Gilgamesh by Simon Armitage - signed, limited deluxe edition of 100 with exclusive Anthony Gormley print *PREORDER*

Please note, this very special book can be pre-ordered here. It is not published until the 5th November 2026 so you will not receive your beautiful book until after that date.  The current images are digital representations for illustration only. When the published edition is in stock, this page will be updated with photography of the edition.

This limited deluxe edition consists of a signed, numbered, quarter-bound book packaged in a clamshell box with a signed and numbered limited-edition print by Antony Gormley (click through the images to view the print).

Gilgamesh originated in Ancient Mesopotamia nearly 4,000 years ago, yet its themes of power, loyalty, love and loss resound with contemporary relevance. The eponymous demigod tyrannically rules the kingdom of Uruk. To establish peace, the gods create his counterpart, the wild man Enkidu. The two rivals-turned-comrades embark on a series of extraordinary adventures – not least, battles with Humbaba, ferocious guardian of the Cedar Forest, and the Bull of Heaven. After tragedy strikes, Gilgamesh sets out alone on a desperate quest for immortality that leads him to the very edge of the world . . .

Simon Armitage’s fresh and propulsive version brings Gilgamesh alive as poetry. He harnesses the rhythms of its orchestrated language and conjures a sense of poetic wholeness while honouring its inherent fragmentation. Enhanced by illuminating commentary, this accomplished translation transports us back to the very origins of civilisation and storytelling.

Antony Gormley has created a new suite of drawings in response to Armitage’s reimagining of Gilgamesh, exploring the poem’s elemental themes through his own distinct visual language. The drawings are published here for the first time and forge an unforgettable encounter with the poem. As Gormley explains: ‘These drawings are a response to the poem’s atmosphere – set between the roof of the sky and the floor of the world.’

Anthony Gormley is a British artist widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks, notably the Angel of the North in Gateshead and Another Place on Crosby Beach. Gormley was awarded the Turner Prize in 1994 and has been a Royal Academician since 2003. In 2025, he was appointed Companion of Honour for his services to art in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

About the print

Antony Gormley
Gilgamesh, 2026
Polymer etching on Somerset Textured Soft White 300 gsm paper
36.5 × 30 cm
Edition of 100

Get your tickets to a special evening with Simon Armitage discussing this project here.