The Quince Tree Press is the imprint established in 1966 by
J. L. Carr to publish his maps, pocket books and novels.
[Carr, J. L. (1987) ''An Inventory and a History of the Quince Tree Press to mark its 21st year and the sale of its 500,000th small book. August 1987.'' Kettering: The Quince Tree Press] The Press is now run by his son Robert Carr and his wife, Jane.
History of the press

When Carr took 2-year leave of absence from teaching in 1967 aged 55 years with savings of £1,600, his aim was to see if he could make his living by selling decorated maps of English counties and small pocket books of poems.
[ These he published from his house at Mill Dale Road in ]Kettering
Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
, under the imprint The Quince Tree Press. The quince
The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which contains apples, pears, and other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright golden-yel ...
is a fruiting tree native to the Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
and there was one in the front garden of Carr's house.
Carr's maps are of architectural and historical interest rather than being geographical, and give brief details, observations and quotations in a quirky style about buildings, historical events and people related to places in the old counties of England
The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremoni ...
, before they were reorganised in 1974. The maps are meant to be read and framed and to stimulate conversation.[
Carr's small books are typically 16 stapled pages, usually about 13 x 9 cm, with decorated card covers. Carr wrote: 'These books fit small envelopes, go for a minimum stamp and are perfect for cold bedrooms - only one hand and a wrist need suffer exposure'. Carr recorded in 1983 that sales of the small books reached a peak in 1980, when he sold 43,369 copies,][Carr, J. L. (1983) "A double life in literature". ''The Author''; Vol 44, No 4, pp. 102 - 104.] and by 1987 he had sold more than 500,000 in total.[ Many titles are still published by the Quince Tree Press, as well as some new ones, for example ]Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...
and Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1759–1767) and ''A Sentimental Journey Thro ...
.
Carr sold his novels and small books published by the Quince Tree Press directly to booksellers and by mail order to readers, and offered copies of his other novels bought as remainders from his previous publishers. For example, Carr obtained 900 remaindered copies of ''The Harpole Report'' from Secker and Warburg
Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press.
History
Secker & Warburg
Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...
at 12 pence each[ and was able to sell them all at their full price of £1.75 after ]Frank Muir
Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wr ...
had named it on ''Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...
'' as the book he would take with him to the imaginary island.[
]
Novels by J. L. Carr published by the Quince Tree Press
At the age of 76 years and unhappy both with the different publishers of his six novels to date and with the advance that he had been offered for his seventh novel, Carr decided to publish the next book himself. ''What Hetty Did
''What Hetty Did'' is the seventh novel by J. L. Carr, published in 1988 when he was 76 years old. The novel describes the experiences of an 18-year-old girl. Hetty Birtwisle has been brought up by adoptive parents in the Fens; after a beating ...
'' was published as a paperback by the Quince Tree Press in 1988 in an edition of 2,850 copies and was soon reprinted.[Rogers, Byron. (2003). ''The Last Englishman: the Life of J. L. Carr''. London: Aurum Press.] Carr followed this novel four years later with his last, '' Harpole & Foxberrow General Publishers'', in an edition of 4,000 copies.
Carr also bought back the rights to the novels '' A Month in the Country'', '' How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F.A. Cup'' and ''The Battle of Pollocks Crossing
''The Battle of Pollocks Crossing'' is the sixth novel by J.L. Carr, published in 1985. The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1985 and followed a nomination in 1980 for '' A Month in the Country'', his preceding novel.
The novel des ...
'' and published them under the imprint of the Quince Tree Press. Since Carr's death in 1994, the rest of Carr's novels have been reprinted by the Quince Tree Press.
*(1988) ''What Hetty Did
''What Hetty Did'' is the seventh novel by J. L. Carr, published in 1988 when he was 76 years old. The novel describes the experiences of an 18-year-old girl. Hetty Birtwisle has been brought up by adoptive parents in the Fens; after a beating ...
''. (). First edition. First issue 2,850 copies; 2nd issue 3,000 copies.
*(1991) '' A Month in the Country''. (). First issue, 3,000 copies. Revised edition of novel first published by Harvester Press in 1980.
*(1992) '' Harpole & Foxberrow General Publishers''. (). First edition. First issue 4,000 copies.
*(1992) '' How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F.A. Cup''. (). First issue 2,000 copies. New edition of novel first published by London Magazine Editions in 1975.
*(1993) ''The Battle of Pollocks Crossing
''The Battle of Pollocks Crossing'' is the sixth novel by J.L. Carr, published in 1985. The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1985 and followed a nomination in 1980 for '' A Month in the Country'', his preceding novel.
The novel des ...
''. (). First issue 2,000 copies. New edition of novel first published by Viking Penguin
Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheimer and then acqui ...
in 1985.
*(2003) ''A Day in Summer
''A Day in Summer'' is the first novel by J. L. Carr, published in 1963. It is the story of an RAF veteran named Peplow who arrives in the fictional village of Great Minden on the day of its annual Festival, Feast (or fair), seeking retribution ...
