Brave Companions (Frontispiece and dust jacket by Lynd Ward)

Knight wrote several books on dogs serving in the military in World War II. In this story, the puppy of a soldier's K-9 dog helps him deal with his blindness from a wartime injury. From the blurb: "In a book that is more real than imaginary, more hopeful than sad, the author of Valiant Comrades has written another fine dog-story, and an engrossing study of one of the greatest post-war problems." It is "Illustrated by Lynd Ward," although his contribution is limited to the frontispiece, which is also used for the dust jacket. Ward, described by the Royal Academy of Arts as an “American artist and storyteller, is known for his series of wordless novels using wood engraving, and his illustrations for juvenile and adult books.” Recently Ward has been rediscovered, given the title of “Father of the Graphic Novel” by The Atlantic magazine in recognition that, quoting the RAA again, his “wordless novels influenced the development of the graphic novel.” This book includes a provenance card stating it is from the collection of Lynd Ward’s long-time friend Dan Burne Jones. Jones was a fellow artist whose own work was influenced by Ward and Rockwell Kent. He built a collection of Ward-illustrated books for the creation of a bibliography (apparently unpublished but in a collection of Ward material in the Penn State archives). A collection of papers about Ward and Kent written and gathered by Jones is held by the Smithsonian Institution. Size: Small Octavo (7 1/2-8"). 215 pages. Item Type: Book. Text block is tight and unmarked. The pages are slightly tanned from age. Very Good+ hardcover bound in blue cloth over boards with bright silver rules on the front cover and title on the spine. Corners are slightly turned and the top front corner has had a bump. Very Good- unclipped ($2.00) dust jacket. There is a 1 1/4" tear at the head of the front fold, which has resulted in some creasing in the upper right corner of the front panel. There is also a 1/2" tear at the fold of the spine and ear at the head and foot of the spine. The tears have been repaired with archival paper tape to stabilize the dust jacket, which is now protected by a clear archival Brodart sleeve. Illustrator: Lynd Ward. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Teens & Young Adult; United States; 1940s; Fiction. Main Picture: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Front panel and spine of the dust jacket with inside of the First Edition notice. Picture 2: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Rear panel of the dust jacket and page edges. Picture 3: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Front cover and spine. Picture 4: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Rear cover and page edges. Picture 5: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Frontispiece and title page. Picture 6: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Sample text page. Picture 7: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Sample text page. Picture 8: Knight (1945), Brave Companions with frontispiece by Lynd Ward - Dust jacket. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1371.