Mad Man's Drum: A Novel in Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) [Paperback]

Lynd Ward (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2005 | Series: Dover Fine Art, History of Art

The powerful imagery and psychological intensity of Ward's wordless novels have elicited comparisons to the writings of Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe, and they continue to influence modern graphic novelists such as Frank Miller. This 1930 work tells a gripping tale through imagery alone, consisting solely of hauntingly rendered woodcuts. 128 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (September 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486445003
• ISBN-13: 978-0486445007
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, cryptic, and mute, October 21, 2006

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mad Man's Drum: A Novel in Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) (Paperback)

"God's Man" (1929) was Ward's first wordless, illustrated novel. It was a hard act to follow: masterfully illustrated, articulate, and thought provoking. "Mad Man's Drum" (1930) tops that remarkable achievement. In it, Ward shows even finer skills in his demanding medium, more evocative imagery, and more baffling turns of narration. The result isn't just a pointless puzzle, but a starting point for an exploration in thought, the kind that rewards the reader no matter where it leads.

The format is stark: one black and white image per page, for over 140 pages. The nature of woodcut, in the style used here, is that there are no greys. The black-and-white blacks are truly black, and whites blank white. Ward overcomes that with mastery of fine line, and with "gray" carefully modulated in their alternation. One scene, an optical effect of light streaming though a cathedral window, is simply mind-boggling.

Dover has printed these images beautifully in dense darks on heavy, opaque paper. Part of the reason that this book has been so long out of print may be that the technology for doing justice to Ward's images has only just matured enough to make books like this affordable. Don't assume that low price means inferior reproduction - Dover has created (or recreated) a book truly worth having.

//wiredweird

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can learn from this book, August 2, 2008

By 

Derrel Blain (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mad Man's Drum: A Novel in Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) (Paperback)

I've only recently come across the work of Lynd Ward.
Originally published in 1930, Mad Man's drum is a true graphic novel, telling a story only through wordless woodcuts. [Rather than a collection of masquerading comic books bound between hard covers.]
Every page of this graphic novel is a lesson in woodcut technique.
I've always liked Dover books as publishers. Their books are well made and inexpensive. For 10 bucks or so, this one is a bargain tutorial for any wood-be woodcut artist.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Read" several times to understand better and better, February 24, 2006

By 

Elsie S. Thorner "R M Thorner" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mad Man's Drum: A Novel in Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) (Paperback)

This is a novel in wood cuts. It is a history of a family in the slave trade. You will be captivated by this story (remember,there are no printed words) each time you carefully go thru it again and again, page by page.