Hand & Eye The Wind in the Willows

Received this earlier today from the publisher:

"We're really pleased to be able to show you this photo of the first dummies of The Wind in the Willows.

On the left of the picture is the lettered edition in its solander box. The book itself is bound in black suede and foil blocked on the cover and spine. Judy White will be hand-colouring twenty-five of her eighty-plus illustrations.

The special edition in the middle will also have hand-coloured illustrations, thirteen of them. It is bound in book cloth and foil blocked on the cover and spine.

The standard edition on the right is quarter bound in book cloth with yellow paper sides.

While we're very happy with these dummies there are some changes to be made. The most obvious one is that the label on the front of the standard edition is to be moved higher up. Our friends at Ludlow Bookbinders are doing the modifications and once they're finished we'll be having the books photographed. We'll then produce a prospectus that will show all the bindings and which will announce the prices and include an order form.

We really value the interest that many of you have shown in our book and your patience during the extensive pre-production process. These first dummies are a major step towards finishing this exciting project and we wanted to show our appreciation of our mailing list subscribers by sharing them with you first."

More info and previews of the artwork are available on their website: https://www.handandeye.co.uk/books

The mockups look lovely. I really like that cover illustration on the standard. White's illustrations are a great fit for WITW. I'd love to have this on my shelf.

>2 jveezer: grateful to see what all three versions will look like and agree with you that the standard looks gorgeous, really stands out. Looking forward to the prospectus and idea of pricing.

>1 SolerSystem: Thank you. I'll keep an eye on this and, depending on the price, might try to pick up the special edition. Interesting to note that with Hand and Eye / Ludlow Bookbinders, it's basically the same printer/binder combo as Lyra's Stardust (though not clear if Rich Tong himself will have any involvement).

>4 Levin40: I don't think Rich Tong has any involvement, and the use of the same printer and binder shouldn't lead to such a conclusion or suspicion. Hand and Eye prints books of their own design, and prints books for others. Ludlow Bookbinders binds books for the public, generally. This book appears to be one designed by H&E based on the product page.

Rich might end up binding some of them, just cause he works at LB.

>5 U_238: Yes, it's certainly H&E's design and they're the publisher. All I meant was there's a chance Rich might help on some of the binding work, as you say. Clearly it's not his project and the 'Lyra's' name is in no way attached.

>6 Levin40: I'm happy to say that Rich is working on the binding of our Wind in the Willows as part of job at Ludlow Bookbinders. The book, binding included, is designed by Brian Webb.

At the moment we're making some last changes to the binding and I expect to have finished dummies imminently.

>7 handandeye: Thanks for the clarifications. With that team and what we've seen of Judy White's illustrations so far, it seems like we're in for a real treat. WitW is one of my favourite books and one of the few that I don't mind having multiple versions of on my shelves, just to see the take of a particular illustrator. Looking forward to receiving the prospectus in due course.

>8 Levin40: Just heard that the cloth we want for the special edition isn't stocked in this country and delivery is about two weeks.

I just received the prospectus in the UK and bought the special edition :). Let me try uploading the prospectus pics here so that eager folks around the world can order in time as well, as it looks really lovely and eager to get my hands on it.

For some reason it is not working and hence sticking the links below:

https://imgur.com/jDGkoYh
https://imgur.com/7zFC32F
https://imgur.com/x5uNoik

>10 venkysuniverse: >11 venkysuniverse: Thanks so much for letting us know, it's really appreciated. I haven't received any prospectus yet, so probably would have missed out on what is one of my 'must buys' for 2021. I too have ordered the special edition, which looks very special indeed: full letterpress, 80+ new illustrations, some of which are hand-coloured by the artist, numbered and signed by the artist. £325 for these features is very good value in my opinion.

Btw: anyone who is interested might want to be quick. There are only 45 copies of the special edition available and even the standard edition only has 150 copies.

I have also gone for the special edition.

I also inquired for a special edition. I have to say that the shipping is getting quite expensive. The other books on their page have much lower shipping costs.

>11 venkysuniverse: Thank you for sharing. I hadn't received the prospectus yet. Hand and Eye does great work and the Special Edition looks like a great value.

No worries and totally agree on the quality as I have all their books as well as most of their letterpress work for FS. It is up on their website now as well.

https://www.handandeye.co.uk/store/

Also picked up the special edition. At 945am EST only 10/45 Special Edition copies remain, and 128/150 of the Standard.

OK. I successfully resisted the first impulse temptation to order without thought or consideration of my bank account. Hopefully I have a little time to mull it over since I can only (sort of) afford the standard. Trying not to hyperventilate about how beautiful this favorite of mine looks.

