Kmen — Ročník III (1920)

Kmen — Ročník III (1920) Complete year of the Czech avant-garde weekly Edited by Stanislav K. Neumann — Prague, 1920 Complete bound volume of this key modernist periodical, a platform for Czech literary, political, and artistic innovation in the early republic. Contributors include Karel & Josef Čapek, Ivan Olbracht, Otakar Fischer, Adolf Hoffmeister, Remy de Gourmont, Guillaume Apollinaire, Walt Whitman, and others. Rich in essays on literature, philosophy, theatre, and art, with sharp political commentary. Of particular note are the four full-page original linocuts: Josef Čapek, Piják (The Drinker), Prodavač kohoutků (Seller of Whistles), Nevěstka (Prostitute) Karel Teige, Zlatý den (Golden Day) All printed from the artists’ blocks for Kmen, exemplifying Czech Cubist-Expressionist and early Constructivist graphic art. Condition: Pages clean and unmarked except for a 1949 library stamp of the defunct Ústřední odborová knihovna (Central Workers Union Library) on the last (blank) page of the table of contents. Contemporary binding of marbled boards with cloth spine, solid and sturdy. A clean, complete survival of an important year, prized for its rare original prints and avant-garde content. Inv.