Lynd Ward’s wordless novel, Prelude to a Million Years, is rumoured to have used real gold dust for the patterns on the covers.

Prelude Title indented on foil spine
  • Title: Prelude to a Million Years: A Book of Wood Engravings
  • Equinox Cooperative Press, Inc.
  • Book Design by Lewis F. White
  • 23 x 14 cm. (8.75 in x 5.5 in)
  • [3] p., [30] leaves of plates
  • illustrated title page
  • 30 original wood engravings printed on the rectos only
  • Stabbed and sewn with black string (this string is frequently broken)
  • uncut fore edge
  • soft wave & star decorated black boards. Rumour has it that real gold dust was used for the pattern
  • 1/4 foil spine
  • title stamped sideways on the spine in a copper/gold foil
  • Matching inner board star decorations
  • a limited edition of 920 copies numbered and signed by Ward.
  • There was no trade edition.
  • Has anyone seen a reference to a slipcase??

Prelude to a Million Years: A Book of Wood Engravings

Prelude front cover
Prelude back cover where the string is knotted
Prelude – top and bottom edges cut; fore edge is uncut
Prelude front (as well as back) inside cover
is also decorated with gold dust.
Prelude Title page, there is no half-title page.
Prelude -limitation page numbered and signed by Ward.
Logo on right hand page is for Equinox Cooperative Press.
Equinox Cooperative Press was
co-founded by Ward and his wife,
May McNeer Ward.
Prelude – printed French fold. Images recto.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *