Wood-Engravings: Being a selection of Eric Gill's engravings on wood. The first [No.5] is a wood-cut, that is cut with a knife on the long grain of the wood instead of with a graver on the "end" grain. This was cut for a Poster. Royal 4to, 31cm, Half-title + Title + 33 leaves done on the rectos only, Printed and Published at S.Dominic's Press, Ditchling, A.D. 1924.
Set in Caslon Old Face and printed in black, with occasional use of red, on Batchelor hand-made paper. Wood-engraved 'W' on the title-page, engraving on limitation leaf, 36 other engravings nearly all printed one to a page. One of 150 copies, this being number '18, of the "fifty" copies priced at one guinea' (this note in Pepler's hand - the other hundred copies were sold at two guineas). Canvas boards untitled. Blue paper dust-jacket, titled in black with a repeat of the 'Madonna and Child' woodcut on the front cover. A fine copy.
(Taylor & Sewell A129) 'Evan Gill 410 notes that the edition contains thirty-seven engravings but lists thirty-eight (which is correct) including those done jointly with David Jones. It is boound in natural linen boards with one of two dust-jackets; either plain brown printed 'Wood-engravings E.G.' or blue paper printed 'Wood-engravings E.Gill' and with the 'Madonna and Child' engraving.
The matter of the edition size and numbering is very confused. Evan Gill is wrong to state that the edition limited to fifty copis. There are two numbering patterns: (a) Some copies are numbered n/50 by hand. (b) Other copies have a printed limitation statement.'
As this copy has the full printed limitation statement, followed by Pepler's handwritten note, this is probably not quite the full story, but the direction seems clear.
