Agnes Miller Parker and the Hardy Novels

I came across this interesting article about Agnes Miller Parker and the Hardy novels. Written twenty five years after the LEC published its last Hardy novel the purpose of this article is to comment on the artistic value of her work. If you are curious to find out how much she was paid to illustrate The Mayor of Casterbridge, how long it took her or why the illustrations for Jude are considered superior to the illustrations for Tess this is your article. The perfect read for your afternoon cup of tea.

>1 BuzzBuzzard: Great article, thanks.

Great find! I think the writer is a little too critical in estimating Ms. Parker's earlier work, and too effusive in his praise of the work in Jude, but on the whole I tend to agree with much of what he writes.

I did find it rather interesting to read about Ms. Parker receiving only £750 for her work. In 1963 that had the equivalent value of £14,000 in today's pounds (that's based on a simple inflation calculator--some calculators measuring purchasing power at almost double that figure, for example a new 1963 Jaguar XK-E Roadster had a list price of £1800). Perhaps a modest sum for a gallery artist, but surely not that parsimonious for a book illustrator.

>1 BuzzBuzzard:
Thank you for the link! I enjoyed the article!

I want to give Hardy a try. Don sparked my interest in the novel subtitled The Life and Death of a Man of Character with a post late last year. This article confirmed that from design prospective The Mayor of Casterbridge is a sound choice. So I went with it. Was this a good choice? Which is your Hardy favorite work/LEC?

>5 BuzzBuzzard:

I don't have any of the Hardy LECs, but do have all the Heritage editions, which despite the comments in the article cited above, I find very beautifully produced. I have to say that for me, reading Hardy was as close as I ever came to wearing a hair shirt. The Mayor is not as unrelievedly oppressive as Jude, and if you can go along with the rather far-fetched premise, there are some good dramatic moments.

Inspired by the article, I ordered The Return of the Native (I have never read the book), and I must say that in spite of what the article says about Agnes Miller Parker's work for this novel I love the engravings in the book! I also have to say that I like this Heritage Press edition - I think that it is very nicely done! It is hard to believe that a book of such quality can be purchased for such low prices!

>7 booksforreading: So inspired by the articled you got the book that the article says is least inspired. That's funny. I had the Connecticut reprint but gave it away at some point for lack of shelf space. It is interesting why Macy decided to go with a HP instead of a limited edition for this title. Perhaps indeed he felt he could not achieve desired quality in these war year.

>7 booksforreading:
Agree on The Return of the Native. An inspired design that set the pattern for all other Hardy HPs.

>8 BuzzBuzzard:
Wartime restrictions didn't seem to hold Macy back in the other books issued during the war. I think there was still a belief on his part that the HP wasn't just a reprint press for the LEC, and that it would print books which were still, at that time, not considered undisputed classics. Remember the LEC subscribers tended to be a conservative and picky lot.

>8 BuzzBuzzard:
I know it does not make sense :)
I already have a couple of Hardy LEC's, but I did not know about this Heritage Press edition, and the prices seemed right. The book I got is in perfect condition for $13, including shipping. Yes, I think that the prints are a little too dark, but I still find the illustrations wonderful, and the whole book is a much better production (though simple in design) than I thought after reading the article.

After reading The Mayor of Casterbridge I decided to read my second Hardy novel that is Jude the Obscure. Tackling subjects such as education, marriage, sexuality and religion and being 122 years old it is way ahead of its time. Small wonder it infuriated the church establishment among others. I love it but wish Hardy could have carried his points across without so much tragedy. Many speculate why he retired from writing long fiction after Jude. May be he felt like there was nothing more for him to say.

>11 BuzzBuzzard:

I have to admit that Jude the Obscure was a book I disliked reading as a graduate student. It was the 3rd Hardy novel in the course, after Tess and Mayor of Casterbridge and after finishing Jude, I decided I was finished with Hardy.

What a thoroughly enjoyable read! In amongst my collection of AM-P wood engravings, which include the modest but lovely Down the River and Through the Woods, and the spectacular Gwasg Gregynog Welsh Gypsy Folk Tales, I'm very happy indeed to have all four of the LEC Hardys, including the separate prints where issued, and I was very pleased to read about them in such glowing terms. Particularly pleasing was the note that original condition copies of Far From the Madding Crowd are scarce - thanks to someone here, I own a copy in exactly that condition.

As for the comments about AM-P being the finest wood engraver in the world; well, perhaps, but take a look at Gertrude Hermes' Illustrations for Selborne and you might come to a different conclusion.

Parker's engravings are indeed magnificent, for the Hardy books, for Elegy in a Country Churchyard, and, though seldom-mentioned, my own favorites: the Shakespeare illustrations for Richard II from the LEC 39-volume complete works, the LEC and HP The Poems of Shakespeare, and the illustrations for the Tragedies in the 3 volume Heritage Complete Plays of Shakespeare. This latter is one of the neglected gems of the Heritage Press.

But it is dangerous any time there are claims to someone being "the best" when it comes to art and book illustration: I am also equally impressed by the engravings of Clare Leighton, Lynd Ward, and Paul Landacre, and by the hitherto unfamiliar work of Gertrude Hermes (thanks Fiona). And as I remember, wood engraving was the preferred medium of Gustave Doré--no slouch himself.

EDITED TO ADD: Doing a bit of research, I see that Gertrude Hermes was once married to Blair Hughes-Stanton, whose wood engravings I have often admired, although his most famous work is priced far beyond my purchasing power.

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>16 parchmenths:

Interesting--I had always read that Doré drew the designs on the blocks and that the carving was done by others, but do you mean his art was done on some other medium than transferred to the wood? That's what I would assume by the statement his art was reproduced by professional engravers.

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Well, I'm sure you both know better--I was basing my mis-information on my memory of introductions to some old Dover publications of his work I no longer have. Although I never suspected he did the actual carving himself due to the physical size of the plates and how prolific he was as an illustrator, I could have sworn I read that he drew all the designs on the blocks themselves. Sad how failing memory goes with gray hair....

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