Gods' Man: A Novel in Woodcuts

by Lynd Ward

Book Overview

The most important work of American artist and illustrator Lynd Ward, Gods' Man is a powerfully evocative novel, told entirely through woodcuts. Ward (1905-85), in employing the concept of the wordless pictorial narrative, acknowledged his predecessors the European artists Frans Masereel and Otto N ckel. Released the week of the 1929 stock market crash, Gods' Man was the first of six woodcut novels that Ward produced over the next eight...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486435008
• ISBN13: 9780486435008
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

it's all about the apostrophe

This is an amazing wordless novel that somehow speaks volumes. I would just like to point out a mistake that many reviewers have made concerning this classic. Ward used little words in this work at least we should get the title right. The title is "Gods' Man" not "God's Man", this simple placement of the apostrophe makes all the difference and adds another level for which we can read the work. This work can be "read" over and over again, it is amazing and a great statement about the plight of artists in the 20th century.

Beautiful, if baffling

It is wonderful to have this book back in print after so many decades. This is a real achievement in visual storytelling, and helped blaze the trail for the modern graphic novel. The format is starkly simple: one woodcut image per page, black on white. Woodcut isn't a tonal process - grades of light and dark come from alternations of white and black, for which Ward favors fields of parallel lines. His vision tends towards angular, harsh geometries; still, he uses this style in some surprisingly warm ways. "God's Man" is a product of the 1920s Art Deco era, so the combination of hard edges and soft sentiment works well. Since it's a novel without words, much of the imagery is open to interpretation. Even so, Ward delivers his story clearly enough to leave me wondering: is this his own story, about a young artist fumbling and then finding his way in the world? How literal is that amulet of artistic power in Ward's personal mythology? This woodcut artist wields his knives fluently and with grace, so there may a thinly disguised autobiographical note, about the feeling that his own power comes into him from his chosen tools. Don't believe it, though. This artist has full control of his medium. It's an early work from a long, successful career, so I can't even say that he was yet at the height of his craft. "God's Man" is the first I've seen of Ward's work, but it's given me the taste for more. //wiredweird

A True classic

I first ran across Lynd Ward's art at a Flea Market in Birmingham where a vendor had framed several pieces from one of his books. The images were so powerful that I had to know who the artist was. Lynd Ward, along with Virgil Finlay, has become one of the two major influences on my own black and white art and this book is one of his best. The story is clearly told with hauntingly beautiful, bold woodcut illustrations. This is probably the best of his woodcut novels. If you enjoy this novel I would also recommend tracking down a copy of Storyteller Without Without Words. This out of print Coffee Table Book collects six of his woodcut novels along with many of his other illustrations.

Essential "Reading"

I discovered this book when I was 16. It is a tale told only in woodcuts, sublimely, by Lynd Ward. There is no wanting for the written word here. Each page is meticulously cafted to take you, step-by-step, through the story of an artist who makes a pact with "Evil" to gain fame and fortune, only to come to realize that those goals are not worthy of desire in the first place.I have given copies of this book away to people that I thought could use some amazement in their lives. Each time I did so, I scrambled to find another copy for myself. I cannot recommend this work higher. It will appeal to any age; preschooler to octogenarian (older, if you're so lucky!). The tale is universal and the art is masterful.

A Spiritual Journey

A 1930 hard copy edition of God's Man has occupied a very special place in my family's heart and bookshelf for over 50 years. As a young child, I opened this book many times, sometimes moving quickly from woodcut to woodcut, pausing at my favorites and other times moving slowly through each one. Just last week my grown daughter came into my home office, excited about the concept of scanning pictures and ironing them on t-shirts. She saw God's Man by my computer where I put it to remind me to check its current availability. Her first reaction was excitement, "Oh, these would be great on a t-shirt". But then, as she started going through the book page by page, she quickly reconsidered. "No, I couldn't put any of these on a t-shirt. I grew up with this book and each one is so special to me. They are too sacred to put on a t-shirt."God's Man has been a significant part of my family's spiritual journey and I am sure it will also be a part of future generation's explorations of the spiritual and the sacred. Thanks to Eric S. Rosen Publishing for making it available today. I'm going to order several copies for family and friends! Might someone reprint it again in hard copy? I'd buy several hard copies as well!