Happy Dragons' Press
The Happy Dragons' Press is a non-profit private press in North Essex, England, which publishes limited-edition volumes of poetry using letterpress printing methods. There are two series produced by the press, the Dragon Poems in Translation series (edited by Shirley Toulson) and the New Garland series (edited by Rosemary Grant). The books are hand-printed in-house by founder Julius Stafford-Baker.
Happy Dragons' Press
- Founded
- 1969
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
The Happy Dragons' Press is a non-profit private press in North Essex, England, which publishes limited-edition volumes of poetry using letterpress printing methods. There are two series produced by the press, the Dragon Poems in Translation series (edited by Shirley Toulson) and the New Garland series (edited by Rosemary Grant). The books are hand-printed in-house by founder Julius Stafford-Baker.
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In this article
History and operations
History and operations
Founded in 1969 but originally producing only ephemera and the occasional book, the press was asked to adopt the Keepsake Poems project after the death of long-term collaborator Roy Lewis (founder of the Keepsake Press) and has since published 21 titles.
Poetry in Translation
Poetry in Translation
The press is notable for its focus on Poetry in Translation. Languages published to date include Cornish, German, Hebrew, Irish, Latin, Manx, Polish, Russian, Scots Gaelic, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. A number of poems in local dialects such as Perthshire, Northumbrian, Lincolnshire and Shetland have also been published by the Happy Dragons' Press.
Letterpress packing
Letterpress packing
The press is also notable for popularising a type of letterpress packing, used behind paper to improve impression quality, which they call Swiss Style Packing. The packing consists of a synthetic foam rubber blanket and a hard plastic top layer.
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself. Institutional cataloguing adds that happy Dragons' Press is recorded from 1969.
Catalogued output
Publications and programmes
Catalogued output is recorded as follows.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Poetry Library: Small Press Publishers.
- 2.History of the Happy Dragons' Press.
- 3.Chambers, David. The Private Libraries Association Volume 5 : 2. The Private Libraries Association. 57. 2002.
- 4.The Keepsake Poems.
- 5.Ambit Poetry Magazine: Blind Man's Buff.
- 6.The Poetry Library: Hop Pickers' Holiday.
- 7.The Independent Obituaries: John Cotton. 24 March 2003.
- 8.The London Magazine.
- 9.Brownjohn, Alan. Guardian Obituaries: Vernon Scannell. The Guardian. 19 November 2007.
- 10.Other Voices of the British Isles.
- 11.Swiss Packing at Kelsey-Letterpress.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 20
- Ambit Poetry Magazine: Blind Man's Buff.
- November Forest English by Anne Born, Swedish by Solveig von Schoultz, illustrated by Penny Berry (2002)
- Grace Notes by Karen Gershon, illustrated by Stella Tripp (2002)
- Girl, Dark Hued and Agile English by Albert Rowe, Spanish by Pablo Neruda, illustrated by Eric Ward (2002)
- The Poetry Library: Hop Pickers' Holiday.
- Shelley Plain by Robert Greacen (2003)
- The Independent Obituaries: John Cotton. 24 March 2003.
- February English by Angela Livingstone, Russian by Boris Pasternak, illustrated by Gordon Bradshaw (2003)
- Where Do People Go by Bernard Kops, illustrated by Adam Kops (2004)
- Stone and Other Poems by Fred Sedgwick, illustrated by Peter Gauld (2004)
- White Magic English by Anita Debska, Polish by Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski, illustrated by Olga Sienko (2004)
- Fifty O'Clock by Dennis O'Driscoll, illustrated by Rigby Graham (2005)
- The London Magazine.
- Catching the Ebb Tide written and illustrated by Rosemary Lynne Grant (2006)
- Brownjohn, Alan. Guardian Obituaries: Vernon Scannell. The Guardian. 19 November 2007.
- Wartime English by Taner Baybars, Turkish by Mehmet Yashin, illustrated by John R. Smith (2007)
- Small Parcel of Bones by David Charleston, illustrated by Penny Berry (2008)
- The Bone in Her Leg by John Mole, illustrated by Rigby Graham (2008)
- What It Is by Jane Wilde, illustrated by Olga Sienko (2009)
- Other Voices of the British Isles.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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