Heller, Helen West (American 1872-1955). MIGRATORY URGE and EARLY SKYSCRAPER.MIGRATORY URGE - WOODCUT POEMS. Hogarth Press, Chicago, 1928. 1st (only) edition.This is copy number 20 of 109 printed by Franklin J. Meine. 8vo. (7 3/4 x 5 1/8 inches), unpaginated.All contents are printed from woodblocks cut by Heller, and include Cover paste-on, Title page, Copyright page with acknowledgements, introduction page by Llewellyn Jones, 49 blocks of poems or illustrations, justification sheet signed by Heller and numbered 20. A presentation copy Inscribed to Harold Jones on the front free endpaper, "We will not forget the old days in the corner basement studio - when the grate fire crackled and the leaves fell on the park drive. HRH "Deckled edges throughout; all sheets printed on one side only, and joined at top edge, as issued, so as to prevent the images from showing through the paper. The front cover is detached and chipped at its edges, and with its upper right corner, a triangle about 1" on its top and right sides, gone. There is a remnant of a paper wrapper. The internals are all in very good condition. EARLY SKYSCRAPER Wood-engraving, 1928. Edition size not known. Titled, dated and signed in pencil, and further inscribed by Heller in the lower margin "from Migratory Urge Chicago, 1928, 1st xylographic book pub in US Franklin J. Meine, Chicago, #11". 3 X 2 5/8 inches (image), 5 1/4 x 4 1/2 inches (sheet). In excellent condition.Heller's statement is not strictly correct. First, the piece has not been removed from the book, as the statement might imply; it is a separate print made from the same block which has been worked further so that the image is now more detailed. It is also printed on a smaller sheet of paper.The Whitney Museum has a copy, also inscribed and numbered 5.