''. (). New edition of novel first published by Barrie and Rockliff in 1963.
*(2003) ''A Season in Sinji
''A Season in Sinji'' is the second novel by J. L. Carr, published in 1967. The novel is set mostly at fictional RAF Sinji in west Africa during the Second World War and features a bizarre cricket match.
Like all of Carr's novels it contains ...
''. (). New edition of novel first published by Alan Ross
Alan John Ross (6 May 1922 – 14 February 2001) was a British poet, writer, editor and publisher.
Early years
Ross was born in Calcutta, India, son of John Brackenridge Ross, CBE, a former Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve ( Supply and ...
in 1967.
*(2003) '' The Harpole Report''. (). New edition of novel first published by Secker and Warburg
Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press.
History
Secker & Warburg
Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...
in 1972.
In each of his novels published by the Quince Tree Press Carr cited words by Beatrice Warde
Beatrice Lamberton Warde (September 20, 1900 – September 16, 1969, née Beatrice Becker) was a twentieth-century writer and scholar of typography. As a marketing manager for the British Monotype Corporation, she was influential in the deve ...
, an eminent American typographer:
"This is a Printing Office,
Cross-roads of Civilisation,
Refuge of all the Arts against the Ravages of Time.
From this place Words may fly abroad,
Not to perish as Waves of Sound but fix'd in Time,
Not corrupted by the hurrying Hand but verified in Proof.
Friend, you are on Safe Ground:
This is a Printing Office."
Illustrated maps
Carr drew his first map in 1943, of England and Wales, while stationed in West Africa during the Second World War.[ Carr reported that the first four maps he published were of Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Kent and Norfolk and initially sold for £1 each.][ However these may have been preceded in late 1965 by what Carr called a 'longsheet', a narrow printed drawing showing towns and places in Northamptonshire which stated at the base: 'Travellers are warned that the use of this map for navigation will be disastrous'. The first five maps given ]ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
s were Hampshire (December 1968; ), Wales (March 1969, ), Sussex (June 1969; ), Kent (September 1969; ) and Yorkshire (September 1969; ). An ISBN was allocated to 54 maps in total, the last issued in December 1976 (Westmoreland, ), but no maps have been seen with a printed ISBN.
The different versions of most county maps were not numbered or identified sequentially and only a few were dated, so it is hard to tell in which order they were published. Versions may be distinguished by the number of sheets printed, which was usually recorded on later maps, and assuming that the number was different for each version. The first versions of maps seem to have been issued in editions of 250, 350 or 500 sheets. Robert Carr has reported that some of the maps had editions related to the year in which they were printed. For example, an edition of 978 sheets was probably first published in 1978. The number of sheets of the versions recorded with an ISBN and seen or held in private or public collections are given below and range from 250 to 982 with an average of about 750. If the number of sheets issued was recorded on the version then each individual map was usually numbered by hand, although unnumbered copies are known. The number of different versions published before August 1987, the date of Carr's history of the Press, is shown in parentheses below[ and at least three new maps (Buckinghamshire, Westmoreland and Wiltshire) were added after 1987. A total of 97 maps were either reported by Carr in his history of the Quince Tree Press,][ or have been seen. There may be more maps and more versions. A new map of Northamptonshire was produced in 2005 by Robert and Jane Carr.
Carr's illustrated maps were printed on single sheets of thick paper of various types and range in size from 50 to 65 cm high and 35 to 55 cm wide, depending on the shape of each county. The early maps were printed in monochrome but some were hand coloured by Sally Carr.][ Later maps were printed in colour. Most of the maps were numbered by hand and signed by Carr. Carr often sent proof copies of new maps to retailers. These were printed on thin, poor quality paper, and were marked PROOF. The maps were chiefly printed by Messrs Richardson or Seddon,][ local printers in Kettering.
The list below gives details where known of: the number of different maps of each county, shown in parentheses, as recorded by Carr in 1987 in his history of the Quince Tree Press;][ the date of publication with the ISBN, although such numbers seem only to have been applied to maps published between 1968 and 1976 and were not noted on the maps themselves; and the number of sheets, if known, which are not necessarily given in the order of publication.
*]England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Editions in July 1972 of 750 sheets (written by hand)() and May 1973, numbering unknown, ().
*Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Edition in March 1969 of 569 sheets ().
*Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
. Edition in September 1975 of 574 sheets ().
*Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
. Edition in December 1974 of 773 sheets ().
*Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
. Edition in September 1975 of 574 sheets, ().
*Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
. Edition in 1974 of 743 sheets ().
*Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
(2). Edition in May 1974 of 774 sheets? () and 1982 of 982 sheets?.
*Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. Edition in September 1975 of 775 sheets ().
*Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
. Edition in March 1977 of 777 sheets ().
*Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
(3). Edition in September 1975 of 773 sheets () and 1980? of 980 sheets; other version, unknown.
*Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
(2). Edition in May 1970 of 503 sheets () and 1978? of 978 sheets.
*Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
. Edition in 1974 of 773 sheets ().
*Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
(2). Edition in 1974 of 773 sheets (), and 1982? of 982 sheets.
*Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
(3). Edition in September 1971 of 503 sheets? (); September 1975 of 775 sheets? (); and other unknown.
*Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
(3). Editions in May 1972 of 250 sheets? (); September 1975 of 774 sheets? (); and unknown date of 300 sheets.
*Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
(3). Editions in December 1968 of 524? sheets (); September 1975 of 574? sheets (); and 1981 of 981 sheets?.
*Herefordshire
Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
(2). Edition in September 1972 () and 1981?, 572 and 981 sheets.
*Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
. Edition in September 1975 of 773 sheets ().
*Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...
(2). Edition in August 1971 of 350 sheets (); and in 1980? of 980 sheets.
*Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
(4). Editions in September 1969 of 507? sheets(); September 1975, unknown sheets (); and 1980 of 980 sheets.
*Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
or County Palatine of Lancashire (2). Editions in April 1971 of 777 sheets (); and in 1980? of 980 sheets.
*County Palatine of Lancaster
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
Edition of 572 sheets.
*Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
(3). Editions in April 1972 503 sheets (); in 1982? of 982 sheets; other unknown date of 572 sheets.
*Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
(3). Editions in October 1970 of 503 sheets (); 1981? of 981 sheets; other edition unknown.
*Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
. Edition in September 1975 of 775 sheets ().
*Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
(3). Editions in December 1969 of 500? sheets () and September 1975 of 705? sheets (); and other edition unknown.
*Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
(3). A 'longsheet' in 1965 of an unknown number of sheets. Maps in November 1970 of 550? sheets (); September 1975 of unknown sheets (); 1978 of 978 sheets; and 1980? of 980 sheets. New edition in 2005.
*Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
(2). Edition in September 1971 of 502 sheets (); and 1980? of 980 sheets.
*Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
. Edition in September 1975 of 774 sheets ().
*Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
. Edition in December 1969 of 350 sheets ().
*Rutland
Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town.
Rutland has a ...
(3). Editions in April 1972 of 500? sheets (); 1974 of unknown sheets (); and 1978? of 978 sheets.
*Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
. Edition in October 1974 of 750 sheets.
*Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
(2). Editions in May 1971 of 502? sheets() and September 1975 of unknown sheets ().
*Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
(2). Editions of September 1975 of 750 sheets (); and 1982? of 982 sheets.
*Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
(4). Editions in Winter, 1968 of 250 sheets? (); May 1971 of sheets unknown (); September 1975 of 775 sheets (); other map unknown.
*Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
(2). Editions in September 1975 of 774 sheets (); and 1980 of 980 sheets.
*Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
(2). Editions in June 1969, not numbered (); and 1978 of 978 sheets.
*Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
(3). Editions in November 1970 of 526 or 574 sheets (); in 1980? of 980 sheets; and other unknown
*Westmorland
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...
. Edition in December 1976 of 776 sheets ()
*Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
(2). Editions in October 1969 of 250 sheets (); and May 1971 of 981 sheets ().
*Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
(2). Edition in September 1972 of 572 sheets (); and 1976? of 776 sheets.
*Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
(6). Editions in September 1969 (), May 1971 (), September 1975 () and 1982?, 571, 572, 573, 773, 776 and 982 sheets.
Small books
Carr's small books are typically 16 stapled pages, 13.0 cm high by 9.5 cm wide, with illustrated card covers unless otherwise noted. Carr launched the series in 1966 with books of poems by William Blake, Andrew Marvell and John Clare whose grandson, Albert, a retired co-op milkman, lived on the same road.[ The first edition of John Clare's poems was published by Carr for the Northants County Association of the N.U.T., not by the Quince Tree Press.][Clare, John (No date). ''John Clare Northamptonshire Poet 1793 - 1864''. Kettering: J. Carr, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering for the Northants County Association of the N.U.T.] Some of the early books of poems were given an ISBN by Carr from a list of 100 numbers that he was allocated as a publisher, but he did not allocate the numbers in order and did not print the ISBN in any small book that he published. The early titles were registered as published in a ''Florin
The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time.
It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...
Poets Series'' or a ''Mini-poets Series''. Several of the small books were illustrated by the artist Christopher Fiddes.
A few books are dated or can be dated by their publication to coincide with a particular event, such as the Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...
of 1381. Some books are numbered, but the numbers are not always unique: at least nine are numbered 71 (Francis Bacon, Thomas Bewick, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Donne, Hilda Frank, Joan Hassall, Samuel Johnson, Bryan North Lee and the Rossettis) and six are numbered 85 (John Bunyan, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Edwards Lear, the Devil's Dictionary, The Dictionary of Parsons and Henry Vaughan). It seems that Carr applied a partial numbering system retrospectively in the order in which he published the work of a poet. For example, a later impression of the poems of Andrew Marvell is numbered 3, but no impressions of any small books numbered 1 or 2 have been seen while no small books numbered 4,5 or 6 have been seen but two are numbered 7 (Rupert Brooke/Wilfred Owen and William Barnes). A few of the dictionaries list the impressions published but none of the books of poems list the printing history. Carr mostly had 3,000 copies printed at a time, sometimes using a different background colour on the cover for a new impression. Carr is known to have published at least 102 small books in his series, most of which are listed below. Many titles are currently reprinted by the Quince Tree Press, which is now run by Robert and Jane Carr in Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...
