Decorative Full Vellum Binding designed by Johann Vinenz Cissarz (issued for the purpose of documenting a German city's chronicle during World War I)

Stuttgart: Verlag für Vaterländische Kunst Gesellschaft, 1916. First edition. Hardcover. Elephant folio (16 3/4 x 11"). Elaborate gold-and brown stamped full vellum with metal clasps. Front cover with gold-embossed illustration of a dagger within double-brown border. Outer margins of front board with continuous lettering inside brown border: "Das eiserne Buch. Wir wollen sein ein einzig Volk von Brüdern in keiner Not uns trennen Gefahr" (The iron book. We want to be a people of brothers who never leave each other in times of need and danger). Four metal studs on rear board, top of studs decorated with outline of Iron Cross. Top edge gilt. Deckled fore edge. Unpaginated. Jugendstil front and rear endpapers, 1 blank leaf in front and rear with watermark of a crown followed by 158 blank leaves with decorative head- and tailpieces on high quality JW Zanders paper, all watermarked with image of a dagger. Also contains printed half-title, 2 illustrated section pages as well as printed text leaf in rear. Blank leaves divided into three sections with two titled pages (no titled leaf in first section). First section leaf: "Ehren / Reihe. Unseren gefallenen Helden" (Honor Row. Our fallen heroes). Top margin of page shows decorative border with some gold overprinting of an Iron Cross with small crown and "W 1914" within. Third section with black printed half-title "Gemeinde Kriegschronik," followed by section leaf "Gemeinde Kriegschronik. Gemeinde Verhältnisse während der Kriegsjahre" (Community War chronicle. Life and events in the community during the war years). Center of that page illustrated with golden dagger surrounded by green leafs within border in gold, black and green. Page in rear with printed text: "Gesamt-Gestaltung des Werkes nach Entwürfen von Professor J. V. Cissarz, Stuttgart. Verlegt vom Verlag für Vaterländische Kunst Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, Stuttgart. Gestzlich geschützt. Gedruckt bei Decker & Hardt mit Farben von Kast & Ehinger, beide in Stuttgart." Overall layout after designs by Professor J. V. Cissarz. Printed by Decker & Hardt with colors by Kast & Ehinger (Stuttgart). Exquisitely designed binding by Cissarz with fully functioning metal clasps and unused interior leaves.

Boards bowed. Minor staining on vellum. Very slight rusting on metal. Binding in very good, interior in fine condition. Scarce. Johannes Joseph Vincenz Cissarz was a German typographer, designer, illustrator, architect and teacher. After studying under Leon Pohle and Georg Hermann Freye at the Kunstakademie Dresden in the late 20th century, Cissarz worked as Ferdinand Pauwels' master student. After his 'apprenticeship' he became well-known for his typography, working with Eugen Diederichs publisher and the Deutschen Werkstätten Hellerau. From 1903-1906 he was a member of the Darmstädter Künstlerkolonie. Eventually he became head of book design and professor at the Verein Würtembergischer Kunstfreunde in Stuttgart. His 'Cissarz Latin' typeface established him as one of the premiere book designers in Germany. (Inventory #: 32226)