The Great Wall of China
By Franz Kafka
Translated by Ian Johnston
Illustrated by Duncan Major
Concertina book 346 x 174 mm
16 pages on the text side, 14 pages on the illustration side.
This short story, written in 1917 and published posthumously in 1931, is printed on Chinese Double Xuan paper on a Vandercook SP-15 press. The Monotype Bembo type was cast by Michael and Winifred Bixler at their foundry in Skaneateles, New York. The story is accompanied by an essay written by Vihanga Perera in 2013, Kafka’s ‘Great Wall of China: a Parable of Hegemony and ‘Nation Building’ and linocut illustrations by Duncan Major. The binding is a traditional Chinese concertina, and the cover boards are wrapped in Iris Bookcloth with the title inset on the front and a circular stamp on the back. The illustration was inspired by Chinese brush paintings and is printed in 5 colours; the red stamps on the landscape are based on symbols of the emperor.
Edition of 75. CAD$200 plus shipping and taxes where applicable.