Lynd Ward — Gods&Apos; Man

London, Jonathan Cape , 1929. First edition. Hardback. A beautiful and original novel told in woodcuts by Lynd Ward, the second printing of the first edition. The first edition, second impression of this work, published only a month after the first. A wordless novel by American artist Lynd Ward, masterfully telling the Faustian story of an artist who signs away his soul for a magic paintbrush through a series of one-hundred-and-thirty-nine captionless woodcuts. This was the first American novel told with no words, and is highly regarded as a precursor of the graphic novel. Lynd Ward is known for his series of wordless novels such as the present, and his illustrations for both juvenile and adult books. He played an important part in the development of graphic novel. This is among his most well known works together with his Caldecott-winning children's story, 'The Biggest Bear.' In the original publisher's cloth binding over printed boards. Externally very smart with only light bumping to head and tail of spine and extremities. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean. Near Fine . Ill.: Lynd Ward. Near Fine .