The Fleece Press is the one-man enterprise of Simon Lawrence, whose family have made woodblocks for wood engravers since 1859. I started to print in 1980, having seen John Randle's Whittington Press. John had agreed in late 1979 to print a book of wood engravings by leading engravers, in secrecy, to celebrate my grandfather's 80th birthday the following year. When I walked through the Press door, my life changed and from that moment in April 1980, twenty-nine years ago, I have sought to make a living from printing and publishing hand-made books, usually illustrated by or about wood engravers and printmakers, though with healthy interests in the official war artists, collections of letters, miniature books and T. E. Lawrence (but with a decided and almost complete absence of poetry).
Letterpress books are still printed here, by hand (and by machine but controlled by human hand). Yet in 2009 the fact is that letterpress supplies – machinery and typesetting in particular – are becoming difficult to rely on; and so, coupled with my occasional desire to design and publish substantial books illustrated profusely in colour, I have also begun to make some books which are printed by four or five-colour offset lithography; these are books that are equivalent to any hand-made ones in the care and attention to detail as well as their physical feel, and which in any case couldn't be made by letterpress means because of the requirements for so many colour illustrations. The two sorts of books co-exist happily enough in my hands, and I'm pleased to say still meet with public approval. There is often discussion about what constitutes a Private Press. I think there are two parts to the definition: a publisher and/or printer who has absolute control over all aspects of book production (almost non-existent in the modern world), and secondly a press making books which also include something of the character of their creator. I hope my books meet these criteria.
Ravilious at War, published in October 2002, displayed all of his 110 wartime watercolours (ships, defences, planes and so on) made as an Official War Artist, and included most of his highly engaging correspondence from the last three years of his life. It also showed just about every other painting, engraving, cotton and ceramic design he made during this time. His daughter Anne Ullmann edited the text, and there was a perceptive Foreword by the London Evening Standard Art Critic Brian Sewell. Running to nearly 300 pages, with over 200 illustrations (mostly in colour), and a text of 80,000 words, this was a substantial, important book which immediately went out of print.
More recently a massive amount of work went into the preparation for publication of Ravilious' selected pre-war correspondence, which Christopher Whittick, Anne Ullmann and myself brought to publication during 2008; Eric Ravilious: Landscape, Letters & Design runs to 548 pages in two volumes housed in a slipcase, with 180,000 words of text and 300 images, all in the same format as Ravilious at War. Some copies are available; see Recent books and current projects.
The Inward Laugh, Edward Bawden and his circle, by Malcolm Yorke was similarly successful, and in November 2006 was judged Book of the Year by the Publishers' Association and British Printing Industries Federation, at the Mayfair British Book Design and Production Awards. The book has just gone out of print and copies will be available through dealers at an increasing price.
Late in 2006, Barnett Freedman, his graphic art, by Ian Rogerson and Michael Twyman, saw publication, and this was accompanied by a DVD showing The King's Stamp, a 1935 GPO film featuring Barnett at work set to music by Benjamin Britten. Barnett was one of the very finest book illustrators and graphic artists of the second quarter of the twentieth century. The book is out of print but I am presently offering for sale on behalf of his family a substantial amount of original Freedman material, including original designs, proofs, finished and half-finished artwork, as well as printed work such as lithographs and dustwrappers. See the note on the Recent books and current projects page.
Generally two or three books each year are published. The hand-printed ones (see the following pages for forthcoming books and those still available from stock) are mostly set in metal type, the illustrations printed from the original engraved boxwood blocks to the highest standards, by hand, on dampened fine papers. Binding is executed out-of-house. About sixty-five carefully-made books have emerged since 1980, and most go out of print soon after publication. Catalogues or single prospecti are usually issued for each book, and for those books still in print, shortened forms of their prospecti are included under each book on subsequent pages here. Do e.mail me for any questions you may have. As I still believe in human contact (and knowing my customers), orders can be left here by e.mail which will be acknowledged, or by telephone, but payment cannot be taken directly through the website.
For a perceptive review of the recent book about Edward Ardizzone and assessment of the Press' books, see the Spectator review by Paul Johnson here: http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/columnists/3454556/and-another-thing.thtml
The postal address is Simon Lawrence, The Fleece Press, 95 Denby Lane, Upper Denby, Huddersfield HD8 8TZ. Telephone 01226 792200.
Payment may be by cheque or credit card (Visa or Mastercard), or if necessary by USD check.