In 1929, Samuel R. Ogden, Jr. presented James Branch Cabell with Twenty-two Plates From Cabell's Jurgen, a group of Ogden's own linocut prints inspired by Cabell's popular book, Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice.

This year, as Ogden's work enters the public domain, VCU Libraries is publishing these prints to Scholars Compass. The publication contributes to the ongoing James Branch Cabell: Literary Life and Legacy project and to VCU Libraries' celebration of Public Domain Day 2025.

Ogden was a man of many talents, but so far as we know, printmaking was an avocation. Few copies of the Twenty-two Plates were printed, and outside of the two sets of linocuts held in VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives, only two other copies have been located. With the addition of these works to digital collections in Scholars Compass, VCU Libraries is making Ogden's little-known work freely available for scholarship, enjoyment, and further creativity.

Published in 1919, James Branch Cabell's Jurgen was labeled obscene by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, which seized the printing plates and all copies of the book in 1920. Jurgen remained scarce for two years while the infamous case worked its way through the courts. 

Following dismissal of the indictment against defendants Robert M. McBride & Co. and editor Guy Holt, the public rushed to purchase copies of the previously unavailable Jurgen. The ribald, yet melancholy fantasy inspired a number of adaptations and artistic interpretations.

Read more and see the illustrations Twenty-two Plates from Cabell's 'Jurgen' by VCU Libraries - Exposure