Hippolytos
Northampton, Massachusetts: The Gehenna Press, 1969. Hardcover. Number 34 of 200 copies signed by the famed illustrator and founder of the press, Leonard Baskin. Leonard Baskin (1922 – 2000) was an American sculptor, draughtsman, and graphic artist, as well as founder of the Gehenna Press (1942–2000). One of America's first fine arts presses, it went on to become "one of the most important and comprehensive art presses of the world", often featuring the work of poets, such as Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Anthony Hecht, and James Baldwin side by side with Baskin's bold, stark, energetic and often dramatic black-and-white prints. Called a "Sculptor of Stark Memorials" by the New York Times, Baskin is also known for his wood, limestone, bronze, and large-scale woodblock prints, which ranged from naturalistic to fanciful, and were frequently grotesque, featuring bloated figures or humans merging with animals [Wikipedia].
Euripides was a Greek tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three authors of Greek tragedy for whom any plays have survived in full. His play, Hippolytos, is an Ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides, based on the myth of Hippolytus, son of Theseus. The play was first produced for the City Dionysia of Athens in 428 BC and won first prize as part of a trilogy. The text is extant.
This may be one of the most stunning of the many fine works published by this famous press. It is accompanied by a separate folder of ten prints with illustrations taken from the text. Bound in brown, cream, and black marbled paper boards with a brown leather spine with the author and title names in small gilt letters.
The types are Monotype Centaur and Arright. The pressman was the well known printer Harold McGrath. Baskin's etchings were printed from the plates by Emiliano Sorini. In the colophon thanks are given to John Moore of Amherst College, George Dimock of Smith College, and Wililiam Arrowsmith, James Hynd, and Thomas Gould of the University of Texas for their comments on the text. The text was taken frin W.S. Barrett's edition of the play as published by the Oxford University Press. Housed in a slipcase that also holds the folder of prints. The slipcase has the same marbled papers that were used on the book.It also has a brown leather spine with the titling in gilt. There are two small stains on the leater spine. Other than that, this work is in fine condition. Measores 13 x 20 inches. Unpaginated. PRI/080326. Fine. More