, and they have published several new titles, which are noted.
Poets
Most small books are of the work of a single poet, some are of two, usually printed back to back, such as Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen. There are at least two editions of some poets: for example, there are two editions of poems by Thomas Herrick and George Byron, each issued with a different cover. But there are also at least two editions of different poems of John Clare, both of which used the same photograph of a bronze bust of Clare on the cover. The numbering of editions may not necessarily be consecutive. The first book of the poems of Robert Herrick Robert Herrick may refer to:
* Robert Herrick (novelist) (1868–1938), American novelist
* Robert Herrick (poet)
Robert Herrick (baptised 24 August 1591 – buried 15 October 1674) was a 17th-century English lyric poet and Anglican cleric. H ...
, which is entitled ''Ten Poems'' and is not numbered, was probably published before the second, entitled ''Parson and Poet'', which is numbered 9 in the series. Carr seems to have applied the number 9 retrospectively to the second book, perhaps because the first book of Herrick's poems was the ninth that he published. No numbered editions of the poems of William Blake or John Clare have been seen, which were two of the first three titles, but a later edition of the poems of Andrew Marvell is numbered 3.
*Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold (academic), Tom Arnold, literary professor, and Willi ...
. ''The Scholar Gypsy
"The Scholar-Gipsy" (1853) is a poem by Matthew Arnold, based on a 17th-century Oxford story found in Joseph Glanvill's ''The Vanity of Dogmatizing'' (1661, etc.). It has often been called one of the best and most popular of Arnold's poems, and ...
'' and verses from ''Thyrsis''. Cover by Christopher Fiddes.
*William Barnes
William Barnes (22 February 1801 – 7 October 1886) was an English polymath, writer, poet, philologist, priest, mathematician, engraving artist and inventor. He wrote over 800 poems, some in Dorset dialect, and much other work, including a co ...
. Ten Dorset dialect poems and Thomas Hardy's ''Farewell''. Later impression, No. 7.
*Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc ( ; ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a French-English writer, politician, and historian. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic fait ...
. Twenty-eight poems published at his grandson's wish. Cover by Christopher Fiddes. 2nd impression, No. 95.
*William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...
. Fourteen poems. Cover by Christopher Fiddes. Later impression, No. 92.
*Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar.) was an En ...
and Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen Military Cross, MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of Trench warfare, trenches and Chemi ...
, printed back to back. Four sonnets and nine poems. Cover by J. L. Carr. Later impression, No. 7.
*Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...
. Seven poems. No. 92.
*Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...
and Elizabeth Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime and frequently anthologised after her death. Her work receiv ...
. Six poems and four sonnets. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...
. ''Love songs''. Cover by Christopher Fiddes. No. 63. Dated March 1, 1984.
*George Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
I. Poems.
*George Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
II. Three poems and from ''Don Juan''. No. 95.
*Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
. ''The Hunting of the Snark''. Cover by J. L. Carr. No. 75.
*Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
. ''The Reeve's Tale''. No. 71
* Gilbert Keith Chesterton. Twelve poems arranged by Heulwen Cox. No. 99
*John Clare
John Clare (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864) was an English poet. The son of a farm labourer, he became known for his celebrations of the English countryside and his sorrows at its disruption. His work underwent major re-evaluation in the late 20t ...
. Sixteen poems.
*Samuel Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordswort ...
. ''The Voyage of Coleridge's Ancient Mariner''. Drawn and written down by Christopher Fiddes. 1978.
*Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley (; 161828 July 1667) was an English poet and essayist born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his ''Works'' published between 1668 and 1721.
Early ...
. ''The Country Mouse'' written out and illustrated by David Hopkins.
*William Cowper
William Cowper ( ; – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter.
One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the Engli ...
. Selected poems. Later impression, No 84.
*George Crabbe
George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people.
In the 177 ...
. ''Peter Grimes'' (abridged). Cover by J. L. Carr.
*John Donne
John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...
. Cover by J. L. Carr. Later impression, No. 71.
*John Dryden
John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate.
He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...
. Twelve satirical portraits. Cover by J. L. Carr.
* James Flecker. Six poems and from ''The Golden Journey''. Cover by J. L. Carr. Later impression, No. 92.
*Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian e ...
. ''The Deserted Village''. Recalled by Christopher Fiddes, 1978. Later impression, No. 41.
*Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, and classics, classical scholar at Cambridge University, being a fellow first of Peterhouse then of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College. He is widely ...
. ''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'' is a poem by Thomas Gray, completed in 1750 and first published in 1751. The poem's origins are unknown, but it was partly inspired by Gray's thoughts following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742 ...
