Later this year, the Library of America is producing a very handsome two-volume set of six 'woodcut novels' by the great Lynd Ward. I wrote more extensively about Ward here, so go there to see why he's worth pursuing. All I can say here is that, even though I own all of these books already, I'm sorely tempted by the loveliness of this set.
Before now, the Ward flame has been kept burning by Dover Publications, who have reprinted many of his woodcut novels, as well as his illustrated version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, in editions that are both cheap and attractive (except for the sometimes over-loud typography on the front covers). If you want to see what the fuss is about, any of those volumes are well worth your time.
6 comments:
Wowsers these look fantastic. I love woodcuts and would love to get a look at these. I loved Penelope Lively's Consequences so much in part because one of the characters does woodcuts, although non appear in the book.
Another good book is 'Graphic Witness', edited by George A Walker (ISBN 978-1554072705): it has four woodcut novels, one each by Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward, Giacomo Patri and Laurence Hyde. The Ward book is 'Wild Pilgrimage'.
These do look wonderful. But I can't help dreading the inevitable backlash from LoA critics who will scoff at this collection and insist that Ward doesn't belong with the canonical likes of Melville, Faulkner, etc. - just like they're already saying about Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Phillip K. Dick and others.
I know--how they'll hate books that don't even have any words at all!
Cool. Coincidentally, I had never heard of Lynd Ward before last week, when I got "The Cat Who Went to Heaven" by Elizabeth Coatsworth from the library.
That's one I don't know--I'll have to have a hunt for it.
Post a Comment