Really want to be able to post this on my blog along with the Folio Society and the Mad Parrot editions.

Walk.away.from.your.computer.now.BREATHE.

I received the prospectus yesterday, so I had a good chance to mull over which one to go for........
Bought the special edition in the end!!!

>18 jveezer: That makes two of us! With only 2 special editions remaining I feel the decision will thankfully be made for me.

The special edition now sold out! As expected, that didn’t take long!

Shipping to the USA is $80 ...ouch! Is it really that costly to ship a book? It might very well be, still it does give one pause.

>22 astropi: the site checkout charged me 22 GBP for shipping to Canada for the standard edition. Either the editions have wildly different shipping rates (possible), or USA is much more expensive than Canada (unlikely), or the site was confused by my very standard Canadian address (possible but strange given the interface seemed relatively modern).

Got the standard edition. I just didn't like the cover of the special edition, the image just looks too big somehow, like it doesn't belong there. Plus, never read the book so I don't have any emotional connection to it like many here seem to have.

>23 abysswalker: I noticed that as well; Phil quoted £65 for shipping to Canada in the past, so it’s very likely the website glitched.

I lasted a couple hours after the special sold out and then just said "Onion Sauce!" and gave into my FOMO. Ordered the standard. Like >24 filox: I really like the clean looks of that state.

Now to see which whether the Mad Parrot or the Hand & Eye The Wind in the Willows shows up first....

>20 wongie: Now to see which whether the Mad Parrot or the Hand & Eye The Wind in the Willows shows up first....

Good point. Does anyone know when delivery is estimated? I couldn't find anything about this on the website.

>22 astropi: Shipping to the USA is $80 ...ouch!

Consider yourself lucky. Those of us in Europe have routinely had to pay $80-$100+ for US deliveries for years. Always seems to have been much less in the opposite direction. Maybe it's starting to even up now, don't know. Even stranger for me is that delivery to the US is now cheaper than to the EU (£55 vs £60). So sending a parcel from London to LA (almost 9000km) is now cheaper than from London to Paris (under 500km)?? Something to do with Brexit? The mysteries of the modern world...

>27 Levin40: economy of scale? Processes that have to be streamlined yet since Brexit?

>24 filox: - The cover design for the standard edition is also my favorite, largely for the simple reason that the yellow feels bright and welcoming and the black just a little too somber. That said the hand colored pages on the numbered edition ultimately pushed me in that direction.

>20 wongie:
Yes admin fees are higher with EU now. It's not really the distance, but customs work etc.

>27 Levin40: that is definitely illogical, I'll say that much! Also agree that the standard edition is easily the best-looking of the bunch.



Here's a question: do you think this will go down as one of the best WiTW of all time?
I do... in fact there are only two other "fine" editions I can think of. One is the Rackham edition from (I believe) 1951. The other is the Folio Society edition with illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk. Both have been extensively reproduced. From the pictures I have seen, the limited Rackham edition is not particularly remarkable despite the gorgeous illustrations. The limited FS edition is very expensive, very beautiful, although not printed letterpress. It will be interesting to hear from someone that has all three, but I'm fairly certain this will go down as a truly coveted edition. As for the forthcoming Mad Parrot Press edition, that is far beyond my price range. However, for those that get both editions I want a comparison and pictures :)

I agreed with the general consensus about the looks of the standard edition, but I've a feeling the special/numbered edition may be more impressive in hand than it looks in the photo. Actually, I'm a little confused about what is on the cover. Black foil? Silver foil? This seems to be design change from mock up in post >1 SolerSystem:, where we can see from the slight wrap-around of mole's hand that gold foil is used. I guess they thought the special edition looked too similar to the lettered.

Been having a closer look at Judy White's illustrations and I have to say I really like her work. Fun, humorous and perfect for this book. She has a wonderful way of creating expressions with just a few strokes of the brush.

>28 SebRinelli: >30 Raenas: Maybe, but I still find it odd. Don't parcels go through customs in the US too? And in any case, any additional customs charges are in general passed on to the customer. All I can say is that the carrier chosen by H&E must be pretty bad at optimising their post-Brexit processes. Just had a look at the first two carriers which sprang to mind (Royal Mail and DHL) and both of them still have 'Europe' destinations which are cheaper than other international destinations, as one would expect.

https://www.royalmail.com/sites/royalmail.com/files/2021-03/royal-mail-our-price...
https://parcel.dhl.co.uk/dhl-service-point/size-and-price-guide/

>32 Levin40: You can zoom in on the pics

although you're right, it's probably more impressive in person. That said, I still think the standard is the best-looking of the three - personal opinion of course. Also, in general I'm not a fan of cloth on books which is the case with the numbered and lettered, but that is also just a personal opinion. I think the draw with the numbered edition is that 12 illustrations are hand-colored by the artist... that's 540 total illustrations hand-colored, phew I wonder if she got tired or bored :)
The lettered edition is 24 illustrations hand-colored, which is another 624 illustrations to color!

