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Nettlecombe: Garden in October

Nettlecombe: Garden in October

‘As the Second World War draws to a close, a group of six friends pool resources in order to rent a sizeable House in the Country – capital H, capital C. Their list of requirements is exacting. It has to be ‘one of those houses that’s been built bit by bit, for hundreds of years’. It has to have acres of land and dozens of outhouses. As it turns out, such a house does exist, a pretty, rambling but rather rundown Tudor manor house in deepest Kent. And so they move in . . .’

Autumn

Autumn

‘It’s hard to believe autumn is here already. But the days are shortening, the air is growing brisker, and gradually the city is coming to life again as people trickle back after the long summer break. London is back in business, and it’s all go here in the Slightly Foxed office, with the latest of the Slightly Foxed Editions and Slightly Foxed Cubs arriving from the printers, and some new projects afoot . . .’

A Skein of Wild Geese

A Skein of Wild Geese

‘The essays sparkle with precise details. Whether he’s picking out the order of birdsong at dawn in a Wisconsin wood, following a mink track through the snow in January or tracing the first signs of thaw in spring, the essays are warm, beautiful things. They have some of the aphoristic appeal of Emerson, the wildness of Thoreau, the poetry of Whitman – but it’s the rhythm of them that gets you . . .’

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice

‘So “why do I like Miss Austen so very much”, and why do I think Pride and Prejudice perfect? Because it is, quite simply, magical. There is nothing “common-place” about Pride and Prejudice. It has a tightly woven, seductively intricate plot, which unfolds so delicately that the reader falls blindly into the traps of imperception set by the author, alongside that most perfect of imperfect heroines, Elizabeth Bennet . . .’

Solstice Lunar Eclipse

Solstice Lunar Eclipse

We’ve celebrated the art of wood engraving from the very first issue of Slightly Foxed, using these richly detailed illustrations to decorate our articles. In Issue 43 we began an occasional series of standalone features on some of our favourite engravers, and Kathleen Lindsley was the first. This beautiful engraving of a lunar eclipse seemed to be . . .

Wood Engraving, Peregrine

Wood Engraving, Peregrine

‘I was simply searching for the best writing on birds when I came across J. A. Baker’s The Peregrine (1967) – a book that isn’t so much the ‘best’ as the only writing of its kind on the subject . . . ’ Annabel Walker introduced us to J.A. Baker, his book and its powerful subject in issue 45 of Slightly Foxed. Her article was illustrated by this wood engraving by C. F. Tunnicliffe.

A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

In Issue 58 of Slightly Foxed, Richard Platt reintroduced us to Henry Thoreau, his tragic tale of loss and his literary road to recovery. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers was written after Henry fled to the woods to work the land and build a cabin, running away from grief and depression that followed the death of his brother. This decoration by Clare Leighton appeared on the cover of the American edition of his book.

Cooling off – Dunvegan

Cooling off – Dunvegan

‘Reading Haldane has transformed the way I understand the Highlands. He taught me how to follow on foot the routes of the drove roads, and to look for the patches of open ground that would have been the “stances” of the drovers: the resting-places, close to water and on level ground, where the men could sleep and the livestock could graze. And he introduced me to the drovers themselves: these hard men, the long-distance lorry-drivers of their day, accustomed to the boredoms and rigours of their journeys, and equipped with internalized sat-navs of astonishing accuracy. They navigated not from maps but from memories, stories and gossip . . .’

Coombe Bissett Down

Coombe Bissett Down

‘A bossy lender will record the deed in an imposing ledger or demand a deposit, but will then get a reputation for meanness. You may stick in handsome personalized Ex Libris bookplates, all beautifully engraved and perhaps slyly pretending to be your family’s coat of arms, but your shelves will be stripped bare as soon as word gets round the community of avid and unscrupulous collectors of bookplates . . .’

Cover Artist: Slightly Foxed Issue 58, Debbie George, ‘Forget me not’

Cover Artist: Slightly Foxed Issue 58, Debbie George, ‘Forget me not’

Debbie George has been a painter for over twenty years. Her work is a celebration of her passion for flowers and the objects with which she surrounds herself. She finds inspiration in many forms, ranging from ceramics and plants to books and wallpaper, textiles and landscape. Assembling flowers or objects within the foreground of a painting and setting them against a variety of backdrops, Debbie builds up layers of paint that create a wonderful luminosity and depth.

Book Spines

Book Spines

These beautiful book spines by John Watson first appeared on the contents page of issue 54 of Slightly Foxed, and we liked them so much we wanted to share them with our readers around the world. Now, if you order a gift-wrapped present for a fellow book-lover, we'll tie it up with our signature foxed ribbon, and hand-write your personal message on a handsome gift tag bearing this wood engraving.

April Snow Showers

April Snow Showers

‘In his spare time, Calum carves rabbits and squirrels from pieces of wood. He doesn’t question his position in life, longing only to be free with the birds in the trees.’ Julian Hoffman introduces us to The Cone-Gatherers – two…

Pigs

Pigs

‘“Those are good pigs,” he said, “aren’t they?” If he had said they were bad pigs I should have agreed with him equally. Their shape meant nothing to me. “Good length,” he explained, “broad in the back and not too much head.” I strove to see it, but no person can appreciate the points of a pig till he has dwelt long with them. Looking back, I cannot tell at what point I began to know a good pig from a bad one. The farmer’s eye is as subtle as the artist’s.’

Pussy Willow

Pussy Willow

We’re celebrating blue skies and sunshine this morning as Spring seems to have finally arrived. There are crocuses sprouting in Hoxton Square, and yellow tulips brightening up our office. These spring catkins by Yvonne Skargon first appeared in Slightly Foxed Issue 29, where they adorned the contents page.

Cover Artist: Slightly Foxed Issue 57, Luke Martineau, ‘Westminster, Afternoon Light’ (detail)

Cover Artist: Slightly Foxed Issue 57, Luke Martineau, ‘Westminster, Afternoon Light’ (detail)

Luke Martineau, ‘Westminster, Afternoon Light’ (detail) Luke Martineau was educated at Eton and Oxford and then studied briefly at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London before beginning to paint professionally. His versatile output encompasses portraiture, landscape, still life…

Somerset Garden

Somerset Garden

‘She rises still. A region must be found unhaunted by birds, that else might profane the mystery. She rises still; and already the ill-assorted troop below are dwindling and falling asunder. The feeble, infirm, the aged, unwelcome, ill fed, who have flown from inactive or impoverished cities – these renounce the pursuit and disappear in the void. Only a small, indefatigable cluster remain, suspended in infinite opal. She summons her wings for one final effort; and now the chosen of incomprehensible forces has reached her, has seized her, and, bounding aloft with united impetus, the ascending spiral of their intertwined flight whirls for one second in the hostile madness of love.’

‘Thanks for all this grace and beauty . . .

. . . Thank you for the beauty of your website and the quarterly magazine. It’s a real pleasure to read and discover authors, admire the unique editions and fine drawings. Also, I appreciate all your attention, your delicate packaging. It’s heart-warming to know that somewhere there are some persons who have so much enthusiasm and humanity to share their passion, and contribute to preserving the memory of these talented authors and beautiful land.’

M. Garny-Belabed, Virton, Belgium

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