206 - POULIK (Josef) — FORMAN (Werner and Bedřich). — Prehistoric Art [in Czechoslovakia].

POULIK (Josef) — FORMAN (Werner and Bedřich). — Prehistoric Art [in Czechoslovakia]. Prague, Artia, 1956. Large in-4 volume (approx. 30 × 24 cm), 51 pp. of text, followed by an extensive collection of 189 reproductions, including 22 color plates; publisher’s full cloth binding, with an illustrated dust jacket. German text by Josef Poulík; photographs and layout by Werner and Bedřich Forman. German translation by Charlotte and Ferdinand Kirschner. Bibliographic catalogs list this 1956 edition as the second edition. A beautiful archaeological album devoted to the prehistoric and ancient art of Czechoslovakia, presenting the region’s major archaeological discoveries, from prehistoric cultures through the Early Middle Ages. The book owes much to the remarkable photography by Werner and Bedřich Forman, which focuses on individual objects and close-up views: ceramics, stone sculptures, bronzes, jewelry, ritual objects, and artifacts from archaeological excavations. A specialized bibliography describes the book as comprising V + 53 pages and 211 plates, including 22 in color, while commercial descriptions generally list 51 pages and 189 illustrations plus 22 color plates; this discrepancy appears to stem from differences in how plates and illustrations are counted. A very complete copy with its illustrated dust jacket, which is a welcome feature for this type of album from the 1950s.