In 1936, French publisher Christian Zervos released a collection of drawings by Henri Matisse as part of his Cahiers d'Art series. Along with 39 stunning Matisse drawings, the book included a preface by Zervos and a poem by Tristan Tzara dedicated to the artist. The drawings, mostly of women—nudes, portraits, interior scenes—express an extraordinary sensuality.

This reprint, a facsimile edition faithful to the original, features translations by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and scholar Richard Howard. The beauty of Matisse's simple drawings, as powerful today as in 1936, remains accessible to art lovers and a general audience alike. 39 full-page facsimile reproductions....

In Richard Howard's new collection, voices of myth and memory prevail, if only by means of prevarication: the voice of Medea's mother trying to explain her daughter's odd behavior to an indiscreet interviewer; or first and last the voice of Henry James, late in life, faced with the disputed prospect of meeting L. Frank Baum and then, later on, "managing" not only Maeterlinck's Blue Bird but his own unruly cast of characters, including Mrs. Wharton and young Hugh Walpole.

Richard Howard's honors include the Pulitzer Prize, the PEN Medal for Translation, and grants from the Guggenheim and MacArthur foundations.

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