Prelude to a Million Years

The symbol-rich story tells of a sculptor who, in his quest for ideal beauty, neglects the reality of the struggles of his neighbors in the depths of the Great Depression.

There he encountered German Expressionist art and read the wordless novel The Sun[a] (1919) by Flemish woodcut artist Frans Masereel (1889–1972).

[3] The work inspired Ward to create a wordless novel of his own, Gods' Man (1929),[3] which he followed with Madman's Drum (1930)[4] and Wild Pilgrimage (1932).

In his artistic pursuits he neglects the reality around him and the toll the Depression of the 1930s has taken on the people whose paths he crosses—a neighbor who is beaten by her husband,[7] violent social protest, jingoistic nationalists, and drunkenness.

[10] He uses symbols throughout the book, such as the spinning of a spiderweb to indicate the passage of time, a fire hydrant echoing the emotions of a street riot,[7] towering city buildings for capitalism, and flags for patriotism.

Wood engraver John DePol considered Prelude to a Million Years his favorite of Ward's wordless novels.