-1919 Le Soleil (The Sun)

Masereel’s wordless novel, Le Soleil, was republished in German during the 1920s as Die Sonne by Wolff, and much later as The Sun.

Later publications

1920 in German, Die Sonne (Wolff Limited)

1926/27 in German, Die Sonne (Wolff Trade)

in English, The Sun (Redstone Press) 1990.

The original French publication

Le Soleil, told in 63 woodcuts, is an allegory where the protagonist (Masereel) attempts to reach the sun. Like the myth of Icarus, he falls, but the moral seems to be that, as humans, we should attempt to reach the unattainable.

Title: Le Soleil:63 Images dessinées et gravées sur bois par Frans Masereel
Author and Illustrator: Frans Masereel
Introduction: none
Date of publication: 1919 Printing completed on October 1, 1919.
Publisher: Editions du Sablier
Place of publication: Geneve
Printer: Albert Kundig, Geneva.
Copyright: Le Sablier
Binding: cover is of very thin card
Dust jacket: Yes, thin paper over the thin cover.
slipcase: ?
Language: French titles, etc
Paginated: unpaginated
Printed: recto
Printed from the original woodcuts.
Size: 16 x 12 cm
Description: 144 pp. 63 woodcuts: one frontispiece measuring 11.5 x 9 cm and 62 woodcuts measuring 10 x 8 cm.
Limited edition: 451 numbered copies, as below:
References: Avermaete 5

Le Soleil (the first 51 limited copies)

17 copies on japan paper hand-numbered from 1 to 17. #1 includes three original drawings. I believe these may be signed.
4 copies on japan paper – hors commerce – and marked A. B. C. D. All copies on japan paper are signed by the author.
30 copies on verge paper ingres of arches numbered in roman numbers from I to XXX. (Note: there is nothing to suggest these copies are to be signed.)

I have no information about these, such as binding, leather, etc. If you have photos or info, please advise. Photo credit will be given. wn@wordlessnovels.com