''. Cover by Christopher Fiddes.
*Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...
. Fourteen poems. Illustrated by Christopher Fiddes. Later impression, No 49.
*George Herbert
George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) was an English poet, orator, and priest of the Church of England. His poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognised as "one of the foremost British devotio ...
. Eleven poems. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*Robert Herrick Robert Herrick may refer to:
* Robert Herrick (novelist) (1868–1938), American novelist
* Robert Herrick (poet)
Robert Herrick (baptised 24 August 1591 – buried 15 October 1674) was a 17th-century English lyric poet and Anglican cleric. H ...
I. ''Ten Poems''.
*Robert Herrick Robert Herrick may refer to:
* Robert Herrick (novelist) (1868–1938), American novelist
* Robert Herrick (poet)
Robert Herrick (baptised 24 August 1591 – buried 15 October 1674) was a 17th-century English lyric poet and Anglican cleric. H ...
II. ''Parson and poet''. 23 poems or extracts. No. 9.
*Tom Hood
Thomas Hood (19 January 183520 November 1874) was an English humorist, playwright and author. He was the son of the poet and author Thomas Hood. ''Pen and Pencil Pictures'' (1857) was the first of his illustrated books. His most successful no ...
. Six poems. Cover by J. L. Carr. No. 69.
*Gerard Hopkins
Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame places him among the leading English poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innova ...
. Fifteen poems, edited and cover by Nina Steane. No 85.
*A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classics, classical scholar and poet. He showed early promise as a student at the University of Oxford, but he failed his final examination in ''literae humaniores'' and t ...
. Poems from ''A Shropshire Lad''. Cover by Christopher Fiddes. No. 90.
*John Keats
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...
. Eight poems and extracts from letters edited by Elizabeth Farrer.
*Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
. Nine poems. Cover by William Strang
William Strang (13 February 1859 – 12 April 1921) was a Scottish painter and printmaker, notable for illustrating the works of John Bunyan, Bunyan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Coleridge and Rudyard Kipling, Kipling.
Early life
Strang was bor ...
. No. 92.
*Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...
and Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...
. Essay ''Dream Children'' by Lamb and nine poems by Moore.
*Edward Lear
Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...
. Five poems. No. 85.
*Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...
. Extracts from ''The Song of Hiawatha
''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his lo ...
''. Cover by J. L. Carr. No. 18.
*Omar Khayyam
Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) (Persian language, Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar ...
translated by Edward Fitzgerald. Extracts from ''The Rubaiyat''. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*Thomas Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was an English historian, poet, and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster General between 184 ...
. Extracts from ''How Horatius Held the Bridge''. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...
I. Five poems. Contains: ''To his coy mistress'', ''The Garden'', ''The Bermudas'', From ''An Horatian ode'', from ''Appleton House''. No. 3
*Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...
II. Contains: ''To his coy mistress'', ''The Garden'', from ''Appleton House'', ''The Bermudas'', ''Cromwell's return from Ireland'', plus 3 rhyming portraits for Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans; Ann Hyde, Duchess of York; and Charles II's mistress, the Countess of Castlemaine.
*John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...
. ''Il Penseroso'' and ''L'Allegro''. Later impression, No. 85.
*William Morris
William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...
. ''The haystack in the floods'' and four others.
*Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen Military Cross, MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of Trench warfare, trenches and Chemi ...
. Eight poems (and four blank pages).
*Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
. Extract from ''An essay on Man'' and ''An Essay On Criticism''. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...
. Fifteen poems.
*Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...
and Christina Rossetti
Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English writer of romanticism, romantic, devotional and children's poems, including "Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well k ...
. Eight poems and nine poems. Cover by Nina Carroll. Later impression, No. 71.
*Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
. ''Poems''. Seven poems. No. 78
*William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. Sixteen sonnets. Cover by J. L. Carr. Later impression, No. 50.
*Percy Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...
. Eight poems and some letters. Edited by Elizabeth Farrer. Cover by Christopher Fiddes.
* John Skelton. Five poems. Cover by J. L. Carr. No. 66.
*Christopher Smart
Christopher Smart (11 April 1722 – 20 May 1771) was an English poet. He was a major contributor to two popular magazines, ''The Midwife'' and ''The Student'', and a friend to influential cultural icons like Samuel Johnson and Henry Fiel ...
. Lines from ''Rejoice in the lamb''. No 63.
*Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
. Twenty one poems. Cover by Christopher Fiddes.
*Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He wrote many plays – all tragedies – and collections of poetry such as '' Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the Eleve ...
. Nine poems. Cover by J. L. Carr. No. 73.
*Alfred Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...
1. ''Lincolnshire Landscape''
*Alfred Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...
2. ''Mariana'' and eight poems. Cover by Christopher Fiddes.
* Edward Thomas. ''Adlestrop
Adlestrop () is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, east of Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England, on the county boundary with Oxfordshire. The River Evenlode forms the southwest boundary of the parish. The village is on a stream ...
