Wind in the Willows, The
London: The Folio Society, 2008. Item #06636
“One of 1,000 Copies with Original Signed Etching
A Private Press Masterpiece of Modern Illustration”
GRAHAME, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. Illustrated by Charles van Sandwyk. London: The Folio Society, 2008.
Centenary Edition. Limited to 1,000 numbered copies, each containing an original hand-printed copperplate etching signed and numbered by the artist; this copy no. 39. The etching - printed in sepia on Somerset velvet buff 100% cotton mould-made paper by New Leaf Editions, Vancouver - depicts Ratty and Mole loading the picnic basket into the boat and is tipped onto the front free endpaper.
Folio (12 3/4 x 9 5/8 inches; 324 x 245 mm.). [2, blank], [4, limitation statement and original signed copperplate etching], [2, blank], [1]-10, 11-265, [1], [1, blank], [1, Centenary edition statement], [4, blank] pp. Sixteen tipped-in color plates and numerous line drawings throughout the text by Charles van Sandwyk.
Hand-bound by The Fine Book Bindery, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in quarter white vellum over gray boards, elaborately blocked in gold, silver, and black, smooth spine lettered in gilt, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt. Housed in the original dark green cloth clamshell case with gilt-lettered pictorial spine label.
A mint, as new copy.
Charles van Sandwyk (b. 1966) is a Canadian illustrator and author whose work evokes the spirit of the late Victorian “Golden Age” of illustration. Working largely outside the commercial mainstream, he has developed a devoted following among collectors for his finely detailed drawings of animals, fairies, and pastoral scenes. His books - often issued in small editions and incorporating original prints - are noted for their craftsmanship and whimsical, nostalgic charm. Frequently compared to Arthur Rackham and Ernest Shepard, van Sandwyk’s work is distinguished by its delicacy of line and quiet, intimate imagination.
The text set in Founder’s Caslon and printed on Cordier Wove paper by T.J. International, Padstow, Cornwall. The tipped-in plates printed on Hello matt art paper by Beacon Press, Uckfield, Sussex. Illustrated endpaper maps printed letterpress on Hahnemühle Bugra Butten by the Logan Press, Wellingborough.
A production of exceptional ambition and refinement, this Folio Society centenary edition ranks among the finest modern interpretations of Grahame’s pastoral masterpiece. Van Sandwyk’s illustrations - delicate, whimsical, and suffused with a late Victorian sensibility - have drawn frequent comparison to those of Arthur Rackham and Ernest Shepard, yet possess a distinctive charm entirely their own. The inclusion of an original signed copperplate etching - printed on fine mould-made paper and issued only with this edition - elevates the work from a finely produced book to a true collector’s object.
Increasingly elusive in this condition, and seldom encountered in the trade with such early limitation numbers, this is a modern private press classic - and one of the most desirable illustrated editions of The Wind in the Willows produced in the last half century.
Price: $2,500.00