York: Vincent Fitz Gerald & Company, 1987. First Edition in English. No. 13 OF 20 ARTIST'S PROOFS, SIGNED by the artist and translator, (from a total edition of 75 copies). 300 x 225 mm. (11 7/8 x 8 3/4"). [22] leaves. Translated by Michael Feingold.
Bound and boxed by Zahra Partovi and David Bourbeau, the book with handwoven purple cloth cover by Sara Dochow. Housed in the original attractive red silk clamshell box with gilt title in sunken medallion on upper cover. With six color etchings by Welliver, one a double-page fold-out, executed in roulette mezzotint medium by Welliver and master printer Shigemitsu Tsukaguchi. Printed in Perpetua type on handmade Dieu Donne paper at the Wild Carrot Letterpress by Dan Keleher. Prospectus letter laid in. As new.

Everything from the very intriguing fabric binding to the luxurious handmade paper (including even the tissue guards) demonstrates the care and craftsmanship that went into this publication. The beautifully produced edition of the Norwegian playwright's poems is illustrated with delicately colored woodcuts by American artist Neil Welliver (1929-2005) and Japanese master printer Shigemitsu Tsukaguchi, who also worked with Roy Lichtenstein and Richard Estes. Nature is often the subject of Ibsen's verses, and Welliver's expertise in depictions of the natural world made him the perfect choice of illustrator. Among the images here are an eider duck, a swan, a waterlily, and woodland landscape, the latter a specialty of Welliver, who made his home in coastal Maine, where he found inspiration for his art. As noted by Dr. John Silber, President Emeritus of Boston University, in his remarks at Welliver's memorial service, the artist "was devoted to Shigemitsu Tsukaguchi, who made remarkably detailed woodcuts used in the complex color prints of many of Neil’s paintings. Neil was awed by the craftsmanship and artistry of Tsukaguchi and felt beholden to him." The pure, sharp lines of the woodcuts here bring their subjects to life in a few simple strokes. Although the covers of the special copies of this work follow the same basic design, there are noticeable differences from copy to copy, with each book consequently having a unique binding..