With a handwritten letter from Mackley to a fellow engraver Ann Le Bas.

MACKLEY, George ~ Wood Engraver [&] Confessions of a Woodpecker. Signed by the author.

LIMITED EDITION. The Gresham Press (Gresham Books Ltd), Old Woking: 1981.

2 vols, small Folios; finely handbound by E. A. Weeks & Son in quarter blindstamped calf over marbled paper-covered boards; backstrips lettered and lined in gilt; numerous reproduced engravings throughout both texts, as well as an additional suite of 62 loose plates housed in a flapcase to rear of 'Confessions'; THE BOOKS very near fine copies both, with light scattered foxing to the calf, mostly affecting 'George Mackley'. The books are protected in removable mylar covers. A wonderful set of two important books by George Mackley, 'Confessions' limited to just 250 hand numbered copies, this no. 89, signed by Mackley to the limitation page. The book was produced as part of a memento of the exhibition of his wood engravings at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in November 1981. Also included here is a rather modest two page letter from Mackley to fellow artist Ann Le Bas, thanking her for her kind words regarding his MBE. Mackley recalls a trip taken to Winsford, when he was caught in a rainstorm with his wife and her family and took refuge in a nearby pub. He goes on "what fine support you and Monica [Poole] have given to the painter-etchers. You have spent many hours working when help was needed." Dated in 1983, the artist continues "As I fear is only too apparent, writing has become difficult for me. As fatigue sets in, calligraphy, spelling and sensible expression falter... my first stroke completely destroyed my engraving skills, such as they were". He concludes "I hope that you are pursuing your pleasure in the practice of your favourite media and that you are meeting with success of every kind. I see that my strength is failing, so I will thank you for your sending one of the kindest messages which I have received from anybody and ask you to accept my very best wishes. May all go well with you." Mackley passed away just a few months after this letter was written, and a newspaper clipping containing an obituary is also loosely included with this set. The recipient, (Rachel) Ann Le Bas was born in 1923, and studied at the City & Guilds of London Art School under A. R. Middleton Todd, Rodney Burn and Henry Wilkinson. Living and working in Exmoor for the majority of her life, she was elected member of the Royal Society for Painter-Etchers and Engravers in 1960, the Art Workers Guild in 1969, and the New English Art Club in 1972. Her artworks drew heavily on her surroundings, from cityscapes to countryside scenes of her beloved West Country, as well as still life and interiors. A profusely illustrated compendium of the works of George Mackley (1900-1983), a much-loved British artist who was trained as a teacher of art at the Goldsmiths' College in London before discovering the art of wood engraving through Noel Rooke, one of the founders of the Society of Wood Engravers). A fabulous association set.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine