With an original handcoloured etching.
GRAHAME, Kenneth (author). Charles van SANDWYK (illustrator). The Wind in the Willows. London; The Folio Society 2005 Signed

Royal 8vo.; publisher’s mid-green cloth elaborately and pictorially decorated in black and gilt to spine and upper board with inlaid pictorial label in sepia to upper cover, double-page coloured endpapers, in original decorated slipcase; pp. [viii], 3-251 + [i]; with coloured frontispiece and illustrations by van Sandwyk throughout, in profusion, printed full-, and half-page, and as smaller text illustrations, in colours and also in line; a near fine copy with a little uniform sunning to spine, internally fine, crisp, without ownership inscription; in a fine slipcase.

First edition illustrated thus, first printing. Issued without a dustwrapper.  A contender for the most beautiful modern illustrated version of this English classic, signed in ink by the illustrator to the title-page.

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Original etching by Charles van Sandwyk depicting the character of Ratty from “The Wind in the Willows” carrying a large picnic hamper, printed in sepia ink on fine cream mould-made and untrimmed artist’s stock, 145 x 190mm, image size 62 x 100mm; exquisitely handcoloured by the artist and signed in pencil in full, alongside “Colour Proof” in the artist’s hand; fine.

Charles van Sandwyk was originally commissioned by The Folio Society to illustrate Grahame’s classic in 2005.  Three years later he was invited to revisit his artwork and provide new drawings for a commemorative centenary edition, which was published in a limited edition of only 1,000 copies, presented in a lavish binding.