Russia
ILYAZD, [i.e Ilya ZDANEVICH].
Lidantiu faram [Ledentu as a beacon].
Izdaniya 41° [Editions 41°], Paris, 1923. 4to (19.7 x 15.1 cm). 61 pp. Full black morocco with mother of pearl and leather inlays, signed and dated by Devauchelle 1995, reversed calf pastedowns, fly-leaves in yellow morocco, original wrappers bound in, with printed design and collage of onlaid gold and silver paper, corck and synthetic material by Naum Granovskiy, housed in slipcase.
A 'MASTERPIECE OF THE RUSSIAN POETIC AVANT-GARDE' (Johnson 25) IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND BEAUTIFULLY BOUND, this copy bearing the number 507. Ilyazd's 'Lidantiu faram' is the last and most fully-realised of his five dramatic works. The text is remarkable typography, and the stunning collage cover by Granovskiy marks 'a moment of synthesis and a culminating point in his formal experiments' (Isselbacher 37). 'Each page of this book offers itself as a picture, that is, as pure 'graphism', exhibiting a typographical repertory so vast that it defies inventory. Furthermore, so playful is its organization that some of the pages virtually defy reading, breaking as they do with the linear conception of the text and forcing the reader to adopt a circular contemplation, to decipher in a back-and-forth manner more appropriate for viewing a picture [...] In 'Lidantiu' Iliazd reached a high point in his development of ludic typography as an integral part of the modern page layout; it was a moment of synthesis and a culminating point in his formal experiments.' Isselbacher, 'Iliazd and the Illustrated Book', New York, MOMA 1987; Rowell & Wye 459.
Price: £ 10000
US Dollar Price: $ 19830
Stock Number: 72573