Oliphaunt

This limited edition poster reproduces the poem 'Oliphaunt' from The Lord of the Rings and has been produced by traditional methods on a letter-press using metal type to print the poem and woodblock type to blind emboss the title of the work. Printed on specially imported paper, the poster is limited to just 100 copies worldwide.

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This limited edition poster reproduces the poem 'Oliphaunt' from The Lord of the Rings and has been produced by traditional methods on a letter-press using metal type to print the poem and woodblock type to blind emboss the title of the work. Printed on specially imported paper, the poster is limited to just 100 copies worldwide. This letterpress poster is one of a limited printing of 100 copies, which have been printed and numbered by hand by the designer, Richard Ardagh, and Graham Bignell at New North Press. The poster reproduces the poem, "Oliphaunt", as recited by Sam the Hobbit in Book IV, Chapter 3 of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is an old fireside rhyme of the Shire that describes a legendary beast used by Men out of the South, who build houses and towers upon its back. The type of the poster has been set by hand in two sections: metal type for the poem itself and a wooden type collage for the unprinted impression of the repeated title. Both sections are printed on an Albion Press on pre-damped Moulin du Glue paper. The metal type is printed first and paper kept damp while the ink dries.
The following day the wooden type is 'blind embossed' or pulled without ink and placed on the drying rack. The printing is strictly limited to a run of 100 posters which are for sale worldwide; there will be no further copies produced. Each poster is supplied loosely rolled in its own triangular shipping tube and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the designer, Richard Ardagh, and features the corresponding number of limitation. It is a truly unique item that will form an elegant part of any collection; once framed, it will prove a talking point and treasured heirloom for many years to come.