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The introductory section of the book consists of three pages of aphorisms dealing with gardening by Ian Hamilton Finlay. This is followed by 29 black and white photographs of Little Sparta by Gillanders. Then Alec Finlay writes a brief essay on the garden and its visual challenge to photography. Gillanders who photographed the garden for this book conducts an interview about the project with Ian Hamilton Finlay. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The poem is printed in a single or two letter vertical arrangement in two phrases on a green background, viz., "When down from heaven gladness pours," and "How neatly the little rowan distibutes itself." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The image on each print depicts a different colored image of a boat rudder.The word rudder in various languages is printed at the bottom of the page i.e.remo, ror, ruder, timo, roder, styri. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This is not an English word - its meaning is unclear. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The acronym signifies Arts Council of Great Britain, Scottish Arts Council, and the K.G.B. (Russian secret police). -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This work was presumably for a unique piece. The seven drawings were mounted on one sheet of paper and the two drawings on another sheet of paper. They consist of slightly different calligraphic styles for these two words. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Depicts sundial with the caption "Too Many Laws Too Few Examples." -- 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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Depicts Scottish sailing ship with black sails. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Depicts image of scythes whose blades becomes transformed into a lightening flash, a metaphor for the French revolution. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Depicts a seascape with inscribed flat stones (Liber Veritas) in the foreground -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Sea is depicted by horizontal thick blue lines that are crossed by diagonal brown lines symbolizing "land." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The numbers of Scottish fishing ships, printed in red, are arranged in a mandala on a blue background. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Depicts names of Scottish fishing ships with Star as a component of their names printed in green and arranged as a mandala on a blue background. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The image depicts a random arrangement of ship's numbers placed within a circular shape. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The image depicts a random arrangement of ship's identification numbers placed within a fraction of a circular shape. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The essay written by Stephen Bann on the back inside folder explains the metaphor of grouping designs of hulls of sailing ships like sea shells in a display case. Proctor is a ship designer and Costley the artist who made this print. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The photographs of the sculpture in Finlay's garden were made by Dave Patterson. Two brief introductory essays by Bernard Lassus and Stephen Bann are included in the first four pages. The remainder of this book consists of photographs. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents Harriet Staff reviewed the book in Poetry News November 28, 2012: Ian Hamilton Finlay's new book, Selections (UC Press 2012), edited with an introduction by Alec Finlay, has been reviewed over at Booktryst. Alastair Johnston writes of Finlay's later-life recognition, noting that "[a]mong the most fatal accolades one can achieve is to be called "greatest living' anything." What follows is his poetic work in biographical context, down to the garden art (the post also includes great photos of Finlay's early books and ephemera; and links to other concrete poets and related resources): This new book compacts much of his writing into one volume. His early poems are mostly negligible, but the odd memorable line occurs ("The dancers inherit the party"-- also the title of his first book of poems). Glasgow Beasts is a charming series of childlike verses written in broad Gleskae dialect. (Finlay's early battles with the dole come off like an episode of Rab C Nesbit.)In 1963, Finlay began to...