John Clare
Carr reported that this was the first book of poetry that he published and the ISBN was registered in December 1964, which confirms this.
John Clare (1793-1864) was the son of a farm labourer who wrote poems about the countryside and its wildlife. He was born in Helpston, Northamptonshire, Carr's adopted county. The book was issued to mark the centenary of John Clare's death. A copy was sent to all teachers in Northamptonshire with The Northants Campaigner, the bi-annual magazine that Carr edited for the county branch of the National Union of Teachers. It cost £75 to print. Carr also claimed that he published the book because Clare's grandson was a milkman for the Co-op who lived on the same road in Kettering as Carr. My research indicates that Albert Clare (1901-1979), who lived in Kettering, was John Clare's grandnephew.
According to the History of the QTP (1987) Carr published nine editions or impressions of Clare's poetry, of which eight different versions have been seen. I reorganised them in October 2020 when I found a new impression, but the order of later impressions has been guessed so may change again if and when the missing impression is seen, assuming that it is different in some way and gives me some clues as to when it was published. Carr applied the number 1 in the series to what I think is the eighth impression.
(Last updated on 3/1/2024)
SBP-CLA1: First edition
Title: none
Publisher: Northants County Association of the N.U.T. by J. Carr, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering (see rear cover, left)
Year: (December 1964)
ISBN: (0900847867)
Size: 122 x 95 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: white glossy printed card covers
Paper: pale grey laid
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: none
Number in series: none given
Colophon: none
Telephone number: none
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: none
Printed by: V.B. Pike, Canon Street, Kettering
Content: Title page. Poems: The ladybird; The crow; The wryneck; A lark's nest; The mole-catcher; The badger's death; Childhood; The marten; Turkeys; Sheep in winter; Water-lilies; A yellow-hammer's eggs; Farewell; The poet's death; I long for scenes... (hand written by Carr inside the rear cover with a line drawing, see left).
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: The title on the first page is John Clare, Northamptonshire poet, 1793 - 1864
. The name of the printer is written on the rear cover. Inside the rear cover is a drawing by Carr and a verse by Clare (see above, left).
The initial price was 6d (Carr, 1973). This is the only known title by Carr that was published by the Northants Association of the National Union of Teachers. Two other titles are known to have been published by the Northants Campaigner, which was also the name of the Teachers' magazine that Carr edited. They contain the poems of Robert Bloomfield and Joseph Goodson. Thereafter all titles were published by J.L. Carr himself from his house in Mill Dale Road in Kettering.
SBP-CLA2: Second impression
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J. Carr, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering (see image, left)
Year:
ISBN:
Size: 128 x 97 mm
Pages: 12
Staples: one
Binding: white glossy printed card covers
Paper: pale grey laid and glossy white paper centrefold
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: none
Number in series: none given
Colophon: none
Telephone number: none
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: none
Printed by: V.B. Pike, Canon Street, Kettering
Content: Title page. Poems: The ladybird; The crow; The wryneck; A lark's nest; The mole-catcher; The badger's death; Childhood; The marten; Turkeys; Sheep in winter; Water-lilies; A yellow-hammer's eggs; Farewell; The poet's death; I long for scenes... (written by Carr by hand inside the rear cover).
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: The title on the first page is John Clare, Northamptonshire poet, 1793 - 1864
. The name of the publisher and the printer is written on the rear cover. It has 20 pages, not the usual 16. Inside the rear cover is a drawing by Carr and a verse by Clare.
This edition is thought to be the second as it is published by Carr himself, from his address. It is unusual in that it is 20 pages: 16 pages of poetry printed on grey paper plus a facsimile of a letter signed by John Clare as a centrefold, printed only on one side. The name 'JOHN CLARE' has been added to the cover, printed in brown, so the cover is two colours. This is a much more costly production than the first edition. No other title has been found with a centrefold insert printed on different paper. Kettering Public Library has copies of this and the first edition.
SBP-CLA3: Third impression
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J.L.Carr Publisher, 27 Milldale Road, Kettering
Year: (1968?)
ISBN: none
Size: 123 x 96 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: white printed glossy card covers
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: none
Number in series: none stated
Colophon: sun face 1964 with name above and address below
Telephone number: 4995
Printing history: none given
Number of other titles listed: none
Printed by: David Green, Trafalgar Road, Kettering
Content: Title page with quotation from a letter to his editor. Poems: When midnight comes and host of dogs and men...; The shepherd on his journey heard when nigh...; The hedgehog hides beneath the rotten hedge...; The mole-catcher; The marten; The crow; Sheep in winter; Water-lilies; Emmonsails heath in winter; First sight of spring; The ladybird; I am- yet what I am, none cares or knows...; There is nothing but poetry...
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: This is one of two small books known to have been printed by David Green, who is thought to precede Harry Richardson as a printer of Carr's small books. The other is the second impression of the poems of Tennyson. Carr added Clare's name to the white band at the top, rather than at the bottom.
SBP-CLA4: Fourth impression
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J.L.Carr Publisher, 27 Milldale Road, Kettering
Year: (197?)
