Published in 1919 by Boni & Liveright as part of the early Modern Library series, this volume titled Baudelaire: His Prose and Poetry brought Charles Baudelaire's symbolist verse, prose poems, and intimate journals to American readers. The release captured the intellectual spirit of post-World War I publishing, showcasing Baudelaire's groundbreaking contributions to French modernist literature alongside translations by Joseph T. Shipley, Arthur Symons, and F. P. Sturm.
A defining artistic detail of this printing is the inclusion of the original green woodcut endpaper design by artist Horace Brodzky. Created in 1919 after Brodzky won a nationwide publisher competition to design the iconic Modern Library motifs, the block prints depict expressive muscular figures holding stylized M and L monoliths. Bound in the publisher's signature flexible dark leatherette with subtle texturing, the volume exemplifies the portable, durable aesthetic engineered for early twentieth-century readers.
Sourced from the estate collection of a former National Institutes of Health anthropologist in northern Virginia, this 248-page book remains in sturdy vintage condition. This piece measures approximately 8.5 inches in height, 5.5 inches in width, 0.75 inches in depth, and weighs 0.8 pounds.
