DAS BUNTE BUCH: GEDICHTE.

Leipzig: Leipziger Bibliophilen-Abend, 1924. Limited edition. Hardcover. Very good. 182, [3] pp. Frontispiece. 8vo, original half vellum and pastepaper boards, in matching pastepaper slipcase. Slight darkening to vellum spine, light scuffing to boards, slipcase moderately scuffed, overall very good and mostly unopened.

A limiited edition reprinting of Gerhart Hauptmann's (1862-1946) first book, originally published in 1888. This one of 99 copies printed for the Leipsiger Bibliophilen-Abend at the Leipzig Academy of Graphic Arts (Staatliche Academie fur graphische Kunste und Buchgewerbe). (1888-1962). Hans Alexander Mueller's copy with limitation/subscriber leaf in his name (Dieses Exemplar Nummer 62 ist fur HANS ALEXANDER MUELLER gedruckt worden). Mueller (1888-1962) taught at the Academie for nearly 20 years before emigrating to the United States in the 1930s. He is considered one of the great artists of the wood engraving in the 20th century. One of his students at Leipsig was Lynd Ward, who later wrote in praise of his teacher's craft: "Hans Alexander Mueller is one of the rare ones. No other artist in our time, so far as my knowledge and judgement go, has explored the possibilities of the medium so widely or achieved so much in it."