GILL--GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS | The Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ, 1931, number 273 of 500 copies

The Property of the Downside Abbey General Trust

GILL, ERIC--GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS--BIBLE

The Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ. Golden Cockerel Press, 1931

folio, number 273 of 500 copies, 65 wood-engraved sub-titles, pictorial headlines and initials by Eric Gill, original half white pigskin, top edge gilt, original slipcase

The Four Gospels is generally regarded as the masterpiece of the Golden Cockerel Press.

Initially announced in the Spring of 1928, it was a further two years before work started due to the dissatisfaction of Gill and Gibbings with the use of 18-pt Caslon Old Face type. They were determined to use a new, more modern typeface to complement the wood-engravings. The printing of the book was a complex process, especially as Gill designed the opening word and design for each chapter after the compositors had set the type. Gill, however, completed all the wood-engravings within ten months. The Four Gospels received unanimous praise and has never lost its critical acclaim.

LITERATURE:

Chanticleer 78; Cave and Manson pp.55-59