OSKAR KOKOSCHKA (1886-1980)

Published by the Wiener Werkstätte in 1908, Kokoschka's first book, Die traümenden Knaben is the unusually crude tale of his love for a young Swede. Sparking violent reactions in Vienna, this children's book sold very poorly. Publisher Kurt Wolff purchased 275 sets of leaves from the book (the bulk of the unsold print run). In 1917, he had them bound differently (unbleached canvas, black stitching cord, vignette printed in black) with a justification label on the inside of the back cover, such as the present example. Kurt Wolff (1887-1963) was among the most important publishers of avant-garde and Expressionist literature.