I was met with incredulous laughter when I announced my intention to buy “Diary of an Apple Tree”. But we’ve seen enough Whittington Press and enough Miriam Macgregor to know that this is no joke!
There were 385 copies produced, of which
- 300 “C” copies in printed paper-covered boards,
- 65 “B” copies in quarter leather over printed paper-covered boards, and accompanied by a portfolio of engravings,
- 20 “A” copies in inlaid leathers, accompanied by a portfolio of engravings and one extra engraving.
Here I’ll be looking at the B-variant. We have a quarter-leather binding in maroon-brown, set-off from the boards with a gilt trim. The boards themselves are printed in red and orange with an enlarged design of the eponymous tree. The title is stamped in gilt on the slender spine. All four edges of the text block are trimmed and bound together with striped head and tail bands. The slipcase on this occasion is relatively plain, being bound in a subdued orange laid paper. It’s nice and sturdy though. The binding was done at The Fine Bindery and is up to the usual lofty standard.
Opening the book out, we are met with endpapers of that same orange laid stock, followed by about 40 pages of Zerkall mould-made paper. The text (all one and a half pages of it) is set in 12 point Bell.
The vast bulk of the books is taken over by the engravings. There are thirteen large engravings of the same apple tree throughout the year. The first and last of these are identical (so, twelve unique engravings)—an unusual decision until you realise that the whole point is that the tree is an allegory the repeating, quasi-infinite cycle of life. Of course, a deciduous tree will change a lot throughout the year, but it’s remarkable how much variety Macgregor has managed to insert. We have the tree in blossom, the tree silhouetted by moonlight, cows sheltering under the tree, the tree shrouded in fog, a frozen tree, all artfully depicted in Macgregor’s trademark style. Each image occupies the recto page of a two-page spread, with the verso page left blank. I could imagine some nice textual vignettes sitting alongside each engraving but, alas, it wasn’t to be. In addition to these thirteen “main” engravings, there are two smaller ones, one on the title page and one on the colophon.
The book opens with a short introductory text by Macgregor that gives an evocative account of the tree and of the engravings’ production. The introduction is laced with a note of sadness when we learn that our beloved apple tree broke shortly after the final engraving was completed. It’s also a bit ironic in lightly of the book’s theme of infinite repetition, and I couldn’t help but think that it would have been quite poignant if the duplicated engraving had been replaced by an image of the now dead tree. Perhaps Macgregor preferred the happier memory of the tree in its Spring glory.
The book ends with a colophon page bearing production details and signed by the author.
My B edition comes with a portfolio of the engravings. It is hard bound in that same orange paper we saw on the slipcase. All twelve of the main engravings are included within. My copy was acquired from the estate of an acquaintance of the author and includes a thirteenth inscribed engraving. It is hand-coloured, leading me to believe this is the extra engraving that would normally have been included with the A edition. It also seems to be the image that was enlarged for the cover design. ■
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