September 2022

Words of Fire by Neil Gaiman

A reminder!!

On sale at https://www.arete-editions.com/ Oct 1st at 5pm BST!

Words of Fire is a book of poems that are mostly previously unpublished on paper. This project was all about the words. Hot metal setting and letterpress printing are great for poems; we feel that the beauty of the printing enhances the power of the words of the poet.
Neil Gaiman’s poetry deserves such printing. Producing a book of poems like these can only really be done for love of the language. This personal selection was chosen by Neil and we think you’ll find them as powerful as we do.
Rich Tong has designed and bound a book with wonderful colour and combinations of materials. Phil Abel has printed the books letterpress from hot metal setting. These books are all about the printing and the handmade sheets that will make up an extraordinary portfolio of individual poems as either broadside prints or folded jewels. Each poem is a frameable broadsheet. The hard cover very limited book is signed by both poet and artist. And the very limited-edition silkscreen print in an edition of forty is signed and numbered by maestro Bill Sienkiewicz and printed in five colours by Jealous Studios.
We are so pleased with the intimate quality of the project. All books signed by Neil Gaiman.
All books hand made.

We’re getting the web page ready for Saturday’s sale of Neil Gaiman’s Words of Fire book of poetry on Oct 1st at 5pm BST.
Here are the details for a very limited edition of Words of Fire:

Roman edition –

The Roman edition of Words of Fire is limited to thirty copies and of which twenty are available for sale.

The text was letterpress printed on a Heidelberg cylinder press by Phil Abel and Robert Hetherington at Hand & Eye Editions
Hot metal typesetting in Monotype Bembo is by Nick Gill at Effra Press
The paper is Bockingford Watercolour paper.
The binding is by Richard Tong at Ludlow Bookbinders
Quarter bound in black Colorado cloth with hand marbled face papers by Freya Scott of Paperwilds. Foil blocked in two passes to the front board with a design by Bill Sienkiewicz. Title foil blocked to the spine in gold.
The books come in a curved edge slipcase covered with red Colorado cloth. Foil blocked in two passes to the front of the box. Lined with black suedel.

Each copy is signed by Bill Sienkiewicz and Neil Gaiman
36pp 165mm x 255mm

£210 plus postage and packing

Each book has a unique cover from Freya’s marbling so will be slightly different for each book.

As most of you have, or should have, the email that was sent out yesterday (and if you haven’t sign up to the list on our web site at https://www.arete-editions.com/) here is the details for the soft cover!
All have Bill Sienkiewicz’s colour plate reproduced.

Pre-orders will be open on Oct 1st at 5pm BST.

French flapped paper bound Numbered Edition.

300 copies of which 250 are for sale.

Words of Fire was letterpress printed on a Heidelberg cylinder press by Phil Abel and Robert Hetherington.
at Hand & Eye Editions.
Hot-metal typesetting in Monotype Bembo was by Nick Gill at Effra Press.
The paper is Bockingford Watercolour paper and the binding is by Ludlow Bookbinders Ltd.
Heavyweight paper binding with drawn on Elephant Hide paper covers. Blocked title design on the front.
Each copy is signed by Neil Gaiman.
36pp 165mm x 255mm

£65 plus postage and packing

Here we present the details for the portfolio of hand made broadsheet poems of Neil Gaiman’s Words of Fire. We will be opening up the store for pre-orders at 5pm BST on Saturday Oct 1st!

The Words of Fire Portfolio –

Is limited to forty copies and of which twenty-eight are available for sale.

Fully bound in dark grey Windsor cloth with two passes of foil blocking to the front board in black and white. Title foil blocked to the spine in black. Inside, the portfolio is lined with red Colorplan paper with a four-tongue pocket to enclose the prints. Foil blocked in black and gold on the front tongue.

The slipcase is capped top and bottom with the same dark grey Windsor cloth and wrapped with a hand printed paper by Vintage Paper Co of Orkney. The design is printed over a selection of Neil’s poems.

The binding is by Richard Tong at Ludlow Bookbinders

Set of individual broadsheet of each poem.

Each poem is typeset in hot metal Monotype Bembo by Effra Press and Typefoundry and letterpress printed by Robert Hetherington at Hand & Eye Editions on deckle-edged paper with an Areté watermark hand made by Gangolf Ulbricht.

Limited-edition silkscreen print in an edition of forty printed by Jealous Studios London numbered and signed by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Signed by Bill Sienkiewicz and Neil Gaiman

£800 plus postage and packing

Bill Sienkiewicz was always our first port of call for an image to define the personal poems of Neil Gaiman. His mark making and his history with Neil made him a perfect choice for a print that would be the plate that we use then reproduce throughout the different editions. We discussed the idea of an image that would encapsulate the poems of Neil’s as a flowing of creative personal release of poetic expression. Bill’s idea of a release of creativity with a figure that was reaching and letting go into the abstract became the theme he followed.

He began as a series of line works, then he explored the use of colour. He was always aware that this was to be a silk screen print, he had access to any colour that would be printed in layers as flat colour as opposed to a litho four colour process reproduction of a painting. He ended up using five different colours. I love the way that his art now included a Fine Edition Print! The image only came together after all the colours were printed, I find it extraordinary how Bill can imagine how each layer, and the order of printing of those layers, can make a print that only comes to life after it is printed!

Here are some of his process works, from the first idea set in black and white line work to the exploration of colour pallets, to the final print. Each layer was made in black shapes. Each layer had a different specific colour. The final print has all these ideas combined! Stunning little image, each print felt like an original art work. Thanks Bill! You really did step up to the challenge.

All the prints were done over a week at Jealous Studios London.

Bill Sienkiewicz wrote some lovely words about our project:

‘Fans and lovers of Neil Gaiman.
I have been honored to be asked to to produce a silkscreen print for a very -and I mean very -limited edition collection of intimate person poems by my dear friend Neil Gaiman.
I’ve been asked to contribute to projects before, but this one is particularly near and dear to my heart. Neil and I go way back. Before Neil became “Neil Gaiman! ” and before I became “ That Polish Guy” courtesy of Clint Eastwood. [look,I’m trying my best here; stick with me , for crying out loud,)
This project is as close to a purely Bespoke Book as one can get. The only thing closer would be for Neil, me, and the folks at Areté Éditions to come to your house and create them at your kitchen table.
I’m not averse to that, but I would need to check Neil’s availability.
Again. This is such a gorgeous work of art, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it .’

Thank you Bill! I can’t seem to tag you, but thank you!

Here are some photos of when we checked the colour printing of the silkscreen print at Jealous Studios, Bill Sienkiewicz had done each layer as a black shape and then he nominated specific colours to those layers that was only combined when the silkscreen was actually printed! This is to be included in the portfolio edition of Neil Gaiman’s personal selection of his most intimate poems.

Here a picture of the portfolio which house the sheets of handmade paper, each one of Neil’s poems have been hand printed from metal type, each separate broadsheet a separate poem. The print is a five colour silkscreen print by Bill Sienkiewicz, printed by Jealous Studios! All signed by Neil and Bill.