Vertigo

In this moving graphic novel without words told with 230 intricately detailed woodcuts, a young girl who longs to be a violinist, and a boy who hopes to become a builder, find their dreams shattered by the Great Depression. One of the finest wood engravers of the twentieth century, Lynd Ward took his work to a new dimension when he created the "wordless novel. "Gods' Man, his first novel in woodcuts, appeared in 1929; during the 1930s, he published five more pictorial narratives. Ward earned the Library of Congress Award, the Caldecott Medal, and other prestigious awards. Vertigo, published in 1937, is considered to be his masterpiece. Telling this poignant story with 230 stylized woodcuts, the artist rewards his readers' eyes with the intricate beauty of his craft - and satisfies their spirits with a freedom of interpretation that extends beyond the reach of words. Published more than seventy years ago in the midst of the Great Depression, the dramatic tale of three people dealing with financial instability, joblessness, and debt rings strikingly true today. A young girl who longs to be an accomplished violinist, and a boy who hopes to become a builder, find their dreams shattered by desperate economic times. When an elderly gentleman wields his power to cut his business losses, all three lives are changed forever. Includes a new introduction by David Beronae, a woodcut novel historian and the author of Wordless Books: The Original Graphic Novels. AUTHOR: American artist and storyteller Lynd Ward (1905-85) illustrated more than 200 juvenile and adult books, working in wood engraving, watercolors, oil, and lithography. He is particularly famous for his woodcut-illustrated wordless novels, the precursors to today's graphic novels.