The Road to Courage, 1943 Dust Jacket Proof [Edward McKnight Kauffer]

The Road to Courage: Sources of Morale in Men and Nations by Henry Wyman Holmes, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1943. A flat, 7 x 8 dust jacket proof featuring the front cover and spine, printed single-sided only. Designed by Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890–1954) and stamped in plate ”E McK K” towards the bottom margin. 

A striking design by Kauffer, the American pioneer of modernism who may be better known for his work in the United Kingdom. Yet in New York City between 1940 and his death in 1954, EMK worked for many American companies designing: advertisements, book jackets, magazine and catalog covers, posters and more. Surprisingly, this jacket is not included in E. McKnight Kauffer, The Artist in Advertising by Caitlin Condell and Emily M. Orr, Rizzoli Electa and Cooper Hewitt; the companion publication to the largest-ever retrospective exhibition Underground Modernist: E. McKnight Kauffer.

“A book that shows how courage stems from a fighting faith, and what that faith, in terms of the American heritage, must be – a book that can work a revolution in your life, and in the lives of the people with whom you live.”

An original, uncommon flat proof (unused) in very good condition with light handling and wear on the surface and along the top and lower left edge — would look lovely framed. A trimmed version is included in the collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Accession No. 1963-84-154).