>32 Levin40: “Don't parcels go through customs in the US too?”

The US has had, relatively speaking, more liberal regulations regarding imports, though I imagine the details vary by product and source of package. Having lived in both the US and Canada, anecdotally commerce is much smoother and less bureaucratic in the US. I don’t think I’ve ever had an unexpected customs or duty fee when ordering something in the US, but it happens with some regularity in Canada. My impression from talking to others is that Europe is much like Canada in this regard, or even more complex, and the common market has helped this only a little, from the perspective of the end consumer.

The US market is also quite large, which probably helps with efficiency.

>33 astropi: You can zoom in on the pics
Ok, I've zoomed in and I still can't tell :-) Is it just embossed or also foiled with black or silver? The description clearly says 'foil blocked cover and spine'.

that's 540 total illustrations hand-colored
That's why there are only 45 copies of the numbered I guess. This is an excellent example of an non artificial reason for having a low limitation (cf the recent Suntup discussion)

>31 astropi: I do... in fact there are only two other "fine" editions I can think of.
Yeah, it's like buses. You wait for decades then two come along at once :-)

>34 abysswalker: Thanks. Didn't realise there was such a difference between the US and Canada in this respect actually.

>31 astropi: Why do you think the LEC edition with the Rackham illustrations is unremarkable?

>29 jeremyjm: Indeed, the hand colored illustrations are a big plus. If they made the numbered edition with the standard edition cover, that would have made it a much harder choice for me.

>36 ultrarightist: The layout, type, cover, and even the way the illustrations were included seemed rather unremarkable to me. The one thing I remember thinking is that the paper is quite nice, but otherwise the whole book seemed rather bland. Again, the illustrations are fabulous, just the way they were shown was not ideal - and I'm probably being picky here, but considering the price of the book it's okay to be a bit picky :)
https://rareandantiquebooks.com/first-edition-books/wind-willows-grahame-rackham...

>38 astropi: I see. I agree that the original cover is unremarkable. I purchased a copy with a well done custom binding (quarter-goatskin with linen sides), for significantly less than the listing you linked to. I like the LEC well enough, and am not tempted by the Hand & Eye or Mad Parrot editions (although I readily acknowledge their attractiveness).

>38 astropi: If I am not very much mistaken, the book displayed in this post/link is not the Limited Editions Club version which was printed in 1940. Instead I think it is the hundredth edition done by Methuen in 1951. The edition displayed had a limitation of only 500, compared to the 2020 copies of the LEC. It seems to command a much higher price ($2000+) compared to the LEC ($600+).

The LEC binding features an off-white linen spine and batik paper sides. Both editions have the illustrations tipped in, however the Methuen seems to only include 12 of the original 16 color plates.

I don't think this info will change your opinion on the LEC. Even at the somewhat lower price, the LEC is not inexpensive. Also layout, the way illustrations are included etc. are quite close between both editions. Due to Rackham's death in 1939, the LEC does not contain his signature.

>39 ultrarightist: >40 teppi2: Yeah, I find the LEC edition rather bland as well. I think it's rather a lost opportunity. Had the books been able to include Rackham's signature it would be valuable for that alone, but as it stands, this is one LEC that has never tempted me. The Mad Parrot edition is far beyond my price range, but the Hand and Eye edition is too good to pass up. Pre-publication price £145.00. Published price £175.00. Even the published price is still much less than the LEC and the illustrations are whimsical and perfectly fit the book.

I was about to order the standard edition with slipcase but the shipping was 55 pounds to the US (about 75 USD today). This was almost 1/3 of the cost of the book and slipcase. I actually would have purchased the numbered edition if it were available, in which case the shipping cost would not have seemed as bad relative to the cost of the book. In contrast, the FS charged 57 USD for my last express shipment of multiple heavy books (would have 20 less if not express) and 60 USD for the upcoming Dante LE (3 volumes in a case). There is the preorder discount which makes it seem slightly less bad, but I decided not to purchase now due to the shipping cost relative to the cost of the book.

Anyone have inside information on shipping? At one point I think September was shipping estimate.

>43 trentsteel: "expect to start shipping in November"

From a recent instagram post.

Not that it's a race--more just a curious (unprecedented?) coincidence in private press--but it seems this might beat the Mad Parrot edition to my doorstep.

