[Miniature] Az ember tragédiája / The Tragedy of Man / Die Tragödie des Menschen / Трагедия человека : Részletek [Excerpts]

Budapest: Képzőművészeti Alap Kiadóvállalata [Fine Arts Fund Publishing Company], 1975. Very Good. Budapest: Képzőművészeti Alap Kiadóvállalata [Fine Arts Fund Publishing Company], 1975. First Edition. Miniature smaller than 32mo (6x4x1cm); unpaginated [136pp]. Illustrated with 15 etchings by János Kass. Text printed in four parallel languages: Hungarian, English, German, and Russian.

Black leather with gilt lettering on spine and front panel. Kass etching stamped in white on front panel. Minor rubbing to upper corners of spine crown, and to front panel outer upper corner; volume otherwise unmarred and unmarked. Binding solid. Our photographs show it paired with an American quarter to convey its size.

This dainty volume, uncommon in retail, and somewhat smaller than a túrógombóc cheese dumpling, excerpts key passages from one of Hungary's most celebrated literary works. Imre Madách (1823-1864) published his poetic drama-(or dramatic poem: like Faust, it straddles the two genres)-in 1861. This miniature edition is embellished with reproductions of 15 etchings by János Kass, the celebrated 20th century Hungarian artist, illustrator, and film-maker. They are, fortunately, much more discernable, even in this tiny format, than the typeface, for which the most eagle-eyed among us will need reading glasses.