One of the most sought after, valuable and expensive productions of the Limited Editions Club is their 1989 edition of Genesis. The scale of the book is enormous, which does not come through completely in the pictures below. In hand, the book is stunning, with beautiful paper, text and illustrations that blend into a coherent whole. When standing in front of it, I found myself staring at page after page, really taken in by what was accomplished here.
If one likes the art of Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), then this edition is worth every penny (if you are not a Lawrence fan, skip this edition as his work is this edition). As discussed in the review of LEC’s Hiroshima, Lawrence was one of America’s leading modern figurative painters of the twentieth century. The silkscreening process must be incredible; the output jumps from the page like it was freshly painted. Lawrence’s inspiration for these illustrations are from the preachers at the Abyssinian Baptist Church. They have the size, clarity and emotional heft that it almost makes one feel they are sitting in the pew experiencing the sermon.
{Ed. Note: My understanding is that Limited Editions Club may have a couple ‘as new’ copies of Genesis still available to order. You can call Jeanne Shiff at 212-737-7600 or 800-701-8870 to inquire about price and to order, if interested. Alternatively, one can usually find a copy or two available on the secondary market (such as Abe’s). I am aware that Book Gallery in Phoenix has a copy which has water damage to the solander box and cover, though the pages are in great shape. I think they may be planning on getting it re-bound and have a new box created; but if you are interested in a copy at a much lower price than normal, which would require a bit of re-work on your part, call Mike Riley.}
About the Edition
- King James Translation
- 16 3/4″ x 22″
- Eight silkscreen prints by Jacob Lawrence (each from 17-21 stencils), on Whatman paper by George Drexel at Osiris Printing
- Edition signed by Jacob Lawrence
- Text set in Monotype Caslon with Romulus heads at Galgonooza Letter Foundry by Julia Ferrari, with new numerals made from punches cut by Dan Carr
- The text paper was made at Cartiere Enrico Magnani
- Title page designed by Dan Carr
- The book was printed at Heritage Printers
- Bound in midnight blue fabric, from Japan
- Protected in a fabric covered, suede lined solander box
- Limited to 400 copies
Pictures
