Kindred

Octavia E. Butler’s 1979 bestseller, Kindred, with artwork by Alison Saar. Like Butler, a fellow Californian

$1,600.00 – $4,100.00

As a neo-slave narrative and fantasy hybrid where paradox informs social critique, Kindred is a testimony to endurance and acceptance. It tells the story of Dana Franklin, a Black woman living in 1976 Los Angeles and married to a white man named Kevin. On the eve of her birthday, she is swept into the cosmos and deposited in early-1800s Maryland, where, somehow, her white ancestor Rufus has conjured the power to summon her across time to save his life. She does, and when her life is threatened, Dana time-travels back to Los Angeles. Each subsequent visit is unpredictable, and Dana’s forays into the past grow longer and more dangerous. Eventually, Kevin accompanies her back in time and undergoes his own profound mental metamorphosis.

For Kindred, which marks her second collaboration with Arion, Saar carved 14 linoleum blocks—including a frontispiece, 8 full-page renderings of pivotal scenes, a double-page centerfold spread, multiple patterns for the endsheets and bindings, and a cameo portrait of Dana. The blocks were made to proportion and converted to polymer plate for relief printing. A total of 250 copies of Kindredare available for purchase : 40 of the Deluxe Edition ($4,100), which is accompanied by a signed relief print and notecard set, and 210 of the Fine Press Edition ($1,600).

Production Details

A total of 250 copies of Kindred are available for purchase : 40 of the Deluxe Edition ($4,100), which is accompanied by a signed relief print and notecard set, and 210 of the Fine Press Edition ($1,600).

Kindred

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