Somehow the planets have aligned and there's a place for both on the shelf next to my Folio Society limited edition. I guess I'll be reading this delightful story twice more for my blog and personal pleasure. Now if I could just figure out which box in my parent's basement my childhood copy was in...

>44 EdmundRodriguez: nice. Hopefully all shipped and received in time for a holiday read.

>46 trentsteel:

Indeed, very much looking forward to getting my hands on this one.

The artist has put photos of lots of the hand coloured pages on her Instagram (judywhiteart), I think they are looking really nice. The illustrations seem to work well as line drawings, but the splash of colour also adds something in my opinion.

Any updates on when will shipping be? When I preordered I was still in Malaysia but I just moved to the UK so I am wondering how and when should I change my shipping address

>48 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: I'd say immediately. Still seems on track for early November.

>49 NathanOv: Great! Thank you. Can't wait to see the final product 😍

>50 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: I hope you will post pics and review of this when you get it, as copies are still available!

>51 punkzip: I purchased the numbered which I believe are now sold out. I definitely will post pictures up once I get them. I emailed them last night and they promptly changed my address and refunded me the extra I paid for shipping to Malaysia

I have been debating this question with myself for far too long and need some input from the collective including hopefully Phil himself.
Wind in the Willows from Hand & Eye

Standard edition; stand alone, great job, great price.

Numbered edition; better quality paper and a dozen of the illustrations are hand coloured, cloth bound, slip case, another great job, another great price.

Lettered edition; same print block as the numbered, a further dozen illustrations coloured, suedel bound and a solander box.

Using naive logic, it appears that the suedel binding and the solander box adds around £1000. Am I seeing that correctly?

Thanks in advance for any input.

>53 paulm16: Numbered edition isn't available so that is a moot point now. The lettered edition is about the same price as the DWP WiTW so that would be the competition IMO. Neither has sold out, probably related to the dual publication.

Thanks for the swift response but it didn’t really help with my understanding of the price difference between the two top tiers of this particular book. Unless of course you are suggesting the lettered was just priced to match the competition.

>53 paulm16: I think the additional hand-coloring by the artist is the bigger factor there. Not sure why you excluded that when considering the price difference since that's a huge factor.

That said, if you were to go out on your own and get yourself a leathered solander without the foil blocking, which obviously you can't do economically on an individual basis that probably a good £200, and you'd be hard pressed to upgrade the binding for less than an additional £300, so there's certainly plenty of justification for the price difference.

>55 paulm16: Since all the information is on the website and the books are not shipped you summarized the website info completely there isn't much else anyone can say unless it is Phil. I was just suggesting that the value proposition for the lettered edition would be comparing it to the DWP edition, not necessarily the lower states.

>56 the_bb: Yes, nail on the head there. I think its exactly as you see it. For me, a small extra portfolio of prints from the artist would have added the extra value.

>53 paulm16: There are 24 hand coloured illustrations in the lettered, 12 in the numbered with a total of 80 illustrations in each. Add that to the differences in the binding and the solander case and therein lies the difference in price. I prefer the illustrations in Hand & Eye compared to DWP. There are no longer any numbered copies left. So your choice is between the fine and the lettered

>57 NathanOv: Thanks for the reply Nathan. I agree with your guestimates on the box and binding.

I did take account of the hand colouring and I didn’t exclude it. My understanding is that the lift in quality from standard to numbered is better paper, foiled boards, a slipcase and a dozen hand coloured illustrations. All that added £180. As I stated, great value. That figure suggests that the colouring of a dozen illustrations is somewhere less that the £180.

Please don’t take me for a critic of the press, I am not and in fact am committed to other lettered editions from this business.

I believe, as suggested, that the extra value is in the limitation.

>61 paulm16: Value isn't all about the materials or time put into it - it's about the artistry and desirability of a particular state. The lettered edition is meant to be considerably more deluxe and has significantly more attention from the artist as well as design elements absent from other states.

In addition to exclusivity, I believe economies of scale play a role here. Getting the solander boxes and the special bindings done for 26 books costs more (per book) than if they did the exact same for 200 books.

>63 filox: This is true to some extent, but much less than in typical manufacturing. Hand-binding work doesn't have much economy of scale at all actually because the "setups" are a relatively small fraction of the overall work time. Letterpress printing has more typical economy of scale, as most of the work is in the typesetting and press setup.

I received a handmade slipcase quote from an esteemed bindery the other day:

100 = $28.50 each
500 = $26.50 each

I think people are forgetting the cost of DESIGN. Good design isn't free. In fact, it's quite expensive. The idea that bookmakers should charge for materials and production costs, but then should write off the intellectual and artistic aspects of the work as volunteer hours is widespread but wrong. Designing books requires a huge amount of time, energy, and effort. There are prototypes to make, suppliers to find, ideas to have and reject and revise. Designing a high-end book is a ton of work, and the cost of that work is divided among the number of copies. To justify the cost of a high-end book by calculating the material and labor costs is akin to justifying the cost of a painting by the cost of paints, canvas, and the artist's hourly rate.

