Lynd Ward

The powerful imagery and psychological intensity of Lynd Ward's wordless works have elicited comparisons to the writings of Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe, and they continue to influence modern graphic novelists. Ward, whose tutelage included studies with woodcut master Hans Alexander Mueller, published his first book, "Gods' Man: A Novel in Woodcuts, in 1929. Like its successors, including "Mad Man's Drum, Gods' Man consists solely of woodcuts, telling its story through imagery alone. Ward's hauntingly rendered works have been honored with numerous prestigious awards, including the Library of Congress Award and the National Academy of Design Print Award. Unabridged republication of the classic 1930 edition.

The most important work of American artist and illustrator Lynd Ward, Gods' Man is a powerfully evocative novel, told entirely through woodcuts. Ward (1905-85), in employing the concept of the wordless pictorial narrative, acknowledged his predecessors the European artists Frans Masereel and Otto Nuckel. Released the week of the 1929 stock market crash, Gods' Man was the first of six woodcut novels that Ward produced over the next eight years. It presents the artist's struggles in a world characterized by both innocence and corruptions and can be considered a forerunner of the contemporary graphic novel, popularized by artists such as Daniel Clowes. Although best known for his "novels in woodcuts," Ward was also a successful illustrator of children's books. In 1953 he won the Caldecott Medal for The Biggest Bear, which he both wrote and illustrated. His illustrations also appeared in numerous books that received the Newbery Medal. Ward's final work was the acclaimed wordless novel The Silver Pony (1973). Until now, Gods' Man has only been widely available in high-priced original editions. This top-quality, low-cost republication of Ward's masterpiece will be welcomed by collectors of his work as well as by readers new to his achievement.

A classic favorite picture book, winner of the Caldecott Medal Johnny hunts for the biggest bear in the forest, but comes home with a little bear--that grows and grows and grows....