Two editions: Hand Painted and Feather Edition. New poems,
collected and edited by Miriam Owen Irwin. This tiny book contains nine
new poems, written just for this little book. These poems are about the
birds themselves, not as symbols to say something else. Marj Westhaver
wrote Red Tailed Hawk. White Owl is by Vivian Scarpa, Mirage II by Doris
Henke is about a flock of blackbirds. Goldfinch is by Bernice Coca and
the Robert Lanzit wrote Great Blue Heron. Jay is by Miriam Irwin, Hummingbird
and California Quail, both written by Robert Hoeft. Finch is by Dorothy
Gleason. Both editions have combed end papers by Peggy Skycraft made to
resemble a blue jay’s feathers.
Bird Poems, The Hand Painted Edition is bound in blue-jay blue leather, stamped in gold. The decorative title page and the nine illustrations are hand painted by Miriam Irwin and Karen Williams. 15/16" tall, $65.00.
Bird Poems, Deluxe Feather Edition. Woodcarver Bill Besse made 26 hand-carved wooden feathers which were embedded in blind stamped feather-shaped impressions in padded light blue leather cases. Title Bird Poems stamped in gold on the spine only. All the drawings printed in the books were hand-painted by Miriam Irwin. Hand-combed end papers were designed to look like bird feathers. $125.00
