The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

Illustrated by Charles van Sandwyk

The timeless adventures of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger have enchanted children and their parents for more than a century. This is a glorious edition of a children’s classic, with enchanting illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk.

The Wind in the Willows is about many things – the changing ­seasons, the beauty and fragility of nature, the thrill of the open road, and the creeping tide of suburbia – but it is the ­glorious adventures of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger that have enchanted children and their parents for more than a century. 

Of this Folio edition, author Michael Morpurgo has said, ‘In almost 100 years since its first publication, I doubt there has been a finer edition.’ One of our all-time best-sellers, it features illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk that perfectly evoke the idyllic world of wild wood and riverbank.

PRODUCTION DETAILS

Bound in blocked cloth with an inset paper label

Set in Founders Caslon

264 Pages

Frontispiece and 33 colour illustrations, and 50 integrated black & white illustrations

Printed endpapers

Printed slipcase

10˝ x 6¾˝

THE IDYLLIC WORLD OF WILD WOOD AND RIVER BANK

When Mole is drawn out of his underground abode (‘Hang spring-cleaning!’) by the imperious call of Spring, he is fascinated by the world above his home. The first animal he meets is lively Ratty, who introduces him to the beauties of the river and the joys of ‘simply messing about in boats’. Mr Toad, irrepressible aristocrat and creature of crazes, shatters this rural calm with his discovery of the automobile. ‘Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped – always somebody else’s horizon! Oh, bliss! Oh, poop-poop!’ Soon he is risking life and limb indulging his new-found passion, experiencing brushes with the law and landing himself in prison, much to the concern of his friends. Even stern Badger cannot control Toad’s lunatic enthusiasms and wild antics, until they are all faced with a tremendous battle against the scheming stoats and wheedling weasels that have taken over Toad Hall. Can the four friends win against the frightening denizens of the Wild Wood? And does our irresponsible hero really become ‘an altered Toad’?

The Wind in the Willows is about many things – the changing seasons, the beauty and fragility of nature, the perils of the open road and the creeping tide of suburbia – but it is the glorious adventures of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger that have enchanted generations of children and their parents for nearly a century. The sheer familiarity of the characters has been a challenge to artists ever since, and Charles van Sandwyk has risen to it magnificently. His wonderful illustrations breathe new life into the much-loved heroes of Kenneth Grahame’s classic, magically evoking the idyllic and occasionally dangerous world of wild wood and river bank.

This edition of Kenneth Grahame’s enchanting adventure, one of The Folio Society’s all-time best-sellers, features 83 wonderful illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk. Care has been lavished on every detail, from the luxurious Modigliani paper to the endpapers and slipcase, both printed with pen-and-ink designs. The cloth cover is blocked in black and gold, with a printed label inset showing Ratty and Mole by the fireside. This volume won the Grand Prix Award at the Printing World Awards.

‘It combines a love of nature with a nostalgia for boats, caravans and old cars, and hints at a more innocent time. I’ve loved it since I was ten and never tired of it’

Alan Titchmarsh

ABOUT CHARLES VAN SANDWYK

Charles van Sandwyk was born in South Africa and raised in Canada; he taught himself calligraphy and intaglio printing as a teenager. His first self-published book appeared when he was just 20, and won a national award. Since then his work has been archived by the National Library of Canada and treasured by private collectors across the world. Van Sandwyk has produced illustrations for the Folio editions of The Blue Fairy Book, The Wind in the Willows and How to See Fairies (which he both wrote and illustrated). A limited edition of Alice in Wonderland, illustrated by Charles van Sandwyk, was published by The Folio Society to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first edition. It sold out rapidly.