2000 Signed First Edition- The Gnome King’s Treasure Song by Charles van Sandwyk
Author: Charles van Sandwyk.
Title: The Gnome King's Treasure Song.
Publisher: North Vancouver, B.C.: The Fairy Press, Charles van Sandwyk Fine Arts, December 2000. First Edition. Limited edition of 2,000 copies. Signed by Charles van Sandwyk. This copy features the desirable pictorial cover variant depicting the Gnome King seated upon a treasure chest playing a harp.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7" x 5".
Pages: Unpaginated (16 pages).
Binding: Fine original linen-textured pictorial card covers richly decorated in copper foil with an inset illustration by the artist. Housed under a removable protective mylar cover. A beautiful and exceptionally well-preserved example.
Content: Fine content. Bright, clean, and tight throughout. Signed by Charles van Sandwyk on the blank page facing the title page, as issued. No ownership markings or notable defects observed.
Illustrations: Complete with all the enchanting illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk, including tipped-in color plates, decorative calligraphy, hand-colored style illustrations, and delightful fairy and woodland motifs printed on handmade-style deckle-edged paper.
Estimate: (Scarce. Signed copies seldom appear on the market and are increasingly sought after by collectors of Charles van Sandwyk and private press fairy literature.)
The book: A beautiful signed first edition of one of Charles van Sandwyk's most charming miniature productions. The Gnome King's Treasure Song is a lyrical celebration of nature, wonder, and the hidden riches of the fairy world. Presented as a short illustrated poem, the work follows the Gnome King as he sings of the treasures found not in gold alone but in the beauty of the natural world, changing seasons, flowers, bees, birds, and the quiet enchantments that surround us.
Produced by Van Sandwyk's own Fairy Press in an edition of only 2,000 copies, the book exemplifies the qualities that have made the artist's publications so beloved among collectors: exquisite craftsmanship, whimsical typography, handmade aesthetics, and illustrations that evoke the spirit of the great fairy artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The combination of deckle-edged papers, tipped-in artwork, and intimate format gives the volume the appearance of a treasured keepsake discovered in some forgotten woodland library.
Today, early Fairy Press productions have become increasingly difficult to obtain, particularly in fine condition and signed by the artist.
The author and illustrator: Charles van Sandwyk (born 1966) is a Canadian artist, illustrator, calligrapher, and bookmaker celebrated for his enchanting depictions of fairies, animals, gnomes, and imaginary worlds. Deeply influenced by the Golden Age of Illustration and the traditions of fine press publishing, he creates books that blur the boundaries between literature, art, and handcrafted objects.
His highly distinctive works are prized for their delicate line work, whimsical imagination, and meticulous attention to design. In addition to producing his own private press books through The Fairy Press, Van Sandwyk has illustrated numerous acclaimed editions for collectors and bibliophiles, including several celebrated publications for the Folio Society. His books have earned an international following and are now regarded among the most desirable contemporary works in the field of illustrated fantasy and fine press publishing.