Masereel’s wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch, was significant in bringing the artist and the wordless genre to a much larger audience than the initial French publications. Some people have mistakenly assumed this German title meant “My Student Book”. In fact, in German, “Stundenbuch” means “Book of Hours”, so it translates the same as the original French – “My Book of Hours”.

This image of the protagonist in Masereel's wordless novel, My Book of Hours, was one of two images omitted from a later USA publication of the same story.
This image of the protagonist in Masereel’s
wordless novel, My Book of Hours, was one of
two images omitted from a later USA
publication of the same story.
  • Title: Mein Stundenbuch
  • Author and Illustrator: Frans Masereel
  • Introduction: No
  • Date of publication: 1920
  • Publisher: Kurt Wolff (double “f”)
  • Place of publication: Munich
  • Printer: Dr. C. Wolf & Sohn (single “f”)
  • Copyright: artist?
  • Dimensions: 15.7 x12.7 x 3.2 cm (6 1/4 x 5 x 1 1/4 inches)
  • Dust jacket: No
  • slipcase: ?
  • Binding: hard cover
  • Language: German titles, etc
  • Unpaginated
  • 167 woodcuts
  • Printed: recto
  • Printed from the original wood blocks
  • References: Ritter Nr. 6. I., Avermaete 4.1a

Translation:

This book was printed in the spring of 1920 in the office

of Dr. C. Wolf & Sohn in Munich.

700 copies were produced, of which

Nos. 1-50 on Imperial Japan, signed by the artist;

Nos. 51-700 on German laid paper.

This is No. ###

  • Note: all copies should be numbered
    • #1 – 50 should also be signed
    • a lack of a signature on copies #51 – 700 is not a deficiency.
  • As of 1927, the limited edition copies were sold out, but the Trade edition in hardcover was available for 3.50 Marks

price listed at back of 1927 trade edition of Mein Stundenbuch

No 1 to 50 (1920) Mein Stundenbuch

Full leather covering for Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch.
Full leather covering for Masereel’s 1920
wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch.
  • full red (brown?) leather
  • Bookbinder: H. Fikentscher of Leipzig
  • slipcase: probably as some copies of the edition 51-700 have a slipcase.
  • on Japanese paper
  • numbered 1 to 50
  • signed in mauve pencil on frontis (self-portrait)
  • top edge + fore-edge gilt
  • bottom edge uncut
  • 5.5″h x 4.75″w
Cloth material applied to the front paste-down and FFEP of Masereel's 1920 wordless story, Mein Stundenbuch.
Cloth material applied to the front paste-down and
FFEP of Masereel’s 1920 wordless story, Mein Stundenbuch.
Name of the bookbinder, H. Fikentscher of Leipzig, and the 1920 date of binding stamped in gold on the bottom margin of the rear paste-down.
Name of the bookbinder, H. Fikentscher of Leipzig, and
the 1920 date of binding stamped in gold on
the bottom margin of the rear paste-down.
Half-title page of Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch.
Half-title page of Masereel’s 1920
wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch.
Frontis of Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch, signed with his typical mauve pencil.
Frontis of Masereel’s 1920 wordless novel,
Mein Stundenbuch, signed with his typical mauve pencil.
Title page of Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch.
Title page of Masereel’s 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch.
translated: "They will not tame him, The Lion of Flanders" Note: Masereel was Flemish - does this refer to him??
translated:
“They will not tame him,
The Lion of Flanders”
Note: Masereel was Flemish – does this refer to him??
Colophon of Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch.
Colophon of Masereel’s 1920 wordless
novel, Mein Stundenbuch.

No 51 to 700 Mein Stundenbuch

Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch, in red 3/4 leather with reddish marbled boards.
Masereel’s 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch,
in red 3/4 leather with reddish marbled boards.
  • 3/4 leather with marbled paper over boards
  • on deutschem Bütten (Deutsche Bütten) German laid paper?
  • some in red/some in black leather (some colour differences may be due to toning over time);
    • copies in black 3/4 leather appear to have blueish marbled boards
    • copies in red 3/4 leather appear to have reddish marbled boards
    • Some spines appear to be brown – I believe these were black but now faded
Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch, in black 3/4 leather with bluish marbled boards. The black appears to have faded to brown.
Masereel’s 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch, in
black 3/4 leather with bluish marbled boards.
The black appears to have faded to brown.
  • book binder not indicated
  • numbered but not signed (some copies are signed but the lack of a signature is not a deficiency)
  • Sextodecimo [16 cm]
  • images printed recto only
  • Top edge gilt. Fore-edge and bottom edge not trimmed.
  • Slipcase:Yes, as below.
Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch, in black 3/4 leather with bluish marbled boards and a slipcase.
Masereel’s 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch, in black
3/4 leather with bluish marbled boards and a slipcase.
  • Knight B a 6.1. – v. d. Gabelentz B-4-Ia.
  • Number of pages: 171
  • Dimensions: 16 x 12 cm
Limitation page (colophon) for Masereel's 1920 wordless novel, Mein Stundenbuch. A signature is not required.
Limitation page (colophon) for Masereel’s 1920 wordless
novel, Mein Stundenbuch. A signature is not required.

Wolff – Mein Stundenbuch Trade editions 1926/27/28/29?

A link to the Wolff and Transmare Verlag Trade editions can be seen here.

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