Famed in the early twentieth century for his Art Nouveau-style depictions of episodes from mythology, Willy Pogány illustrated books for readers of all ages. This collection featuring the best examples of design, illustration, and calligraphy from the artist's early career returns a long-neglected master illustrator to the public eye.
The Hungarian-born artist studied in Paris and worked in London for a decade before his arrival in the United States in 1915. In addition to his successes as a muralist, set designer, and art instructor, Pogány illustrated more than 100 books. This is the first collection of his selected works, featuring many hard-to-find images that have been out of print for more than 80 years. More than 100 color and black-and-white illustrations include scenes from fairy tales and adventure stories such as Wagner's "Ring" cycle of Parsifal, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser. Other sources of inspiration include a 1908 edition of Faust, Gulliver's Travels, and Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales.
