Peter Mackarell Illustrations (1 results)

Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First, Limited Edition. Crown 4to, 9 5/8 x 7 1/4 inches (245 x 185 mm); 48 pp. Line-block reproductions of 28 drawings by Peter MacKarell. Hand-set in 10- and 12-point Bell and printed in black and purple on white Basingwerk Parchment paper. Bound by the Pitman Press in purplish-blue imitation cloth, with Glastonbury Lavender Antique Laid endpapers. Issued with a matching dust jacket printed in maroon and black, featuring an illustration from the text on the front panel. Copy 605 of 750 as stated on the limitation page. [Butcher 8]. A lighthearted Whittington Press publication presenting a selection of Victorian puns, introduced by Bevis Hillier. The first section offers a short history of the pun in English literary culture, while the second gathers examples from nineteenth-century collections such as Hugh Rowley's Puniana and More Puniana. The material ranges from well-known wordplay attributed (often apocryphally) to figures such as Pope Gregory and Lewis Carroll to more elaborate and obscure examples typical of Victorian humour. Peter MacKarell's illustrations extend the wordplay visually, often amplifying or reinterpreting the jokes in image form, creating a close interaction between text and drawing. The result is a deliberately playful book that reflects the Whittington Press's occasional interest in lighter, more humorous subjects alongside its more formal fine-press output. Bevis Hillier is an art historian and journalist known for his writing on decorative arts and design. He has held editorial positions at The Connoisseur and previously worked in journalism and at the British Museum, combining scholarly interests with a strong sense of humour and wordplay, both of which are evident in this introduction. Peter MacKarell (illustrator).…