Madman's Drum. A Novel in Woodcuts.

First edition. 8vo., ff.[119]. Unpaginated. Publisher's quarter black cloth over illustrated boards, printed paper label mounted to spine, top edge stained black, rough-cut bottom edges; black endpapers. Illustrated by Lynd Ward with 116 woodcuts, printed on rectos only. A small numbered edition with engravings printed directly from the woodblocks preceded this, the first trade edition, for which the wood engravings were photo-mechanically reproduced.

Clear acetate slip cover over boards. Corners mildly worn, bookseller's ticket to lower pastedown, else fine.

The second, crucial work from one of the titans of 20th century illustration, Madman's Drum tells the tale of a man driven by intellect, but marred by the primitive world he exists in. His inexorable journey towards death is depicted exclusively through stark illustrations. "[A] multigenerational saga worthy of Faulkner, [which] traces the legacy of violence haunting a family whose stock in trade is human souls." –Library of America