'' and eleven poems. Edited by Sally Muir, illustrated by Peter Newcombe.
*Francis Thompson
Francis Joseph Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and Catholic mystic. At the behest of his father, a doctor, he entered medical school at the age of 18, but at 26 left home to pursue his talent as a writer a ...
and Ernest Dowson
Ernest Christopher Dowson (2 August 186723 February 1900) was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer who is often associated with the Decadent movement.
Biography
Ernest Dowson was born in Lee, London, Lee, then in Kent, in 1867. His ...
. ''The Hound of Heaven'' and others.
*Henry Vaughan
Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...
. Sacred poems and private ejaculations. No. 85.
*Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
. Extracts from ''The Ballad of Reading Gaol
''The Ballad of Reading Gaol'' is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand and Naples, after his release from Reading Gaol () on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being convicted of gross indecenc ...
''. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...
. ''Daffodils'' and fourteen poems. Cover by Christopher Fiddes.
Collected poems
*''The death of Parcy Reed. The Battle of Otterburn''. Cover by J. L. Carr. No. 76.
*''A Christmas Book''. An anthology of words and pictures. No. 52. (Reissued by R. D. & J. M Carr, )
*''The Hearth and Home Reciter. Elizabeth Welbourn's Celebrated Reciter for all Occasions''. Sixteen poems plus guidance for elocutionists. No 55.
Dictionaries
Carr's dictionaries have their origins in the Year Books of the Midlands Club Cricket Conference in the early 1950s, nearly 30 years before the first dictionary was published. For the 1950 Year Book Carr wrote 'A Miniature Anthology for Damp Days', a collection of quotations and anecdotes about notable cricketers, then followed this in the 1951 Year Book with a cartoon and more entries, seemingly to fill empty spaces at the bottom of pages. Carr developed this idea fully in 1977 when he published a 16-page dictionary containing 126 entries on notable cricketers and events related to cricket. It was an immediate success and led to an order from the bookseller W. H. Smith, for 4,000 copies of a title that had initially been printed in an edition of only 3,000.[ This popular bookseller may also have sold early editions of some poets as an edition of ]William Barnes
William Barnes (22 February 1801 – 7 October 1886) was an English polymath, writer, poet, philologist, priest, mathematician, engraving artist and inventor. He wrote over 800 poems, some in Dorset dialect, and much other work, including a co ...
is known to contain a W. H. Smith & Son price sticker for 10p, which dates it after Decimal Day
Decimal Day () in the United Kingdom and in Republic of Ireland, Ireland was Monday 15 February 1971, the day on which each country decimalised its respective £sd currency of pound sterling, pounds, Shilling (British coin), shillings, and pe ...
in February 1971. The ''Dictionary of Extra-ordinary Cricketers'' was reprinted at least nine times between 1977 and 1981 before it was republished by Quartet Books in 1983. A new edition with cartoon illustrations drawn by Carr was published by Aurum Press
The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
in 2005.
Carr's wife, Sally, proposed the next Dictionary, of English Queens, to coincide with the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth in 1977,[ which he then followed with a Dictionary of English Kings. Carr is believed to be the author of ''Welbourn's Dictionary of Prelates, Parsons, etc'', as Welbourn was his mother's maiden name.][ The compiler of two dictionaries of eponymous terms, A. J. Forrest, was a cricket writer, while the only biographical information provided about Mr R. G. E. Sandbach, who compiled the Dictionary of Astonishing British Animals, was that he lived in ]Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...
.
Carr said that he was planning other dictionaries[Simpson, H. (1986). The mysterious J. L. Carr. A twenty-first anniversary portrait. ''Vogue'' May 1986, pp 84-88.] and a dictionary of Alchemists is listed inside the back cover of ''Forrest's Dictionary of Eponymous Places'' but, according to Robert Carr, it was never published. The Dictionaries are listed below in what is believed to be their order of publication.
*J. L. Carr (1977). ''Carr's Dictionary of Extra-ordinary English cricketers''. 126 entries. First published July 1977. Revised September 1977, January 1978.
*J. L. Carr (1977). ''Carr's Dictionary of English Queens, Kings' Wives, Celebrated Paramours, Handfast Spouses and Royal Changelings''. The Quince Tree Press. 91 entries. No. 84. (). First published to coincide with the Queen's Silver Jubilee.[
*A. J. Forrest (1978). ''Forrest's Dictionary of Eponymists''. 135 entries. First published February 1978, revised April and November 1978.
*J. L. Carr. ''Carr's Dictionary of English Kings, Consorts, Pretenders, Usurpers, Unnatural Claimants and Royal Athelings''. The Quince Tree Press. 107 entries. (Reissued by R. D. & J. M. Carr, ).
*R. G. E. Sandbach. ''Sandbach's Dictionary of Astonishing British Animals''. 105 entries collected by R. G. E. Sandbach, edited by J. L. Carr. A later edition with a green, not blue, cover has an Appendix with another 37 entries.
