About this Item
AN ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT POEM, CALLIGRAPHICALLY LETTERED AND ILLUSTRATED IN WATERCOLOUR. VAN SANDWYK, Charles. Tree Whispers. Deep Cove, British Columbia: Charles van Sandwyk, 2025 8vo., bound in decorative full navy floral cloth; with onlaid manuscript label in colour to upper board; blue-green marbled endpapers; outer edges untrimmed; unpaginated [pp. xxxi] with three additional miniature inserts bound in; hand lettered, drawn, penned and painted by the author on antique cream, white and grey papers; manuscript throughout; with decorative titles, borders, vignettes and illustrations both full page and interspersed within text, featuring reading insects, owls, moonlit landscapes, hedgehogs and various tree folk; fine, as issued, complete in the custom-made green morocco and marbled clamshell case; lettered and lined in gilt, with five raised bands and floral vignettes gilt in compartments. A HAND DRAWN, LETTERED, PAINTED AND BOUND MANUSCRIPT of Charles Van Sandwyk s celebrated poem, Tree Whispers. The book was originally published in 2015 in a deluxe edition of 120 copies, of which 50 were reserved for the patrons of the High Branch Society. An unnumbered trade edition followed the same year. Charles van Sandwyk has devoted much of his adult life to the quiet study and contemplation of the natural world. With a deep love of nature and the array of creatures which inhabit the earth, this wonderful poem celebrates the magic and mystery of the woods, and, perhaps, how trees would speak, should we listen hard enough. From The Bible, to Shakespeare, to Tolkien, trees have been anthropomorphised for centuries. The Gospel of Mark speaks of "Men as trees, walking", and, perhaps most closely to the style of Van Sandwyk's drawings are those of Arthur Rackham, who portrayed them as "bristly, twisted, anthropomorphic trees that appear as the guises of Elves and other supernatural beings." Here, the illustrator brings them even more to life; reading books, strumming harps, and spinning spider webs, all in his unique and intricate style. Produced specially for Fold the Corner in the early months of 2025 at the author s own home in British Columbia, Canada, this is a one-of-a-kind manuscript. Alongside the hand-written poem, beautifully penned in his long, flowing hand, illustrations depict stag beetles adorned with fresh green leaves, penning poems and other songs; contemplative owls; scenes of forests and mountainscapes under the face of a moon and stars embellished in gold; anthropomorphosised tree and twig folk, some playing instruments; and other creatures simply enjoying a ride on the back of a falling leaf. "The ghostly trees Whisper forest tales Upon pages Made of their being" Unique.
Seller Inventory # 511
Contact seller
Report this item
