[Signed] Kusai's Haendelser (The Adventures of Kusai) Axel Salto [Very Good] [Hardcover]

Kusai's Haendelser (The Adventures of KusaI) Illustrations by Axel Salto. Pub. Berlingske Bogtrykkeri, 1934. First edition. Signed in pencil at the front of the book to the publication details. Small folio. Cream, paper-covered boards with cloth spine, woodcut illustration to the front panel.Minor grubbiness, merest touches of edge wear.Patterned endpapers, designed by Salto. A lovely copy of this rare title recounting the tale of a boy in Africa called 'Axel' but known as Kusai. He relates to animals, whose speech he begins to understand and helps a wounded deer. Then he falls in with a boy called Nogo. Salto [1889-1961] was an important figure in Danish art, a Modernist, who published an influential magazine for two years called Klingen. By the time he published Kusai's Haendelser, he was already established as a leading ceramicist, which would be the main focus of his artistic vision. This title, however, showcases his mastery of the Expressionist woodcut. A rare title, it is tempting to see in the fairytale something autobiographical - why else write that the boy is called 'Axel'? Perhaps he took elements of his own childhood and transplanted them to Africa? In any case, the book is exceptionally rare and the woodcuts with occasional coloured blocking speak to Salto's direct and striking style.