At long last production has begun for our forthcoming edition of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. In mid January all the materials finally arrived and after checking the plate proofs and making the final plan for the process printing began in early February!
After escaping from Manhattan last spring I returned home to the north woods to quarantine and regroup for the coming projects. I had initially hoped to be printing by the middle of last summer with a projected book release for around the holidays. I’m sure it has been an interesting year for all of us during Covid-19 but securing bespoke items to print a very special book proved to be an exercise in patience and perseverance. Fortunately, all good things come to those who wait.
Final trimming of the pages 
Section layout guide, color guide, image guide 
First color run 
Three colors done, now the black 
Process, 2 of 5 colors needed for this image 
Makeready on the press cylinder 
All of the color runs for the 12 big images 
Six of the large illustrations complete 
It has taken a full month of printing to complete the twelve 8 x 9½ inch color images that are featured in the book. Vladimir Zimakov created the original images via multi-color linoleum cuts. Each image requires three to six different colors, each is a separate run on the press in tight registration to create the completed image. Since this is the part of the printing where things can go wrong the most this is where we start! In all, some 14 custom colors were mixed and used. There are an additional 9 two color linoleum cuts which will also adorn the book.
At the current rate of printing I hope to be completed by the end of April and then the binding process will commence!
The Wind in the Willows was lovingly set by James Dissette in 14pt Centaur and Arrighi types. It has a page size of 10.5 x 14 inches (26.7 x 35.5cm), 140 pages not including illustrations, front or back matter, printed on a custom made cotton rag paper by Papeterie Saint-Armand. There are 10 sections for the book, each section contains 4 folded folios which is 16 pages. These sections are then sewn together in the final binding to create the book.
Seventy-five copies are available for sale at $2,000, Ten deluxe copies in individual presentation bindings by Chad Pastotnik starting at $2500. Also, five copies in sheets are available for binders at $1500.
There are still some copies available in both editions!
Our special thanks to those who put down their deposit long ago and have been willing to wait it out with us.
We accept checks, direct deposit or Paypal on the madparrotpress.com site. Routing and account information available on request.
Except for deposits, a 6% sales tax will be included upon final payment. Domestic shipping and insurance is $40. Shipping and insurance for international orders will be calculated per country.
