The Left-Handed Punch.
Guildford: Circle Press, 1986. Small folio. (36)pp., french-fold. From an edition of 80 copies, this one is designated "A.P." Signed by the illustrator, Ronald King, and the poet, Roy Fisher. Illustrated in color with numerous photo-collage vignettes, seven tableaux from drawings, and twelve movable puppet designs by King. The puppets alone, according to the prospectus, required 120 printings. This is the fifth collaboration between King and Fisher, and it stands as one of the highspots of the Press. The text of the original Punch and Judy play, taken from an 1860 Routledge edition, is set to appear as footnotes. To this, Fisher has added a Prologue and an Epilogue, as well as on-stage and off-stage commentaries. King's movable puppets, themselves a surreal combination of whimsy and the grotesque, add the final touch to what one critic called "a sinister carnival of invention." Loose, as issued, in printed wrappers, housed in a red cloth chemise, with the title blocked in white and gilt on cover and spine and a striped cloth slipcase, with a cut-out on the front panel, reminiscent of a Punch and Judy stage, through which the title shows. Fine. Item #30689
Price: $4,500.00