Today my copy of the Penguin edition of Equus arrived. It’s been over a year since the publishing house asked my permission to use a horse/man maquette for the cover of the Shaffer play in its new ‘Modern Classics’ livery, and so it’s been a long wait to get a copy in my hand. But here it is at last, and I don’t mind telling you it’s the biggest thrill for me to see one of my images make it onto a Penguin book. (Especially this book, which means rather a lot to me.)
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The maquette was made as a ‘visual aid’ when I was working on the Old Stile Press illustrated Equus. This means there are currently two available editions of the play carrying my artwork on the covers, a fact I’m finding quite hard to process.
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Below: cover of the Old Stile Press illustrated edition of Equus
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Below: the Equus maquette. You can see a little film with the figure in:
HERE.
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The book is available direct from Penguin, HERE
The illustrated Equus is available direct from The Old Stile Press, HERE.
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Clive Hicks-Jenkins' Artlog: 
Congrats Clive, that must be a nice feeling, finally having a copy in your hands and seeing it in book shops – and having two editions out, well how cool is that? I’ll join the queue for a copy too, I love the maquette image to bits. I often look at the illustrations to the Old Stile Press book, they’re simply marvellous
The book is on the Penguin website, though not yet up at Amazon, where they have the old edition.
Glad you like the OSP images. Gosh, that all seems so long ago now.
congratulations!! yay!
Whew! Finally it’s here!
Glad to see this–I’d say it seems like closure, except that you and Equus (and horses, for that matter) have a long history.
Oh, Old Stile did a good job of presenting images of their book. You get a sense of most things except the impress of the letters and the lovely paper.
Thrilled for you, Mister!!!
xoxo AM
Thank you, Mrs!
C x
There’s an inclination to say ‘about time too’ but the best thing is that it has happened. I will be adding to the flurry of purchasing activity. Great stuff Clive, what good taste they’ve shown in choosing such a potent image.
Well, it HAS been a long time. But yes, glad to have one now for my shelf.
Hooray and bravo.
(Possibly one of the first live theatrical performances I can remember seeing, in Watford with my brother, I think!)
Hello Lucy. Then that will have been at the Watford Palace.
I’m sure it was, I was so thrilled and moved by it, can remember much about the evening, as well as the play itself: what I was wearing, the weather, eavesdropping the conversation behind me… Perhaps I should say one of the first grown-up, ‘proper’ theatre performances, beyond amateur Shakespeare, pantos, etc. I’ll order this Penguin and read it again.
From what I hear, that production got a good many young people into a theatre for a first experience of ‘grown-up’, contemporary drama. And the horse-performers, of course, hieratic, towering on hoof-stilts and unforgettable in John Napier’s steel and leather masks, would have been such an eye-opener for those who hadn’t experience imaginative stage-craft before.
That’s great news, Clive, what a cover! The image is perfect for the play. Although I think I am getting sensitive in my old age, the production I saw is hard-burned into my memory, and I do not think I could go and see it again…..rather stupid really! Despite that, I can certainly live with the play on my bookshelves, so I want a copy with your artwork on it! Off to Amazon!
Then you might want to go direct to Penguin. The ones I saw at Amazon were all old editions.
I’m whinneying for you today dear Clive.
And today I also had a lovely package of goodies from Hillsborough to add to my poetry shelves, though I shall write and thank you in an e-mail for those.
I’ve contacted Anita to ask her to get a copy of The Book of Ystwyth to you. Only did that today… sorry, I’m behind with everything… but I hope you don’t have long to wait.
Well done! At last indeed, I forgive them now for failing to respond to my enquiry, sent months ago, about when I could order a copy
love from
Jenny
I got mine from Waterstones in Aberystwyth, making sure that I checked the image of the cover on their computer before I let them confirm the order. Tee hee.
YEAH, at last. I shall contact Penguin immediately. Has made my day (I am easily excited!). 😉
I hope something else that’s good happens to you today, to help justify the excitement. Otherwise it’ll be a tad wasted! (-;
I can understand completely how thrilling this is for you …One of my favourite plays …Saw the first cast and subsequent ones with my Mother who was also a fan. Great news Clive …I’ll be buying a new copy !
Yes, I too saw the first cast. I wonder whether we were at the same performance, or sat near to each other!
Excellent! Puts you in the same arena as Morrissey.
Yes, that was a sad day for those of us who grew up on Penguin Classics. Still, I shall try not to let it taint the moment.
Quite right. A foolish decision by Penguin which should definitely not mar your achievement.
In one fell swoop Penguin have undermined the trust generations of readers had placed in them. A laughable mix of Morrisey’s monstrous ego and some agent’s ability to persuade the publishers to take leave of their senses.
At last! Excellent.
Will keep an eye out for it in the shops now!
I can see there’s to be a little flurry of Equus sales around the country.
Excellent Clive, what a thrill indeed.
Thank you, Sally. Yeah… BIG thrill.