‡ JOHN PETTS (British, worked, lived Wales 1914-1991) complete set of eight Caseg Broadsheet wood-engravings - edited by Alun Lewis, titles include 'Raiders' Dawn', 'Song of Innocence', 'Penillion', 'War and Wales', 'Rhyfel a Chymru', 'Choirs', 'Hedd - Peace', 'In Memory of Ann Jones', 'Spring', 'To a Welsh Woman', 'The Green Heart', 'The Circle of C' and 'Lovesong', illustrated by John Petts and Brenda Chamberlain
Auctioneer's Note: the Caseg Broadsheets were published between 1941 and 1942, the project brought together the unique talents of the soldier-poet Alun Lewis and the visual artists John Petts and Brenda Chamberlain. Operating through the Caseg Press, a private press founded by Petts and Chamberlain in the mountains of Snowdonia in 1937, the venture aimed to bring high-quality art and literature directly to the general public during the turmoil of World War II. The initial vision for the project was heavily driven by Alun Lewis, who wanted to give the private press a broader and more impactful social purpose. Inspired by traditional seventeenth and eighteenth-century chapbooks, Lewis envisioned single-sheet, bilingual broadsheets that paired powerful Welsh poetry with striking wood engravings. His primary goal was democratic, as he wanted to ensure the prints were cheap enough for the poorest man to buy. Through this affordable format, Lewis hoped to foster education, comfort, and cultural connection among ordinary people during the dark days of the war. In terms of production, each broadsheet featured a short poetical text accompanied by a detailed engraving. Out of a planned series, six broadsheets were successfully published between November 1941 and June 1942, while two additional broadsheets were prepared but never printed. The prints were produced in limited batches of five hundred copies each and were distributed through mail subscriptions as well as locally in Welsh village post offices and shops. Despite its initial success, the ambitious venture ultimately collapsed due to a combination of the gruelling wartime economy and personal tragedy. As a pacifist who nevertheless chose to fight fascism, Lewis joined the army and was deployed overseas. The collaboration came to a permanent halt following his tragic death at the age of twenty-eight on the active front in Burma in March 1944. The history, correspondence, and legacy of this venture were later chronicled by Brenda Chamberlain in her 1970 book, Alun Lewis and the Making of the Caseg Broadsheets, and the original documents remain preserved today in the National Library of Wales Archives
Provenance: private collection Vale of Glamorgan
Comments: loose, broadsheet seven and eight have foxing and small edge tears