ISBN: 0900847867
Size: 124 x 95 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: 1
Binding: white glossy card
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: none
Number in series: none given
Colophon: sun face 1964 with address
Telephone number: 4995
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: none
Printed by: Harry Richardson (Printers) Limited, Water Street, Kettering
Content: Title page with quotation from a letter to his editor. Poems: When midnight comes and host of dogs and men...; The shepherd on his journey heard when nigh...; The hedgehog hides beneath the rotten hedge...; The mole-catcher; The marten; The crow; Sheep in winter; Water-lilies; Emmonsails heath in winter; First sight of spring; The ladybird; I am- yet what I am, none cares or knows...; There is nothing but poetry..
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: I think that Harry Richardson was used as a printer after David Green, so this is presumed to be the fourth impression. It is presumed to precede the next impression, also printed by Harry Richardson, because it lists no other titles.
SBP-CLA5: Fifth impression
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J.L.Carr Publisher, 27 Milldale Road, Kettering
Year: (1972?)
ISBN: none
Size: 124 x 95 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: white glossy printed card covers
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: none
Number in series: none given
Colophon: sun face 1964 with name to top and address below
Telephone number: 4995
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: 15 (including Charles Wesley)
Printed by: Harry Richardson (Printers) Limited, Water Street, Kettering
Content: Quotation from Henry Thoreau. Poems: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December; Water lillies; The ladybird; I am- yet what I am, none cares or knows.
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: Carr revised the text for this impression and replaced many of the poems. The title inside the front cover is John Clare, Northamptonshire poet, 1793 - 1864
. The colophon and printer are shown inside the rear cover with, for the first time, as list of the other titles available. As 15 titles are listed (including Charles Wesley, never published), this is presumed to be the fifth impression.
SBP-CLA6: Sixth impression
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J.L.Carr Publisher, 27 Milldale Road, Kettering
Year: (197?)
ISBN: 0900847867
Size: 128 x 96 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: white glossy printed card covers
Paper: grey
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: none
Number in series: none given
Colophon: sun face 1964 with name to top and address below
Telephone number: 4995
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: 15 (including Charles Wesley)
Printed by: Harry Richardson (Printers) Limited, Water Street, Kettering
Content: Quotation from Henry Thoreau. Poems: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December; Water lillies; The ladybird; I am- yet what I am, none cares or knows.
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: This is presumed to be a reprint of the 5th impression but printed on grey, not white, paper. The number of other titles was not changed: 15 are listed including Charles Wesley, seemingly never published.
SBP-CLA7: Seventh impression
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J.L.Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: (1974)
ISBN: 0900847867
Size: 130 x 95 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: one
Binding: white dull printed card covers
Paper: white
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: none
Number in series: none given
Colophon: sun face 1964 with address below
Telephone number: none
Printing history: none stated
Number of other titles listed: 39 printed and 10 added by hand
Printed by: not stated
Content: Quotation from Henry Thoreau. Poems: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December; Water lillies; The ladybird; I am- yet what I am, none cares or knows.
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: The title inside the front cover is John Clare, Northamptonshire poet, 1793 - 1864
.
SBP-CLA8: Eighth impression
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J.L.Carr Publisher, 27 Mill Dale Road, Kettering
Year: (198?)
ISBN: 0900847867
Size: 129 x 94 mm
Pages: 16
Staples: two
Binding: white glossy card covers
Paper: cream
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist: Bronze bust by Henry Benhes Burlowe (1828)
Internal illustrations: 16 engravings
Illustrator: Thomas Bewick
Number in series: 1
Colophon: sun face 1964
Telephone number: (0536) 514995
Printing history: not stated
Number of other titles listed: none
Printed by: not stated
Content: Title and number in series. Poems: The ladybird; First sight of spring; The hedgegog hides beneath the rotten hedge; The shepherd on his journey heard when nigh; The mole-catcher; The crow; The marten: When midnight comes a host of dogs and men; Water-lilies; On Sunday morning freed from hard employ; Sheep in winter; The crib stock fothered - horses suppered up; Emmonsails heath in winter; I am - yet what I am, none cares or knows; text by Clare.
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside front cover (click to enlarge)
Notes: This is arbitrarily taken to be the eighth impression, but it could be the ninth, I don't know. I haven't seen all nine impressions. Carr also revised the content again for this impression, but used the same cover design, so it might be called a new edition. It is the first impression to contain illustrations, 16 engravings by Thomas Bewick.
Carr stated inside the front (not rear) cover of this impression: This is no. 1 in the series.
The number has been added by hand in a space in the type face (see image above). This probably enabled the printer to use the same block of text in several small books.
Some secondhand book dealers ask a lot for this impression, presumably because they think it's the first edition. In fact John Clare is one of the most common of Carr's small books because there were at least nine impressions, so more than 25,000 copies have been sold. It is also still in print (July 2019) with the Quince Tree Press. The true first edition, published in 1964 for the Northants County Association of the N.U.T. by J. Carr, is scarce.
SBP-CLA9: Ninth impression?
Title: John Clare
Publisher: J.L.Carr Publisher, 27 Milldale Road, Kettering
Year: (197?)
ISBN: 0900847867
Size: xxx x xx mm
Pages: 16
Staples:
Binding:
Paper:
Editor: (J.L. Carr)
Cover artist:
Internal illustrations:
Number in series:
Colophon:
Telephone number:
Printing history:
Number of other titles listed:
Printed by:
Content:
Notes: There is assumed to be a ninth impression, but it might have been published before the impression immediately above, which may be the 9th.
Rear and front covers (click to enlarge)
Inside rear cover (click to enlarge)