Two copies of "Ashes of Experience" by Sinclair Beiles in order to show the front and back covers by Walter Battiss.

(one copy signed by Beiles and inscribed "Yeoville 1999".

The book is A Wurm Publication, Pretoria, dated 1969.

Including the two steel engraving blocks used to print the front and back covers of the book.

The letter by Battiss to Beiles:

"Giotto's Hill"

92 Twentieth Street

MENLO PARK

Pretoria

21-5-80

Dear Sinclair, [The "D" in an elaborate calligraphic style]

I send big love to your mother to get well. She is a wonderful person.

I just disappear & go a-painting & no one knows where I am.

And next I'm in Greece. That's me.

[illustration of fleeing man]

I thank you for sending me the bundle of latest poems. Your energy year 1980 - truly!

I wish you success. The problem of poets is to get their creativity PUBLISHED. A painter has no such problem. Only frames today are very expensive.

I'm not WRITING now only painting & that's very difficult to do. But I work at it every day.

I'm re reading Aristophanes (1) & the Boer War (2). (1) = Humour, (2) = Folly.

Some day, somewhere, somehow we'll meet on a boat again.

Keep at it

Love

Walter B

Attached to the top of this letter Beiles has appended the note:

I got to know Walter Battiss on a boat going between the Greek Islands Winter 1968. I had the entire manuscript of 'Ashes of Experience' on me. He looked thru it was very impressed. He took the manuscript with him to Pretoria, South Africa and found a publisher for it. He did the cover with metal blocks. It won the first Ingrid Jonker prize.