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francoisvigneault's review
4.0
(Note: This review of the Heritage Press edition originally appeared as part of a series of capsule reviews of illustrated novels, hence the focus on the art)
On my recent first visit to the excellent Robert’s Books in Lincoln City, Oregon, I
inquired whether he had books from the Heritage Press, Folio Society, et al
shelved with the other books. “Oh, I’ve got them over here,” the owner let me
know, showing me one of the larger selections of (affordable) illustrated books I
had seen in a long while. This was one of three books I picked up that day. The
name E. T. A. Hoffmann was vaguely familiar, but what drew me in were the
haunting, lively lithographs by Steiner-Prag. These are uniformly excellent;
charming and comedic but also darkly haunting. I was later quite amused to read
the bizarre prologue that the illustrator himself penned, in which the spirit of the
dead author visits Steiner-Prag to critique his work... A fear anyone who has
illustrated the work of a long-gone author can empathize with.
On my recent first visit to the excellent Robert’s Books in Lincoln City, Oregon, I
inquired whether he had books from the Heritage Press, Folio Society, et al
shelved with the other books. “Oh, I’ve got them over here,” the owner let me
know, showing me one of the larger selections of (affordable) illustrated books I
had seen in a long while. This was one of three books I picked up that day. The
name E. T. A. Hoffmann was vaguely familiar, but what drew me in were the
haunting, lively lithographs by Steiner-Prag. These are uniformly excellent;
charming and comedic but also darkly haunting. I was later quite amused to read
the bizarre prologue that the illustrator himself penned, in which the spirit of the
dead author visits Steiner-Prag to critique his work... A fear anyone who has
illustrated the work of a long-gone author can empathize with.
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