By Walt Whitman

From the publisher: “In 1922, Wharton Esherick showed a copy of Rhymes of Early Jungle Folk which he had illustrated with woodcut prints, to Harold Mason, owner of the Centaur Book Shop. Impressed by what he saw, Mason asked Esherick to illustrate Walt Whitman’s Song of the Broad-Axe, which Mason published in a limited edition in 1924. Inspired by the woodcuts, Esherick created a hand bound prototype book of Whitman’s poem, using prints made directly from his blocks and hand-lettering it in his own calligraphic style. Illuminative letters were used to begin paragraphs and spaces at the end of lines were filled with blue and yellow drawings that reflect the content of the verses. The result of this labor of love was a work of art, 17 x 12 inches, with pages of handmade paper, folded and uncut. This book is a reproduction of Esherick’s prototype, authorized by the Warton Esherick museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Though this edition is smaller than the prototype book, the original was carefully scanned and printed to provide as true a reproduction as possible. It faithfully captures the artists vision and skill.”

Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches

Hardback