About six years ago I had a revelation, that the paternal letters from Edward Bawden to his children, pasted into Richard Bawden’s scrapbooks, give us a fascinating and engaging glimpse of the artist’s family life, of Great Bardfield when it was an extraordinary artistic hub, and of childhood in the 1940s and 1950s.

Edward wrote to Richard and Joanna all through their childhood, while working away far from home as a war artist, then while they were away at boarding school, and at art school. Sometimes he drew pictures for them. We also have a few of their letters written home. The final pages contain engaging correspondence between Richard and his lifelong friend, the eminent potter Richard Batterham (the subject of a recent V&A exhibition), covering later school life at Bryanston in Dorset, then during National Service, and as students.

The book is illustrated by drawings from the letters, with family photos, and relevant work by Edward. The text of about 65,000 words runs to 227 pages, with an introduction and notes by myself; quarter-bound in cloth and an adapted Bawden pattern. It is published in matching format with A Bed in Chelsea; 220 copies (stated number is 330), price £184, postage £6.

To order this book, please email me at simon@fleecepress.com (the button below can be used if you have email set up on your device’s Mail app) or call me on 07535 220869.