Under Any Sky [ Elizabeth Greenhill Binding ] GILLIAT, David / GREENHILL, Elizabeth [ Binder ]

Under any sky, being some letters of a subaltern on active service overseas by David Gilliat, 1942-1944. Privately Printed, Ditchling Pres, Sussex, 1956. 244 x 155 mm, 8vo bound by Elizabeth Greenhill. Pagination: [8], 172, printed on grey hand-made paper, mounted portrait frontispiece and four mounted plates, top edge gilt, the rest uncut, bound by Elizabeth Greenhill in full turquoise goatskin, the spine gilt panelled within raised bands, the upper and lower board gilt decorated with regimental 'Desert Rat' device of Royal Gloucestershire Hussars as motif on front and tank labelled 'Cricklade' on rear, inner turn ins with gilt fillet borders, contrasting hand patterned endpapers, signed by Elizabeth Greenhill on lower turn in. COMMENTS: Elizabeth Greenhill (1907-2007) trained first in Paris, later at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London under Douglas Cockerell and William Matthews. She started designing her own bindings, including examples such as this using large gilt-tooled lettering and images. She was the first woman elected as a member of the Guild of Contemporary Bookbinders (now Designer Bookbinders) in 1961, serving both as Secretary for some years and later President. CONDITION:A little faded to the spine, minor spot marks to upper board, light water stain to foot of rear free endpaper, else a fine copy. This example was clearly a private commission, a memorial book of the letters of a soldier serving as a 'Desert Rat', - David Gilliat of the Royal Gloucester Hussars who was killed in action near Anghiari in 1944. The private printing for family use was executed by the Ditchling Press with no limitation statement, though obviously in a limited number. An example of the very few copies printed is found in the Imperial War Museum, but without record of any other copies having the same binding style.