2023 Rare First Edition - Will O' The Wisps, Pictured by Charles van Sandwyk
A delightful and scarce production from Charles van Sandwyk’s Fairy Press, featuring enchanting watercolour illustrations, whimsical verse, and a beautifully illustrated folding panorama of the elusive Will O’ the Wisps.
Author and illustrator: Charles van Sandwyk.
Title: Will O’ the Wisps. Observed, Pictured & Rhymed by C. V. Sandwyk, Esq.
Publisher: North Vancouver, British Columbia: The Fairy Press, a division of Charles van Sandwyk Fine Arts, no date (circa 2023). Issued in a small print run.
Edition: First edition of this Fairy Press interpretation.
Language: English.
Pages: Unpaginated (8 pages), with an additional folding panoramic illustration.
Size: 6.5 x 5 inches.
Binding: Fine original pale blue pictorial card covers, featuring a charming colour illustration of a winged, lantern-bearing creature surrounded by an elaborate woodland border. Hand-stitched binding, with the Fairy Press imprint and decorative vignette on the rear cover. Beautifully preserved. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Fine, with bright, clean pages and beautifully preserved illustrations, as shown. The illustrated folding panorama is present and neatly housed in its original pocket.
Illustrations: Complete with delicate colour illustrations throughout, a richly detailed double-page fairyland scene, numerous whimsical vignettes, and a remarkable folding panoramic illustration depicting an enchanting procession of Will O’ the Wisps and other imaginary woodland creatures.
Estimate: USD $200–250.
The book: Will O’ the Wisps is a captivating miniature journey into the imaginative world of Charles van Sandwyk, where mysterious lights illuminate the darkness and the smallest inhabitants of the natural world become extraordinary characters. Observed, pictured, and rhymed by the artist himself, this charming Fairy Press publication combines lyrical verse, exquisite calligraphy, and delicately coloured illustrations in a wonderfully intimate format. Its pages introduce an irresistible company of fantastical creatures: winged insects in pointed hats, tiny lantern bearers, curious woodland spirits, and other mischievous beings who inhabit the twilight hours.
Particularly delightful is the folding panoramic illustration, tucked into its own pocket, which unfolds to reveal a procession of fanciful characters beneath an imaginative nocturnal landscape. The publication reflects van Sandwyk’s fascination with the hidden life of the natural world and his remarkable ability to transform the ordinary into the magical. Inspired by his earlier Will O’ the Wisps concept of 2012, this later interpretation is a beautifully conceived example of contemporary fine illustrated bookmaking, especially appealing to collectors of fairy literature, illustrated books, and the artist’s increasingly sought-after Fairy Press productions.
The author and illustrator: Charles van Sandwyk (born 1966) is a celebrated Canadian artist, illustrator, and author whose distinctive work draws inspiration from the traditions of Golden Age book illustration, natural history, and the imaginative literature of childhood. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised in Vancouver, he developed a deeply personal artistic language populated by fairies, talking animals, woodland spirits, and other enchanting creatures. His delicate watercolours, intricate pen-and-ink drawings, and elegant hand-lettering evoke the atmosphere of an earlier age while remaining unmistakably his own.
Through his independent Fairy Press, van Sandwyk has created a remarkable body of finely produced illustrated books and prints, many issued in small quantities and cherished by collectors. He has also illustrated acclaimed editions for the Folio Society, including works by Lewis Carroll and Kenneth Grahame. Dividing his time between British Columbia and Fiji, he continues to find inspiration in the natural world, bringing extraordinary beauty, humour, and imagination to his artistic creations.