Our signed, limited edition of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is published in three states: Standard, Deluxe, and Lettered.

Every copy is signed by artist Jacob Dhein.

Daniel Keyes’s “Flowers for Algernon,” originally a Hugo Award-winning short story expanded into a Nebula Award-winning novel, tells the poignant tale of Charlie Gordon through his own journal entries. Charlie, a man with an intellectual disability, undergoes a groundbreaking procedure to enhance his intelligence, a treatment first trialed on Algernon, a laboratory mouse. As Charlie’s intellect grows exponentially, he grapples with complex emotions and the reevaluation of his identity.

Keyes’s narrative transcends a mere personal transformation story, offering a critical look at the ethics of scientific experimentation on both animals and humans, particularly the issues of consent and understanding from the subjects. The novel is lauded for its sensitive and humane portrayal of mental disability and remains a vital work for its exploration of themes that question the essence and ethical boundaries of human experimentation.

ABOUT KINTSUGI

This traditional Japanese art of repairing pottery highlights breaks and fractures, treating them as a significant part of the object’s history, rather than imperfections to be hidden. Just as the novel explores the beauty and tragedy inherent in the human experience, kintsugi emphasizes the beauty in imperfections and life’s fragility. It is a poignant reminder that even amidst fractures and flaws, there exists a unique beauty, much like the narrative arc of Charlie’s transient intellectual blossoming and subsequent decline.

LETTERED STATE:

• Limited to 26 copies inscribed A-Z.
• Handbound by Ludlow Bookbinders in full Pentland Goat leather from J. Hewit & Sons with a piece of pottery, restored by kintsugi artist Iku Nishikawa in the “golden joinery” Japanese art, inset on the front board. The leather has been worked into an elevated, circular border that wraps around the kintsugi-repaired pottery, with concentric, blind-stamped circles radiating from the centre.
• Letterpress-printed on smooth, luxurious Liber Charta 170gsm (120lb) paper, a new mouldmade paper developed by John Purcell Paper. It exemplifies the best qualities of the now-discontinued Zerkall paper and has quickly become the top choice for printers and wood engravers alike..
• The head and tail bands are meticulously sewn in by hand and the top edge is gilded. Hand-marbled paper is used for the endsheets, featuring a custom design from Freya Scott at Paperwilds, inspired by a confocal map of a mouse’s brain captured using a Zeiss Microscope.
• The book is housed in an enclosure wrapped in chocolate Alcantara, with the interior well lined in suedel and handmade Richard de Bas paper with real flower inclusions.
• Each copy will include a sketch by artist Jacob Dhein, who also signs along with Phil Abel and Robert Hetherington, the printers; and the binder from Ludlow Bookbinders who bound this specific copy.
• Trim size of 170mm by 240mm (6.7in by 9.5in).
• 236 pages + front and back matter + 8 full colour pages of artwork.
• 6 pen and ink drawings printed letterpress.