Five volumes, each a single quire hand-printed by Hughes's son, Nicholas on Milano Fabriano paper, hand stitched in wrappers with a title label printed in red to the upper covers. Each volume numbers 10 of 75 copies, each a presentation by author and printer to Olwyn Hughes, Ted's sister and Nicholas's aunt, inscribed to the colophon in Ted's hand, "For Olwyn with love from Ted and [in Nicholas's hand] Nicholas". Half titles and title pages printed in red, each volume with a colophon etching of a crow by Leonard Baskin and the final three volumes with an etching of a mouse, weasel and fly to the respective title pages, also by Baskin. Mainly near fine copies, with a little dampness to the corner of Wolf-Watching, and a little bleed from the coloured wrappers of a couple of copies.

A fine set of association copies of these scarce booklets of Hughes's poems, hand printed by the author's son.
Both Ted and Nicholas had a very close relationship with Olwyn. After the death of Sylvia Plath, Olwyn left Paris, where she had been working, and moved to Court Green to help Ted raise the children, so was a formative influence on Nicholas. She was also instrumental in his founding the Morrigu Press, having given him the Albion handpress he used for these and other publications.
Jonathan Bate, Hughes's biographer, refers to her as "his sister, agent, gatekeeper and confidante". They were bought closer together by their brother Gerald's departure for North Africa when he served the RAF during the war. One of his earliest unpublished poems comes from this time and is titled 'For Olwyn Each Evening' (Emory 980/2).
Later she became his literary agent "going into battle on her brother's behalf... [earning] a reputation as a fearsome, difficult gatekeeper and negotiator."

PROVENANCE: Olwyn Hughes (presentation inscription); Frieda Hughes (Ted Hughes's daughter).

Sagar & Tabor A79, A80, A82, A83, A84

Stock ID: 37895