Published in December 1923 by The Broom Publishing Co., this landmark volume represents the very first book-length English translation of Guillaume Apollinaire's seminal work, The Poet Assassinated. Translated and introduced with notes by American expatriate writer and editor Matthew Josephson, this edition stands as a pivotal document of early twentieth-century Modernism and the Dada-Surrealist transition. Printed on high-grade Alexandra Japan vellum in a strictly limited press run of twelve hundred and fifty numbered copies, this specific copy is hand-numbered 260.
The volume opens with a striking frontispiece portrait of Apollinaire in his World War I artillery uniform drawn in May 1916 by French artist André Rouveyre. The pages exhibit classic deckled, untrimmed edges associated with fine press production of the 1920s, showing clean typography and crisp text impression throughout. The original binding features blue cloth spine detailing over sturdy paper boards, maintaining structural integrity with sound hinges and minimal age-appropriate shelf wear. Sourced directly from the private collection of a National Institutes of Health anthropologist in Northern Virginia, the volume has been exceptionally well preserved.
This collectible limited edition measures approximately 8.5 inches in height, 6.5 inches in width, and 0.75 inches in depth, with an overall weight of 1 pound.