>64 grifgon: That is so well put.

>64 grifgon: Designing a high-end book is a ton of work, and the cost of that work is divided among the number of copies

But this is exactly an economy of scale. Designing the book costs a fixed amount of man hours, but once the design is done you can print as many books as you'd like (modulo factors like rights, available materials etc which I think is irrelevant here). Thus, the more books you print, the cheaper they will be because you can spread your fixed cost over many copies.

>66 filox: Regarding design, yes 100% right!

My comment about economy of scale being less applicable in fine presswork was just about the work done in the bindery.

Have there been any updates regarding shipping timeline?

>68 Nightcrawl: The last update was in July:
All being well printing will be finished before the end of this month and we'll be moving straight on to colouring and binding. We expect to deliver finished copies this autumn.

Another update would be considered overdue at this point I think.

>68 Nightcrawl: >69 What_What: I asked Phil about this back in December and he replied that early January was likely. So expect something soon.

>70 Levin40: Thanks!

Needed a comfort read, so I' m reading the Mad Parrot WITW now. It will be fun to compare the reading experience of the Hand & Eye to that of the MP and the Folio Society limited edition that I blogged about previously. I think five editions of this book is probably enough, no?

>72 jveezer: You can never have enough WITW.

Email update from Phil Abel states: "All being well they will finish the binding and ship the books by the end of the month."

Looking forward to seeing another wonderfully illustrated WITW on my shelf. And I'll probably need another comfort read by the time it shows up, since the pandemic and climate (both actual and political) remain grim in the U.S. As Mr. Badger says, "They are going it, the weasels!"

>72 jveezer: No, five editions is not enough. See

https://www.librarything.com/topic/159157

or check out The Illustrators of The Wind in the Willows

Looking forward to receiving mine. I passed on the Mad Parrot edition, and after seeing the photos have regretted it. Hand & Eye’s will be my consolation.

I've been surprised that the Mad Parrot WiTW has not sold out. 20 copies available? Perhaps competition from the Hand and Eye edition, as they have not sold out their highest state either.

>76 realto: I dont own a copy of Mad Parrot's WiTW but the illustrations in H&E are more appealing to me... Looking forward to receiving my copy especially with the hand coloured illustrations

>78 punkzip: Its probably fewer at this point, as that was a November update I think.

I initially wavered on the Hand and Eye version, as from certain angles it looks a bit like Quentin Blake’s illustrations, which I strongly dislike. But got it anyway.

I've wavered on the Mad Parrot edition. I have the LEC with the Rackham illustrations in a custom rebind (goatskin spine and linen sides), and am satisfied with that.

Anyone got shipping notice on this yet?

>82 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: I’ve not heard anything yet.

The Standard Edition is still listed at the pre-publication price, so possibly these aren't ready yet? I did notice that they are using Zerkall mouldmade paper, hopefully they laid on stocks of that in advance.

>84 Shadekeep: I believe the printing finished up a little while ago and it was in the binding stage, so the paper shouldn't be the hold up at this point.

"'The Wind in the Willows' will be shipped by the end of the month."...was posted to instagram witha photo of the standard edition on January 21. I feel like they would have had to be pretty confident to make such a claim 10 days out or less. Wonder what's going on. Hopefully we get another update soon.

>85 Nightcrawl: Thank you! Thinking of getting this one myself, so I appreciate the insight.

>85 Nightcrawl: I missed the numbered which seems like obviously the best deal and apparently sold out fairly quickly while the other states are still available. They likely should have increased the limitation on this. Was thinking about the standard but the slipcase was extra and shipping was high to the US. The lettered seems like a hard sell given that the DWP version is about the same price. I'm guessing the lettered might have affected the sales of the DWP version as well.

>87 punkzip: Likely limited by how many the artist could do/wanted to do, as she’s hand-coloured 12 illustrations in each of them.

>87 punkzip: I missed the numbered as well, but probably still would have gone for the standard. I think the binding best represents the story. Missing out on the hand-colored illustrations is the only drawback IMO.

>89 Nightcrawl: Yeah I agree about the binding. Black seems the worst possible color for WiTW, and I have difficulty seeing why it was chosen for the numbered and lettered.

>90 punkzip: I concur, the standard binding is much nicer in that jolly yellow. I would have liked to see the premier editions in a forest green or similar.