*J. L. Carr (1985). ''Gidner's Brief Lives of the Frontier''. 88 entries. No. 77. Issued as a companion volume to '']The Battle of Pollocks Crossing
''The Battle of Pollocks Crossing'' is the sixth novel by J.L. Carr, published in 1985. The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1985 and followed a nomination in 1980 for '' A Month in the Country'', his preceding novel.
The novel des ...
'', published in 1985.
*J. L. Carr. ''Welbourn's Dictionary of Prelates, Parsons, Vergers, Wardens, Sidesmen and Preachers, Sunday-school teachers, Hermits, Ecclesiastical Flower-arrangers, Fifth Monarchy Men and False Prophets''. 129 entries. No. 85.
*Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
. ''The Devil's Dictionary
''The Devil's Dictionary'' is a satirical dictionary written by American journalist Ambrose Bierce, consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments ...
''. 223 entries selected by Mike Hill. No 85.
*A. J. Forrest. ''Forrest's Dictionary of Eponymous Places''. 108 entries. No. 94. A reissue in 1990 of a title first published by A. J. Forrest himself in 1981.
*J. L. Carr. ''A Dictionary of Extraordinary English cricketers Volume 2''. 79 entries and a poem by Francis Meynell
Sir Francis Meredith Wilfrid Meynell (12 May 1891 – 10 July 1975) was a British poet and printer at The Nonesuch Press.
Early career
He was the son of the journalist and publisher Wilfrid Meynell and the poet Alice Meynell, a suffragi ...
. No 95.
*J. L. Carr (2005). ''Carr's Dictionary of Extra-ordinary English cricketers''. Introduction by Matthew Engel
Matthew Lewis Engel (born 11 June 1951) is a British writer, journalist and editor.
Early life and education
Engel was born in Northampton, son of solicitor Max David Engel (1912-2005) and Betty Ruth (née Lesser). His grandfather had escaped anti ...
. Aurum Press and the Quince Tree Press. ().
Other small books by Carr
* J. L. Carr (1981?) ''Forefathers''. An illustrated essay on Anglo-Norse carvings and identity.
* J. L. Carr. ''The Territory versus Fleming''. Transcript of a murder trial edited from an 1887 Dakota newspaper.
* J. L. Carr (1987). ''An inventory and history of The Quince Tree Press to mark its 21st year and the sale of its 500,000th small book. August 1987'', pp. 24.
* J. L. Carr (1994). ''Some early poems and recent drawings by J. L. Carr 1912 - 1994''. (Published by R. D. & J. M. Carr).
Artist's picture books
Although Carr's first picture book celebrated the work of the English wood engraver Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick (c. 11 August 1753 – 8 November 1828) was an English wood engraving, wood-engraver and natural history author. Early in his career he took on all kinds of work such as engraving cutlery, making the wood blocks for advertisements, ...
, his main aim was to champion the small number of 20th century wood engravers
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin that ...
, whose work he thought was neglected.[ Each book contains small reproductions of examples of each artist's work with no text, usually printed on better quality paper than the small books of poems. Of the 19 artist's picture books, 15 were published by J. L. Carr and four new artists have been added to the series by Robert and Jane Carr.
*]Thomas Bewick
Thomas Bewick (c. 11 August 1753 – 8 November 1828) was an English wood engraving, wood-engraver and natural history author. Early in his career he took on all kinds of work such as engraving cutlery, making the wood blocks for advertisements, ...
. Extracts from his autobiography and engravings. No. 71.
* Joseph Crawhall. ''The Babes in the Wood'' and 22 prints.
*George Cruikshank
George Cruikshank or Cruickshank ( ; 27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern William Hogarth, Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dicken ...
. ''The Black Bottle'', designed By Heulwen Williams (1991), No 100.
* Clare Dalby's Picture Book. No. 93.
* Edwina Ellis. ''The Picture Book of Edwina Ellis''.
* Myles Birket Foster. Seventeen engravings.
* Hilda Frank. ''The Picture Book of Hilda Frank''. No. 71.
* Marie Hartley's Picture Book. (Published by R.D. & J.M. Carr)
*Joan Hassall
Joan Hassall (3 March 1906 – 6 March 1988) was an English wood engraver and book illustrator. Her subject matter ranged from natural history through poetry to illustrations for English literary classics. In 1972 she was elected the first ...
's Picture Book. No. 71.
* John Lawrence's Picture Book. No. 99.
* George Mackley's Picture Book.
* Săsa Marinkov's Picture Book. (Published by R.D. & J.M Carr, )
* Hilary Paynter's Picture Book.
*Monica Poole
Monica Poole (Canterbury, Kent 20 May 1921 - Tonbridge, Kent 3 August 2003), was a British wood engraver.
Biography
Monica Poole was the daughter of Charles Reginald Poole and Gladys Aline Haskell. She was born 20 May 1921 in Kent and died on 3 ...
's Picture Book. No. 84.
