When A WOODCUT MANUAL was first published in 1932, readers and reviewers noted how the personality of the author, J. J. Lankes (1884-1960), shone forth in both the technical chapters and in the profuse illustrations. This presence -- characterized as practical, straightforward, familiar and wise -- made what might have been an exposition of cold facts into an engaging, human document of remarkable charm and beauty. But the country was in a depression, which meant that the volume never reached the audience it might have in more flourishing times. It went quietly out of print in the late 1930s. However, Lankes lived till 1960, producing distinguished woodcuts for many of these years and involving himself in the changing cultural milieu, on which he commented in a seemingly endless stream of correspondence and in a number of thoughtful, candid writings on the state of the arts in America. In this new edition the original text of 1932 is supplemented by a rich selection of unpublished letters and other writings that give an extended, as well as a rounded view of an authentic American genius who was as incisive with the pen as with the wood graver. The leading authority of Lankes, Dr. Welford D. Taylor, provides a comprehensive introduction to this edition that touches on the author's life and work, his friendships, and the history of the making and publication of this classic work. -- amazon.com
|