>89 Nightcrawl: For what it is worth, when I lamented to the artist about missing the hand-colored illustrations, she actually commented that she herself preferred the black and white illustrations for this edition of the book. So maybe my standard is that much closer to what the artist envisioned and favors.

>92 jveezer: That is great to know! The black and white illustrations are definitely to my taste as well.

Still no shipping updates?

>94 Nightcrawl: I inquired on their fb post and they replied and said likely next week

>95 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: Hope so! The anticipation is killing me.

Their update yesterday said:

We’ve had a few customers asking if “The Wind in the Willows” has been shipped yet. They are currently with @ludlowbookbinders who will start shipping them in the next few days. They won’t all be sent at once. If you haven't ordered a copy and think you might want one you still have time to take advantage of the pre-publication prices of the Standard and Lettered Editions. Once the pre-orders have shipped the full prices will apply.

Dhl notification received. Should be arriving this week for me :)

>92 jveezer: I’m surprised that someone commissioned to create artwork for a book would publicly share this sort of opinion, especially when the hand-colouring comes at a premium - both in terms of her compensation and the cost that is passed on to the publisher’s customers.

Is this sort of thing normal? Was it perhaps shared in confidence?

I’d be disappointed if I were Phil.

>98 trentsteel: Congrats! Which state did you get?

Standard.

>101 trentsteel: I ordered standard as well. Keeping an eye out for a shipping notification.

>99 What_What: Absolutely not in confidence; it was on IG. There are people who prefer color and people who prefer none. There are books and illustrations that favor cover and those that favor black and white. Personal preference always rules in illustration. Maybe they prefer simpler lines for this simple story. But regardless of the artist's personal opinion, there is a LOT of work and time that goes into coloring and different paper and materials needed and all of that make up the premium one pays for the deluxe, as well as all of the other non-illustrator related bells and whistles.

And given that the deluxe is already sold out, I doubt Phil would be too concerned. I have no doubts the other two states will sell out as well.

We beat to death the subjectiveness of illustrations on this forum and we'll never stop discussing it, I'm sure. That is part of the beauty of art. For example, I love James Joyce and his books and have multiple editions. Some editions honor his desire that Ulysses shouldn't be illustrated and some don't. Some people might not buy an edition that was counter to his wishes. Some, like me, do. Even he signed some of the Limited Editions Club editions with Matisse's illustrations that he probably hated for a myriad of reasons. But his life was a financial struggle and he probably couldn't turn down the signing fee.

Oh, and got my shipping info for the Standard edition as well. Can't wait to thumb through it. Might be a while before I read it since I just read the Mad Parrot edition and need to write the review of that for The Whole Book Experience...

Excited for those who have received notification of shipment!
I’ve ordered the numbered edition so I expect that will be sent after the standard edition due to the coloured illustrations, but do hope it will be soon.
Please post pics of the standard edition for those who receive it, I do love the colour yellow on this edition so bright and cheerful!

I have my copy (number 101 - what room shall I put that in?), arrived unannounced today. Beautifully designed and printed, very nicely bound, and bw illustrations every bit as appealing as they promised to be on announcement. Excellent work all round, and congratulations are in order for the whole team. And outstanding value, if there are people hesitating out there.

(post deleted, I found where the colored versions of the illustrations were shown)

>106 affle: You're the first recipient it seems! Congrats and great to hear it's as wonderful as it looked. I'm highly anticipating my numbered copy, though it appears these might be shipping later.

I'm actually quite amazed that the 150 standard copies have yet to sell out, especially when one considers that Suntup has already sold over 900 copies of Animal Farm in a week at more or less the same price. Must be down to marketing I suppose. I'd advise anyone on the fence to get their order in quick though. Copies of this edition will be scarce and highly sought after.

>108 Levin40: to be fair, Animal Farm is a far more popular novel so it's not really surprising that it sells better.

>108 Levin40: It probably sounds churlish to say, but it's the shipping to the US that has kept me from picking this one up. It's more on this single book than it was on the multiple books I recently order from The Old Stile Press, and is just too large a percentage of the purchase. I know the press has no control over the cost, but that's $75 I can put towards other purchases.

I suppose if money is an issue I shouldn't be in the fine press collecting game in the first place, but honestly this is one of the rare times where it's been enough to make me pause.

>110 Shadekeep: I agree on the shipping. End of the day, I just look at total cost and say for that total cost, is this a reasonable price point. It's kind of like ebay in a way. People can offer free shipping, but often markup the price anyways to cover for their anticipated shipping costs.

>110 Shadekeep: Postage is terrifying at the moment, the last couple of books I have ordered have been doubled by the cost. In and out of the UK, seems to be everywhere too.

