On the card cover he says "Greek Island" by which he means that Nesos is Greek for Island rather than there is a Greek Island named Nesos.. Battiss also adds (ΝΗϞΟϞ) which does not appear to be a correct transliteration. Including a single hand-written page listing the titles which also includes eight missing titles: Theseus, Diana, Actaeon, Herakles, Wanted Cretan, Clytemnestra, Orestes - which presumes they existed!

There are thirty-one prints - two on each folded sheet - and one double sheet in the middle.

Only 27 of these prints were used in the final version [FV] of Nesos so the remaining four are probably unique. The final version of Nesos has 55 printed pages (as stated by Battiss below) but only 18 had two images per page and the balance a single image on each page.

Only these four images from the Proof were not used in the final version:

#8 and 24 Proof (contiguous)

#14 and 18 Proof (contiguous)

Verbatim from the cover:

100 pages 55 printed pages

plus 50 original serigraphs made by the artist

(only 25 copies of this book. Price R100)

[There follows a list of potential subscribers (whose names need verifying). The question marks are Battiss's].

Albert Werth [Director of the Pretoria Art Museum]

Dr Fel Berman [indistinct]

Wits Art School

Stap [most enigmatic entry - unknown]

[He indicates that the above 4 will receive a discount of "less 25%"]

Ivan Katzen [Architect and prominent SA art patron, collector and organizer]

Maxie Staytler [Art instructor moved from Pretoria to Hermanus]

Fernand Haenggi [Johannesburg Gallerist]

Dr Domisje [Prof JP Duminy?]

Murray [Schoonraad - Biographer of Walter Battiss]

John Wickens [Friend of Walter Battiss]

Eric Estonick [associated with Grosvenor Gallery]

Grosvenor Gallery London

Prof van Rooy [a number of people with this name listed on Wikipedia]

UNISA [this may be a separate entry or associated with Prof van Rooy above]

Wynand Smit [He was a studio master in 1947, when he was a final-year student in the University of Pretoria, instrumental in painting on the studio wall a scale copy of 'Guernica'. He and Ben Viljoen would later form a renowned architectural partnership]

(Mr Solomon) ?

Schachadt ? [Louis and Charlotte Schachat of Die Kunskamer?]

Harold Jeppe ? [Author of "South African Artists 1900-1962"]

Including trial calligraphy and final pages for "Sapho" p3 and p10 and for "Basilis" which was not used in the final version. 8pp. Basilis boy with marvellous muscles. Chromium-plated shine swimming above Hellenic Sea. At whose shrine do you worship child? HERCULES? We are world's apart in desires. How can I touch you with the tremblings of mysteries? With the tremblings of uncertainties? Everything for you is so straight forward, so safe, so sure, so certain. And your body is an instant gift "It's good!" You say in ecstasy. Your giving is a taking for granted. You cannot understand. And my easy giving of gifts is taken by you as innocence on my part. Yes, Basilis, I am parting with the money the watch, the clothes to rid myself of earth's lucre to purify my intention. Those lovely shining eyes of yours, so close, are blind, blind, blind.