There are many logistical imperatives that determine the order in which these pages return to the press for another printing. The need to change the colour of the ink on the press as seldom as possible is one obvious one and the fact that the effect of green on grey can be very different from grey on green.

It is, therefore, the result of an entirely logical sequence (and yet totally unplanned) that yesterday saw me printing the final colour on the final image on the final side of the final sheet of this mightily laborious – but fabulous – book, The Third Thing . . . and that this last thing should be the finishing touch to one of the most beautiful images in the book . . . black spots on the peacock’s tail . . . together with some ‘drawing’ on the legs and head and a cloud!

Below are the sheets before the black spots. This side of this sheet has been printed on four times already. To say nothing, of course, of the fact that the other side has also gone through the press four or five times as well.

Below that, we have Ralph Kiggell’s wood block for the ‘black’ printing . . .

N.B. It will invite you to click to ‘read more’. PLEASE DO THAT.
I did something by mistake and cannot reverse it. If anyone out there can help . . . HELP!