High Street

Product Information

All items can be assumed to be in good condition, with any defects being described in our description. A lovely, captivating, and beautifully-produced facsimile edition of a 1938 volume, with illustrations/lithographs by the incomparable Eric Ravilious. A facsimile edition of the classic High Street, which pairs the timeless illustrations of Eric Ravilious with a fascinating text by architectural historian J. Meanwhile, concern over loss of distinctiveness in the retail world has given us several recent books, whose authors share Ravilious’s love of the idiosyncratic. His instantly recognisable style, palette and choice of subject have an almost universal appeal, a blend which has increased in popularity with the passing of time, particularly in the first two decades of the 21st century.

M. and Eric Ravilious [Eric William Ravilious (22 July 1903 - 2 September 1942) was a British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver. We showcase the very best in British printmaking with limited edition prints from artists including Angie Lewin, Mark Hearld, Jonny Hannah, Christopher Brown and many more. Ravilious’s lithographs are magnificent, but the book itself was poorly designed, its pinched margins cramping both text and lithographs.In this context the Mainstone Press is pleased to announce the publication of The Story of High Street.

One of the most celebrated - and rarest - British illustrated books of the early twentieth century, High Street combines the stunning lithographic art of Eric Ravilious with eloquent architectural commentary from J. This is the world Ravilious set out to explore in High Street, a world of defined spaces and roles that was already falling apart when the book was published.Eric Ravilious (1903-42) was a painter, designer, illustrator and wood engraver and remains one of the best-known English artists of the 1930s. Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's daily session limit. Due to the scarcity of the book and the increased interest in Ravilious' work, the High Street book is generally sold in its entire published form.

If you need one more excuse to own this book: At the time of publication, only 2000 copies were produced, and sadly the lithographic plates were destroyed during WWII. These original lithographs were printed at The Curwen Press in 1938 (not to be confused with the modern digital/giclée reproductions in circulation). I won't say it was worth the wait, as somebody should have resurrected this lost classic decades ago, but as soon as I got my copy it was clear that we'd been missing something special for a very long time. Only 2,000 copies of the original book were printed before the lithographic plates were destroyed in the London Blitz during World War II.

Here at last, after all this long time, is “High Street” and I send you a copy as a sort of Christmas present . How, we might wonder, was Ravilious inspired by the village itself, with its idiosyncratic mix of medieval, early modern and Victorian architecture, and its fanciful plasterwork? M. Richards pointed out in the foreword to the 1938 book, all real places, but in many cases we are given only tantalising clues as to their name or location. Published by Published by Victoria and Albert Museum (Publishing), South Kensington, London First Edition .

In a substantial and wide-ranging examination of the making of High Street, art historian Dr Alan Powers places the original 1938 book in historical context, giving new and significant insights into its conception, production and publication. Other discoveries have opened unexpected avenues and offered valuable insights into artist and work. Although not a limited edition, only about 2000 copies were ever printed as all the lithographic plates were destroyed during the Blitz.

A very enjoyable book - beautifully produced and a fascinating snapshot of the high street as it was around the middle part of the Twentieth Century. First published in 1938, this classic book introduces the British high street, pairing the timeless illustrations of beloved artist Eric Ravilious with an engaging text by architectural historian J. He was born in the shadow of the Sussex Downs in the coastal town of Eastbourne, the surrounding landscape of which heavily influenced many of his best known works. Founded by Simon and Angie Lewin in 2005, our online gallery presents a selection of limited edition original prints – available for purchase.