Becky Swan's Book

Susan Musgrave is an award-winning Canadian poet and author, known for her challenging and powerful works of prose and poetry. Becky Swan's Book was inspired by the discovery that one of her ancestor's was the last woman executed in England, likely for charges related to the practice of witchcraft. The poems in this book are thus each written from the perspective of witches living on the border between Scotland and England in the eighteenth century. The appearance of the poems in the work contributes to the sense of age and mystery they invoke. The text is presented entirely in a Gothic-style script, and at the end of each poem is found a catchword or catchwords for the poem on the following page, a feature of many manuscripts and early printed books. This is one of a limited edition run of 1000 copies.

This copy is in Good condition, with some age related wear to the covers and spine in particular. The pages and text inside are, however, in excellent condition and the binding is secure. A point of further interest is to be found in the fact that it previously belonged to Canadian author John Metcalfe and bears his signature on the front flyleaf.