The Owl at Alfriston.
Henley-on-Thames, UK: 1957. Small octavo. (i), (9)pp. Calligraphic manuscript on paper written in green and black ink with first line and small text initials in gold. Text opens with a large illuminated initial "O" with the watercolor figure of an owl; the text closes with another watercolor owl, this one inside a cage rendered in gold. The text is an excerpt from chapter 14 of W. H. Hudson's Nature in Downland and recounts the tale of an African horned owl that resided at a sweets shop in the village of Alfriston. The bird had been rescued by the owner's son, and the author draws the conclusion that those who frequented the shop did so in order to see the caged owl. With a one-page "Scribe's Apology" on the verso of the last leaf, noting a repeated line. Tipped-in to rear paste-down is a small calligraphed label noting the specifics of this manuscript and its price in 1957. This copy bears the bookplate and ownership markings of prominent book collector J. R. Abbey. Margaret Alexander (1902-1997) studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and taught calligraphy and illuminating there from 1928-1957. She was also a calligrapher to the House of Lords from 1926-1963 and worked for the Stanbrook Abbey Press. In cloth-backed marbled boards with small roundel on upper cover with an image of an owl in green and black against a gold background. A fine calligraphic work with superb provenance. Item #28917
Price: $4,500.00