The author’s heavily annotated personal copy with corrections and emendations by the Manchester-based artist throughout.
Bound in pictorial publisher’s cloth, a little rubbed to the extremities. Paton’s inscription appears on the half title ‘My Studio Copy Hugh Paton Oct/ 10’. The book is a lavish production which contains an original etched frontispiece by Ernest Stamp followed by 5 signed etchings by Paton, each in different states for illustrative purposes. These are succeeded by an original drypoint, 2 mezzotints, a soft-ground etching, aquatint, monotype and 2 additional coloured etchings which don’t appear in the plate list. All but the coloured etchings are signed by Paton in pencil. Paton has pencilled in commentary and annotation throughout this book. At the very beginning he has adjusted the position of the ‘frontispiece’ label on the tissue guard opposite the title page, changed the title itself by removing ‘Whole’ as well as making verbal changes throughout, striking through and amending text and adding marginal pencil annotations, often in shorthand. A second edition of the book appeared in 1909 with an added chapter on coloured engraving to which the additionally inserted coloured etchings presumably refer.
Provenance: the book remained in Paton’s family; a 1987 letter loosely laid in to Mrs M D Paton from Julian Treuherz on behalf of the City of Manchester Cultural Services addressed her questions about ‘your father’s work’ mentioning that he ‘exhibited at the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts 1883-4; he exhibited at the Whitworth Art Gallery in 1895’ etc but citing an absence of formal records of the Athenaeum Graphic Club of which he became President. Paton (1853-1927) was born in Glasgow, worked as a painter and etcher, becoming RA in 1900. He gives as his address 8 Fetter Lane, Manchester at the end of his preface here and is known for his technical guides.
