Collection of the author's woodcuts made between 1898 and 1923 along with information about himself and tips for woodcutters.

These ten stories of “intensity and bravado” by the acclaimed Chicano author explore love, lust, and longing among people struggling to find their way (Jean Thompson, The New York Times Book Review). Featuring characters of Mexican American heritage, each of these haunting stories is crafted with Gilb’s quintessentially spare yet evocative language and explores the lives of men and women at odds with each other. Steeped in an ethos of regimented gender roles, the men in these stories see the women in their lives as little more than woodcuts—crude variations of their actual complexity; symbols of seduction, mystery, and power that will ultimately bring about their undoing. At turns powerful and resonant, hopeful and humorous, Woodcuts of Women is a tour de force by one of America’s foremost Latino writers. “Lonely, tough stories—stories that force us to confront what’s difficult in us, and in the people we love.” —Esquire “The gritty passions of men for women—the grand delusions and tender mercies—are the jukebox songs playing through the 10 stories of Gilb’s ‘Woodcuts of Women.’” —San Francisco Chronicle

In this moving graphic novel without words, one of the finest artists of the 20th century uses 230 intricately detailed woodcuts to tell a dramatic tale of the Great Depression. A young girl who longs to be an accomplished violinist and a boy who hopes to become a builder find their dreams shattered by desperate economic times.

Worldwide survey of 1920s woodcuts features nearly 200 images — including an 8-page color insert — of landscapes, portraits, and book illustrations by noted artists. An informative narrative offers artistic and historical perspectives.