Vol. I: Neuguinea 1913 und 1914. Vol. II: Heimkehr, Weltkrieg, Heimat. 1914 bis 1921 by Nolde, Emil

2 vols., 241 pp. total continuously paginated, comprising Nolde's autobiographical reminiscences of his time spent in New Guinea and the South Seas, his subsequent return to Germany, and his life during the first World War and the years immediately thereafter, the original manuscript typed up by Nolde's wife, Ada, and mimeographed by Emil and Ada for private circulation among a small group of their friends, Vol. I with 53 tipped-in illustrations and two black-and-white photographs of native women, Vol. II with 35 tipped-in illustrations, the vast majority of the illustrations being reproductions of watercolors and drawings by Nolde. Some toning of the paper throughout, some scattered foxing most prominently to the blue pages to which the photographs and some other illustrations are mounted, very minor damp staining to a couple of pages of Vol. II and the last few pages of Vol. II. 4to. Original plain cardstock wrpps. with woven cord ties., some soiling, staining, scuffing, and creasing particularly to wrpps. of Vol. I. N.p. (Seebüll, Germany?) (self-published by the author) n.d. (circa 1941). Limited edition of less than 50 copies. In October 1913, Nolde and his wife Ada joined a government-sponsored expedition to German New Guinea, travelling by way of Siberia, Korea, Japan, China, and the Philippines. During the trip Nolde constantly drew and painted what he saw around him, fascinated by the indigenous people's close relationship with nature and the art of the non-European cultures he encountered. These volumes cover their trip to Russia, Asia, and the South Seas, along with the years that followed during and immediately after World War I, which they spent in the area of North Frisia in northern Germany. Each volume carries a handwritten dedication, probably written by Ada. The dedication in Volume I reads, "Euch Lieben dies Manuskript der großen Reise - ein später Weihnachtsgruß von Euren A. u. E. N.", and the dedication in Volume II reads, "Herzlichst auch dieser zweite Teil, Eure A. und E. N." An incredibly scarce pair of volumes from a vitally important Expressionist artist; as of February 2019, WorldCat locates only a single holding worldwide of the pair.