>111 trentsteel: Yes, I do the same and weigh the total cost versus the desirability of the object. And I realise that shipping should be an expensive affair, considering all the logistics involved. I think in this case the shipping is swaying me against this book just because I'm right on the fence about it. I'd love to have a fine edition of this title, but there are other versions I like more and I am probably going to hold out and see what the future brings. These things seem to come in waves, with multiple presses releasing the same title.

>112 marceloanciano: Indeed, postage between the UK and the US is daunting these days. It's interesting that I get much better rates from EU nations like Germany and France, where I tend to order a lot of art books from.

I think it's important to not assume any agenda on a private press' part when it come to shipping rates. Yes, out there in the Amazon and on Ebay and bookjacker land there are plenty of unscrupulous sellers who overcharge customers for shipping to make up profit. It's happened to me. But I doubt there is a fine press with that agenda.

The disruption to global shipping and distribution systems is well documented and there is certainly profiteering going on but again, not at the press level. I'm have a small on-line business that exclusively uses the constitutionally established USPS that is being deliberately undermined by the privateers to drive profit to the FedEx'es and UPS's of the world. Somebody is paying for the "free" shipping you get from Amazon. Taxpayers. Don't order a $5 pouch of tea from me because you will pay the same in shipping even though it's light enough that I'm practically shipping you air by weight. Even I would really have to love that tea to pay the same in shipping as the tea itself. But I lose money every month on shipping because I can't keep up with the rate increases while offering flat-rate shipping. If anything drives me out of business, it will probably be shipping.

If you love fine press, don't punish the printer for things outside their control. (But I totally understand using shipping or other things as budgetary control tools to keep! ;)

You probably will be able to get some more Long Jing (if that's what you're into) next year but you probably won't be able to order a WITWs from Phil. And then you'll be paying market premium on top of still having to pay shipping...

Sorry for the soapbox on an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I guess it's the adolescent stamp collector in me that grieves for the USPS.

>110 Shadekeep: Yes, shipping is an issue at the moment, in all directions. I can completely understand why it might put many off.

>109 filox: I've heard this sentiment expressed a few times and I think it's a US perspective. In the UK WitW is regarded as an all-time classic known by almost everyone, on basically the same level as Alice in Wonderland. I've wonder why there's this transatlantic difference.

Anyway, Animal Farm is just the most recent Suntup example. I doubt that WitW is lesser known than say, The Butcher Boy or The Collector, even in the US, and Suntup sold 150 AE copies of those in an instant.

Cost of shipping is also much more than just the postage itself. Most presses I know charge collectors for the cost of the postage, but the cost of packing materials (skyrocketing lately) and the time spent packing itself is basically taken as a loss. If you consider that a single package might take 15 minutes to prep, it adds up to a lot of volunteer hours. When you see a press charging a lot for shipping, it's possible that they are simply charging the full and actual cost and not just the postage.

>117 grifgon: Shipping and handling, not just postage. I can understand that a press might want to do it that way, as long as it wasn't exorbitant. Trade publishers charge S&H to booksellers, so why not fine presses?

>103 jveezer: Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I actually purchased the numbered myself, and part of my surprise at the revelation is, I think, disappointment on my part for now feeling I’ve paid more for an inferior product.

I wonder to what extent artists impose their artistic/creative preference on projects? I suppose there must be some boundaries, not met in this case, where they will not go, and situations where they might just have a preference but will do it anyway.

>115 jveezer: I certainly don't believe any fine press is deliberately jacking up their shipping costs. I think it's the most cost-effective rates most of them can get and they are at best breaking even, or as grifgon points out more likely eating a loss. I meant that pretty much everything I buy from the UK is absolutely dunned in shipping at moment, not just fine press. And in this particular case the UK shipping was enough to dissuade from the very tentative purchase. I would love to own a fine edition of The Wind in the Willows, but I want it to be an edition I am passionate about. I can be patient. ^_^

I miss the numbered and have to admit that I did not order the standard due to the cost of shipping relative to the book (shipping was 55 GBP relative to the 145 GBP cost of the book) - the slipcase was extra as well. It's not so much the shipping cost but the shipping cost relative to the price of the book - it wouldn't have been as much of an issue for me if I had managed to get the numbered. I take it that shipping is not a profit center for Hand and Eye, but I'm still wondering how publishers like Amaranthine and Lyra's can offer free worldwide shipping - it would seem that they are subsidizing non-EU and non-UK customers respectively, or just charging everyone more to cover the "free" shipping.

>121 punkzip: Well, consider this. I recently purchased MoSF Robert Sheckley from CP. Cost of book $65. Cost of shipping $70. Crazy yes, but it was either that or not get the book. Such is this hobby I'm afraid. Sigh.

