Lycidas

Milton's pastoral lament for a friend lost at sea is one of the finest poems in the English language — and yet it has had very few fine press editions. For Mischiefe Press, printing Lycidas is both a natural and a deeply personal undertaking.

Dave Harper's scholarly life has been shaped by Milton. His book Paradise Lost and the Making of English Literary Criticism (Routledge, 2024) traces Milton's enduring influence on literary thought, and his collection of fine press and antiquarian editions of Milton's works is one of the animating passions behind the press itself. To print Milton by hand, in metal type, on handmade paper, is to participate in a tradition of care for these words that stretches back four centuries.

But this edition carries a more personal weight. Lycidas is Milton's lament for Edward King, a college friend drowned at sea before his time. For Dave, printing this elegy for a friend lost too young is also a way of honouring a college roommate and lifelong friend who passed away in a tragic accident in 2025. The edition will be printed in the colours of Syracuse University — orange and blue — as a quiet tribute.

The text will be hand-set in Bembo type and printed on Arches Vellin paper, with original linocut illustrations. A preface and notes by Professor Dave Harper accompany the poem. Copies 1–10 will be bound by Roger Grech; copies 11–50 will be available for pre-purchase in letterpress-printed paper wrappers.