The Lost Art Of Ah Pook gathers the visual elements from the legendary unfinished collaboration between William S. Burroughs and artist Malcolm McNeill. Begun in the early 1970’s, Ah Pook was to be a meditation on time, power, control and corruption that evoked the Mayan codices and specifically, the Mayan god of death, Ah Pook. Although the work was never completed, Malcolm McNeill created over a hundred paintings, illustrations and sketches for the book, and these are finally seeing the light of day in The Lost Art of Ah Pook.

Even in a context divorced from the words (Burroughs’ text will not be included), they represent a stunning precursor to the graphic novel form to come. Also included is a historical essay chronicling the long history of Burroughs’ and McNeill’s work together.

Fantagraphics, hardback, 144 pages, published July 2012