Letters from Fairyland

Charles van Sandwyk

Illustrated by the author

An exclusive new Folio edition, Letters from Fairyland features exquisite miniature envelopes filled with heartfelt letters from Fairyland, and is lavishly illustrated with Charles van Sandwyk’s enchanting illustrations.

$70.00
$70.00

Many years ago a young artist living in Canada received, out of the blue, a letter from a nine-year-old English girl, Miss Emma Gladstone. Emma had read some books about fairies which the artist had published and she was writing to ask his advice about the little people who she sometimes could see out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to invite the fairies to come and live in her garden, but she did not know how to make contact with them. One day he received a letter from a little girl in far away England, where the fairies live …

Production Details

Bound in blocked paper with a printed inset paper label

24 pages plus a 12 page concertina

Illustrated throughout and printed in 4 colours throughout

Features 5 printed pockets with letters, concertina and fairy money enclosed and a tipped-on leaf letter

Printed endpapers    

Blocked slipcase               

9˝ x 6˝

An endearing correspondence that became a book

The artist, one Charles van Sandwyk, replied with a series of helpful letters to Miss Gladstone which he later made into a little book, telling the story of how he had received a summons from the Royal High Secretary to the King of the Fairies, commanding him to paint His Majesty’s portrait; how he had shrunk in size and travelled to Fairyland in a coach drawn by a mouse, and everything that happened to him there. Once the book was finished, Charles printed just a handful of copies which he presented to members of an exclusive club, the High Branch Society.

When you are finished with the little letters, simply tie
them in a bundle and tuck them into a tree-hollow
at the end of your garden.
They will find their way back to me.

Mouse & Hedgehog

A beautiful new edition for Folio customers

Charles has now kindly agreed to make this unique correspondence available to Folio customers as well. This new edition is a larger format, with twice the number of pages, many new illustrations and a hardback binding. All the intriguing features of the original book have been retained: three of the exquisite letters, plus a pretty concertina of fairy portraits, are printed separately and inserted into pockets; a treasure chest reveals a cache of fairy money; and a delicate leaf letter has been hand-tipped onto another page. Amongst the new illustrations are a splendid depiction of His Imperial Majesty Watson Wimplewort Rex in his royal mound and a comprehensive double-page illustrated map of Fairyland. The endpapers are decorated with characters delivering letters, while the burgundy paper binding is blocked in gold lettering and features a striking inset label. Presented in a gold slipcase blocked with a charming illustration, this is a must-have edition for collectors of van Sandwyk’s books and those looking for the perfect children’s gift that will be treasured forever. 

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 BookThe 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.

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