*Gwen Raverat
Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" Raverat (née Darwin; 26 August 1885 – 11 February 1957), was an English wood engraver who was a founder member of the Society of Wood Engravers. Her memoir ''Period Piece'' was published in 1952.
Biography
Gwendolen Ma ...
Wood Engravings. (Published by R.D. & J.M. Carr, )
*Yvonne Skargon
Yvonne Skargon (1931-2010), was a British wood engraver, watercolorist, and typographer who was best known for her work related to botanical and culinary subjects.
Career
Yvonne Skargon was born in 1931. She attended the Colchester School of ...
's Picture Book. (Published by R.D. & J.M. Carr)
* Ian Stephens's Picture Book, No 94.
* Margaret Wells' Picture Book, arranged by Heulwen Williams, No 95.
* Sarah van Niekerk Her Picture Book. No. 61.
Other picture books
*''A Little Book of Bookplates''. Thirty-six bookplates selected by Bryan (= Brian) North Lee. No 71.
*''The Good Children's Book''. Seventeen prints illustrating moral behaviour. A facsimile of an 1820 edition.
*''The Pleasing Instructor''. Or, A Packet of Pictures for all good children with prose explanations and poetical applications embellished with numerous engravings. No 95.
Text by English and other writers
*John Aubrey
John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He was a pioneer archaeologist, who recorded (often for the first time) numerous megalithic and other field monuments in southern England ...
. Fifty-six brief lives.
*Jane Austen
Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...
. ''The History of England by a Partial, Prejudiced and Ignorant Historian''. First published November 1977.
*Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...
. Six essays as published contemporaneously. No 71.
*John Bunyan
John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', which also became an influential literary model. In addition to ''The Pilgrim' ...
. From ''The Pilgrim's Progress
''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is commonly regarded as one of the most significant works of Protestant devotional literature and of wider early moder ...
''. Cover by J. L. Carr. Woodcuts by Christoper Fiddes. No. 85.
*William Cobbett
William Cobbett (9 March 1763 – 18 June 1835) was an English pamphleteer, journalist, politician, and farmer born in Farnham, Surrey. He was one of an Agrarianism, agrarian faction seeking to reform Parliament, abolish "rotten boroughs", restr ...
. Edited by Edmund Kirby. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*''The Song of Songs
The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...
''. Extracts from The King James Version
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...
, No. 90.
*Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English essayist, historian, and politician. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789, is known for ...
. ''The Fall of Constantinople''. Cover by J. L. Carr.
*Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
. ''The Sayings of Chairman Johnson''. One letter and various pronouncements edited by Edmund Kirby. No. 71.
*Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of ''Le Morte d'A ...
. ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. Cover by J. L. Carr.
* Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...
. Extracts from letters and reports. (Published by R.D. & J.M. Carr, )
*John Ruskin
John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...
. Extracts from his letters and writings. (Published by R. D. & J. M. Carr, ).
*Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Besides his energetic parochial work, he was known for his writing and philosophy, founding the ''Edinburgh Review'', lecturing at the Royal Inst ...
. Biographical and conversational extracts. Cover by Sally Carr.
*Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1759–1767) and ''A Sentimental Journey Thro ...
. Extracts from Tristram Shandy Tristram may refer to:
Literature
* the title character of ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'', a novel by Laurence Sterne
* the title character of '' Tristram of Lyonesse'', an epic poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
*"Tristr ...
, illustrated by Martin Rowson
Martin Rowson ( ; born 15 February 1959) is a British editorial cartoonist and writer. His genre is political satire and his style is scathing and graphic. He characterises his work as "visual journalism". His cartoons appear frequently in ''The ...
. (Published by R. D. & J. M. Carr, )
*Duke of Wellington
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
. ''What they said and what he said''. ().
Inflammatory evangelical tracts
This is the heading given by Carr to these books in ''An inventory and history of The Quince Tree Press etc''.[
*''The Poor Man's guide to the Revolt of 1381''. No. 50?
*''The Young Woman's Old Testament''. Verbatim extracts from King James's version typical of their authors' attitude towards women. No. 85.
]
Commissioned celebratory cards
These were illustrated cards in the style of maps with many small drawings and hand-written notes.
*Forefathers, a guide to Anglo-Norse carvings dedicated to Edmund Blunden.
*Pictorial Guide to St Mary's Church, the Chichele School and the Bede House at Highham Ferrers.
*Pictorial Guide to Peterborough Cathedral.
*The One Thousandth Anniversary of Earls Barton Church.
*The One Thousandth Anniversary of Brixworth Church
*The Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Ordination of Philip Doddridge, Northampton.
*Northamptonshire Baptismal Fonts.
*Northamptonshire Steeples and Spires.
*Northamptonshire.
*Norman Northamptonshire
References
External links
Quince Tree Press
Article on Carr's dictionaries republished in The Dabbler from the quarterly magazine ''Slightly Foxed''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quince Tree Press, The
Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom
Map publishing companies
Publishing companies established in 1966
1966 establishments in the United Kingdom