A.M. Frey / Otto Nückel - Solmeman, der Unsichtbare - 1914

OTTO NÜCKEL – A. M. FREY: Solneman the Invisible – 1914 – First edition – 14 original woodcuts – Expressionism – Forerunner of the Graphic Novel

Rare Expressionist first edition from 1914 with 13 full-page original woodcuts and a title woodcut by Otto Nückel (1888–1955), one of the early pioneers of the modern Graphic Novel.

Alexander Moritz Frey: Solneman the Invisible. Novel. Delphin-Verlag, Munich, 1914.

The fantastical grotesque novel combines social satire, mysterious events, and black humor. Even the name “Solneman” is a pun: read backward it yields “Nameless.”

Especially noteworthy are the early original woodcuts by Otto Nückel, whose expressive black-and-white contrasts, angular forms, and unusual perspectives accompany the novel in an impressive way.

Nückel later gained international fame with his wordless picture novel Fate (Schicksal) (1926). This work is today regarded as an important precursor of the modern Graphic Novel. Solneman the Invisible already documents his extraordinary graphical talent twelve years earlier.

The decorative, geometrically patterned original cover was also designed by Nückel.

Bibliographical data:

* First edition, Delphin-Verlag, Munich, 1914
* 193 numbered pages, plus additional unnumbered pages
* 13 full-page original woodcuts and a title woodcut
* Original cardboard binding designed by Otto Nückel
* Format approx. 25.5 × 19.5 cm
* Literature: Lang 251; Jentsch 20

Condition:

Age-appropriate copy in the decorative original binding with signs of wear to spine, corners and edges. Inner pages with slight paper discoloration; the original woodcuts are clean and high-contrast. See photographs.

An early and rare work by Otto Nückel that links Expressionist book art with the prehistory of the modern Graphic Novel. Especially of interest to collectors of original graphics, Expressionism, and early picture storytelling.