Roadkills by Alan James Robinson, Signed Deluxe Limited Edition, 39 of 50

This is a signed deluxe limited edition of "Roadkills: A Collection of Prose and Poetry” published by the Cheloniidae Press, Easthampton in 1981 with a limitation of 50 copies this being number XXXIX. “Roadkills” is Alan James Robinson's third publication to which he contributed the illustrations and searched out fellow roadkill enthusiasts Gillian Conoley, Madeline DeFrees, Richard Eberhart, John McPhee, Gary Snyder, and William Stafford to provide the prose and poetry to the project. Although the topic sounds very quirky, the illustrator and authors do a remarkable job in handling this often encountered and frequently ignored slice of reality with dignity and grace. “Roadkills” was produced in an edition of 250 and fifty deluxe copies containing an additional suite of prints. The present copy is one of the fifty deluxe editions signed by the artist and all six authors. The wood engravings were printed on Cha-u-ke paper, and the etching and text on Sakomoto and Mulberry paper. All printing was done at Harold McGrath's Hampshire Typothetae, except for the single etching printed by the artist at the Cheloniidae Press.

Measuring approximately 12.25” by 9.25”, "Road Kills" is a fascinating artists book that is bound in quarter grey moroccan goat and black Japanese paper covered boards with a “tire tread” design along the edges of the leather. The suite of signed and numbered illustrations are contained in a black cloth chemise. The book and illustrations are both housed in a clamshell box that is made of the same material and design as the book. The book, chemise and clamshell box are in FINE- condition with some minor soiling to the boards. Internally, the book and drawings in the portfolio are very clean with a minor wrinkle on the title page of the book.

About Cheloniidae Press: Alan James Robinson founded the Cheloniidae Press with Joel Ginsburg in 1979 after receiving his MFA in printmaking from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1989 he also founded ABCedary Productions with author Mark Philip Carol. Both of these presses merged in 1992 to form The Press of the Sea Turtle. Robinson designs and illustrates all of the books in collaboration with numerous artisans and craftsman, mostly from Western Massachusetts, a center of book-arts activity. All of Robinson's works are printed by celebrated master printer Harold P. McGrath.

Photographs of the clamshell box, the book and chemise, signature and limitation page, and some of the artwork from the book appear in the photo section of the listing.