Two large quarto bound volumes, each containing the twelve issues published for the years 1898 and 1899; illustrated throughout, with original limp covers bound in; with uniform bindings, morocco spines and textured fabric-covered boards, rubbed and bumped, some chipping, tears and toning to contents; 11 1/2 x 11 in. (2)
"Ver Sacrum (‘Sacred Spring' in Latin) was the official magazine of the Vienna Secession from 1898 to 1903. Its advances in graphic design, typography and illustration set the model for later art magazine design and continues to influence magazine and book design to this day. [...] The first issue was released in January of 1898 with its arrival being announced in leading newspapers as a subscription journal. For the first two years, the journal was published monthly with each issue devoted to the work of a particular artist also in charge of designing the issue's cover. In 1898, the July issue was devoted to the Czech art nouveau designer Alphonse Mucha, while the December issue was illustrated by Dutch symbolist painter Fernand Khnopff. [...] Most unique of all was the magazine's square format—a radical new step in the design of periodicals. The square, and more so the grid, had found its way from the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement, particularly in the work of Charles Mackintosh who became a corresponding member of the Secession. This format offered new possibilities in layout for the designer's use of multiple text columns, decorative borders, and negative space." (Quoted from https://www.theviennasecession.com/ver-sacrum/)
