Zaehnsdorf Binding: [MERRYMAN, Dick]: Christmas Entertainments.

London: Field & Tuer, Ye Leadenhall Presse, (1883). A charmingly antiquarian Christmas collection First edition thus, a reprint of the 1740 edition of Round About Our Coal Fire. This edition is number IV in Ye Leadenhall Presse’s 'Vellum-Parchment Shilling Series of Miscellaneous Literature'. Bound in full calf by Zaehnsdorf with gilt ruling, gilt inner dentelles and marbled endpapers. The Armorial Bookplate of: 'Pickford Waller' to front pastedown. [Pickford Robert Waller (1849–1930) Distinguished designer and collector]. A small stain to a couple of pages, otherwise very good.

Edward Bawden (1903-1989).

Great Bardfield became home to a remarkable community of mid-20th-century artists, with Bawden one of its most influential figures. Born in 1903 in Braintree, Essex, Bawden studied at the Royal College of Art, where he formed a lifelong friendship with fellow artist Eric Ravilious. He became widely known for his distinctive work as a printmaker, illustrator, muralist, and designer.

Moving to Great Bardfield in the 1930s, Bawden helped shape the village’s artistic identity. His linocuts, watercolours, and commercial designs for companies like London Transport and Fortnum & Mason showcased his sharp wit, clean lines, and masterful sense of pattern. During the Second World War, he served as an official war artist, producing memorable images from North Africa, the Middle East, and Italy.

After the war, Bawden continued to work prolifically, teaching at the Royal College of Art and exhibiting widely. His later years were marked by renewed creativity, especially in large-scale linocuts that remain some of his best-loved works. He lived in Great Bardfield for over forty years before relocating to Saffron Walden, where he died in 1989.

Together with Eric Ravilious he is now recognised as one of the most important and influential of mid-20th-century British artists, championed by Sworders and the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden.

This library was compiled and used by Edward and has remained in the family since then, much of it passing to his son, fellow artist Richard Bawden, and his granddaughter, and a selection now comes to us for sale.