Song Without Words; A Book of Engravings on Wood by Ward, Lynd - 1936

New York: Random House, 1936. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Very good +. Ward, Lynd. No. 766 of 1250 copies, quarto size, [48] pp., signed by Lynd Ward. American artist Lynd Ward (1905-1985) demonstrates his masterful storytelling in "Song Without Words", a wordless novel made with wood engravings, depicting a woman's psychological journey after she conceives a child; created when fascism was at its height in Europe, the book reflects Ward's own concerns about the birth of his second child into a world full of economic and political conflict. Ward's wood engravings are rich in detail and emotion, and the story has a rhythm as the reader follows the character through dark, forbidding corridors and uncaring urban streets; his wordless novels are often seen as precursors to the graphic novel in their ability to convey character and feeling through the use of image alone. ___DESCRIPTION: Quarter white paper with reflective copper-coloured foil boards, red lettering on the spine, fore- and bottom edges uncut, French-folded pages, title page in red and black, twenty-one black-and-white wood engravings by Lynd Ward; quarto size (10" by 6.5"), 48 unnumbered pages, one of 1250 copies, this number 766, signed by Lynd Ward on the limitation page following the title page. In a slipcase covered in white paper with band of the copper-coloured foil wrapping around the boards and spine and the number 766 written in pencil on the spine. ___CONDITION: Volume is better than very good, with straight corners, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, and the interior is clean and bright; boards are clean overall with some light wear to the copper-coloured paper, minimal rubbing to the corners and to the edges of the boards, sunning to the spine, very light soiling to the margins of a few interior pages, and with a prior owner name on the front free endpaper as well as a small number (private library marking?) in ink at the top fore-edge corner of the front pastedown. The slipcase is very good, strong and sturdy, with overall soiling, light edge wear, and bottom edges of the boards are beginning to split at the opening.  ___POSTAGE:  International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.