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The line (sentence) on the inside of the unfolded card reads, "The mute dispenser of the vernal shower." Vernal means youth or pertaining to spring and "vernal shower." It was utilized in a poem by Thomas Gray (British, 1771-1771) as "Sweet is the breath of vernal shower,The bee's collected treasures sweet, Sweet music's melting full, but sweeter yet. The still small voice of gratitude." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents In Nov 1972, Finlay writes to Vincent Butler, who built the aircraft carrier sculpture for Stonypath, expressing his displeasure with the quality of the drawing for the Wild Stone project. Finlay indicates that unless Butler can produce a better drawing, their collaboration should cease. No reply from Butler is contained within this Archive and letters from Finlay to Peter Lyle, Michael Harvey, and George Thorpe are sent requesting their assistance with the project along with those of Butler. Finlay writes that the poems to be inscribed upon the Six Wild Stones are one word poems analogous to Japanese Haiku where art is a matter of brevity and suggestion and wild (native) stones in a formal area is equivalent to a Japanese rock Garden. Examples include the poem Curfew "Curlew." Curlew is a bird heard mostly on still, misty days or in the evening with a long, sad cry. Finlay includes a plan on graphite tracing paper, ...a large area mown grass ...stone paving slats...stone poems...

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This plan for a projected U-boat sculpture depicts line drawings of a conning tower separated by a moat from a cow staring at it. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The stapled pages consist of Finlay's handwritten text and drawing of the Norfolk Wherry, a type of sailing ship. The maquette with calligraphic, printed letterforms and a drawing of a Norfolk Wherry was made by Michael Harvey. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents This well illustrated book was written by Michael Harvey, the major lettering collaborator of Ian Hamilton Finlay. However, no examples of Finlay's work appear in this book.Wikipedia: Michael Harvey MBE (born 1931, died 18 October 2013) was an English lettering artist, teacher and writer specialising in lettering, type design and letter cutting. His work appears in many English cathedrals and on the National Gallery, London.Originally inspired by reading Eric Gill's Autobiography, he worked as Reynolds Stone's assistant between 1955 and 1961. He then became a freelance, producing some 1500 hand-lettered book jackets over the next twenty years for major publishers such as Heinemann, The Bodley Head and Cambridge University Press. As technology changed he developed his interest in type, producing designs for Adobe Systems and The Monotype Corporation and later, with Andy Benedek for his own foundry, Finefonts. His inscriptional work included a long collaboration with Ian Hamilton...

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This was classified in the Finlay bibliography as a proposal because the bowl of cherries was to be utilized as the centerpiece for a garden. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The print depicts the letters 'MD,' standing for Marguerite Dennel, the last widow of Jean Baptiste Louvet (1760-1797), an enemy of Robespierre. Louvet lived as a fugitive in the forest of Jura and recalling the love for his separated family, "I engrave on the tender bark of the beech-tree the initials of my dear..." Finlay has recreated this drawing in the print with Michael Harvey. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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These drawings were done for a sundial sculpture to be made from Portland Stone and Westmorland Slate. The completed sculpture, Umbris Solis, was installed in the National Galleries of Scotland. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The Sackner Archive also holds the card and the drawing with the same title. This work is also depicted in Bulletin of the National Galleries of Scotland No.3, a pamphlet periodical held by the Sackner Archive. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This is the preparatory drawing for the Welsh Slate sculpture that is also pictured in a card and a print with the same title. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The card depicts a drawing of a Norfolk Wherry (type of sailship) with its sails and hull reflected in the water. The title posing the question is printed on four leaves of the card. Beneath this text as a metaphor for relection on water, the answer is provided in upside down lettering, Messrs. Woods Sadd & Moore. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.