BY MARKUS ZUSAK

Markus Zusak has known great success. His novels I Am The Messenger and The Book Thief are international bestsellers, lauded by critics and the public alike.

He has also, however, known failure — and perhaps more than you'd expect. In The Failurist, Zusak argues that every success is preceded by a thousand failures, writing, "What we need sometimes is a little bit of negative thinking." He relates a childhood failure to the failure-laden process of writing The Book Thief with wonderful vividness. His accounts are captivating, and his lesson eminently useful.

Fans of Zusak's, aspiring writers, and anyone fascinated by the struggles of an artist will find the essay enlightening and even deeply encouraging.

Artist Notes

Markus Zusak is the author of six novels, including internationally renowned I Am The Messenger and The Book Thief. He has won many awards, especially for his young adult fiction. His work is known particularly for its inventive narrative framing. The narrator of The Book Thief, for example, is Death, and the instigator of the events in I Am The Messenger turns out to be — well, fascinating. His works bring critically acclaimed literature, with great finesse, to a younger audience.

No Reply is delighted to be publishing Zusak’s essay in print for the first time.

Edition Notes

• The edition is limited to 127 copies and is offered in three states.

• The fifth imprint of No Reply Press, Spring 2020.

• Book measures 5 ¾ by 8 ¾ inches.

• Typeset in Goudy Old Style, designed by Frederic Goudy.

Hardbound

• Limited to 96 copies, numbered 6 through 101. An overage of Epreuve d’Artiste copies (artist proofs) have been produced, and copies reserved after December 2021 will likely come from these.

• Printed by hand on felt-finished stock using a Vandercook Universal I cylinder press at Letterpress PDX in Portland, Oregon.

• Hand-bound in unique paste paper, handmade specifically for the edition, with Ingres antique endpapers.

• Signed by the publisher, binder, and printer.

De Luxe

• Limited to 26 copies, lettered A through Z. Several additional hors de commerce copies have been set aside for institutional collections.

• Signed by Markus Zusak.

• Printed by hand on felt-finished stock using a Vandercook Universal I cylinder press at Letterpress PDX in Portland, Oregon.

• Hand-bound in French marbled paper, with Ingres antique endpapers.

• Housed in a red cloth slipcase.

• Please note: The de luxe state is fully reserved, but a few épreuve d’artiste remain at the press. Reservations made starting November 2021 will be marked E.A.

“De Échec”

• Limited to 5 copies, numbered 1 through 5.

• Signed by Markus Zusak.

• Printed by hand on felt-finished stock using a Vandercook Universal I cylinder press at Letterpress PDX in Portland, Oregon.

• Hand-bound in quarter Moroccan leather using Australian marbled papers.

• Housed in a red cloth solander case lined with marbled paper.