Six-stanza poem by W. D. Snodgrass; six hand tinted, soft-ground etchings by DeLoss McGraw. Handset in Caslon 540 and printed letterpress on six folios of Rives Heavyweight paper, with four additional letterpress sheets. Etchings printed on BFK Tan paper. Unbound, housed in a clamshell box covered in cloth printed with an etching by the artist. 6 1/4” x 4 3/8”. Edition of 50. The first book of the Press. 1985. (Out of print.)

In 1981, artist DeLoss McGraw began an active collaboration with poet W. D. Snodgrass that was to become the foundation for a catalytic relationship. From this interaction of paintings and language emerged a body of work titled The Death of Cock Robin, based on the popular children’s rhyme. A Colored Poem features one poem from this cycle: W. D. Meets Mr. Evil While Removing the Record of Bartok and Replacing it with a Recent Recording by the Everly Brothers in Order to Create a Mood Conducive to Searching for Cock Robin.