[CZESCHKA (Carl Otto)]. KEIM (Franz). Die Nibelungen dem deutschen Volk wieder erzählt. Vienna-Leipzig, Verlag Gerlach & Wieddling, 1908. In-12 square, bradel unbleached cloth, title stamped in black on the front cover and spine, decorated paper endpapers, black head (Publisher's binding). First edition of the illustration by Carl Otto Czeschka, comprising 8 lithographs in gold and colour and numerous ornaments and vignettes in black. The typography is by Otto Eckman. The first edition was printed on thick ivory matt paper, while the 1920 reprint is on satin paper. A charming children's book typical of the Jungendstil period. Based on an abridged version of the saga written by Franz Keim, this edition remains one of the most convincing examples of modernist book design, in which all the elements contribute to an artistic vision. A friend of Gustav Klimt and a committed member of the Vienna Secession, Carl Otto Czeschka (1878-1960) elevated Keim's populist interpretation with his stylised drawings and rich, vibrant textures. The geometric ornamentation of his sail illustrates the Viennese use of surface structuring, in which exotic and folkloric sources are filtered through a resolutely modern aesthetic. A very fine copy in its attractive publisher's boards.