The illustrations in this beautiful publication gave rise to considerable consternation among the jury members. Are these original drawings, or is it an illusion? The effect of the ink, which shines through from the other side of the page, including signs of daily use (is that a coffee cup ring we see?) was so convincing that for a moment we really didn’t know. It turns out to be an illusion – of course, because how otherwise could you get these pages to be exactly the same in every book. Which is a bit of a shame; but on the other hand, the trick has been pulled off so cleverly that we can’t call this anything other than a (printing) tour de force. A number of critical notes were heard from the jury, however: wouldn’t it have been better to choose a less literal translation? In addition to the illustrations, the jury were greatly impressed by other stylistic decisions. The typography is classic, the choice of paper good, and the chocolate brown endpapers contribute to the polished, well thought-out overall impression. The attractive rounded spine is a technical masterpiece. This is without doubt a book of prose for the real afficionado. Yet another example of how a book of poetry or prose can be elevated to another level by greater attention to design and materiality.