And also, yes, I think Lyra's were clearly subsidizing US buyers with their inclusive shipping. I must admit I found this slightly annoying at the time; not only do I have to pay huge amounts for shipping from the US, but I now also subsidize US buyers and get no benefit from purchasing from the UK! Still, I can't really blame them if a large proportion of their market (perhaps the majority) is in the US.

>119 What_What:

"Part of my surprise.....I think, is disappointment on my part for now feeling I've paid more for an inferior product."

WHAT_WHAT ??

Your joking, of course. The numbered edition was the sweet spot amongst the three versions and there is good reason this version rapidly Sold Out, whereas the other two versions remain readily available. For the additional 145 GBP you are getting a more attractive binding, a classier slipcase than the add-on slipcase for the Standard Edition and twelve hand-colored illustrations from amongst the eighty illustrations. Owning the Hand & Eye edition of 'A Christmas Carol' in both the standard B&W and deluxe (with hand-colored) illustrations, I feel that the colored illustrations add a level of visual interest not present in the Standard Edition and I am certain I will feel similarly with regard to TWITW.

Relax, take a deep breath, and chill. You did not make a mistake - you are out-thinking this.

>119 What_What: I think you might be reading a bit too much into this. It just sounds like a throwaway remark made by the artist to make >92 jveezer: feel better after he 'lamented to the artist about missing the hand-colored illustrations'.

>123 dlphcoracl: Better paper too

>123 dlphcoracl: >124 Levin40: Thank you both! I am genuinely looking forward to it, and will very quickly forget any reservations I had I am sure.

>116 Levin40: I think it's a UK vs. rest of the world perspective. I'm in Europe (not UK), and have never heard of this book until I started collecting. I'd wager most folks outside of the UK are not familiar with it either. On the other hand, Animal Farm is taught in school as part of required reading, at least where I'm from.

But it's getting off topic, my point was just that the popularity of the book has a lot to do with it being sold out. Another possible explanation is that WITW is a children's book, which are typically collected less often, whereas the horror genre that Suntup publishes has very devoted collectors for whatever reason.

>126 filox: Children's book? I'm not so sure. Certainly I enjoyed it as a kid and children will enjoy it superficially because that's what they can grasp from it. And, of course,...otters and moles! But like all great stories, there is plenty underneath for adults to ponder and enjoy, layers like an onion or an ogre,...for example the decayed and abandoned city that have "gone to the badgers" like all things of men.

More likely viewed and marketed as a children's book to take advantage of that huge target available market that companies love to take advantage of. Market it for kids and some auntie will buy if for them without the usual screening they might for themselves. Luckily, in this case, and in my opinion, we're talking about a true literary classic.

>127 jveezer: "But whereas Alice’s Adventures is a children’s book that can be read by adults, The Wind in the Willows is an adult’s book that can be read by children."

https://lithub.com/the-wind-in-the-willows-isnt-really-a-childrens-book/

Received my standard copy today, unheralded, and I'm very pleased.

>126 filox: while I suspect Orwell's most influential novels are better known than The Wind in the Willows in North America, The Wind in the Willows is quite famous in North America as well, in my experience. I for sure was familiar with it as a child growing up in North America.

I was curious, so I went and compared the best sellers rankings of amazon.com with amazon.co.uk. Not a perfect measure, but probably not the worst either.

amazon.com The Wind in the Willows:
5,210 ratings
Best Sellers Rank:
132 in Teen & Young Adult (Kindle Store)
132 in Literary Fiction (Kindle Store)
203 in Classic Literary Fiction

amazon.co.uk The Wind in the Willows:
4,842 ratings
Best Sellers Rank:
35 in Teen & Young Adult (Kindle Store)
65 in Literary Fiction (Kindle Store)
41 in Classic American Fiction

I found the above listings by searching in all departments and choosing the product from the first page of results in the default "featured" ranking that had the highest quantity of reviews and was also obviously the book. This is ASIN B073WBXQYZ on both sites. Edit: I just now noticed that amazon.co.uk has The Wind in the Willows on the American fiction rank list, which seems odd, but whatever.

I wouldn't make too much of the absolute number of ratings, as I suspect amazon.com has more customers than amazon.co.uk. But the rankings within platform/storefront should loosely control for number of customers.

If you actually look at the lists, there are a number of items that obviously don't belong (including some quite recent releases), so the classification system is flawed from an accuracy perspective, but by examination you can see which unambiguous classics have bubbled to the top through the noise. At the time I am typing, Animal Farm is number 119 in Books on amazon.com and number 303 in Books on amazon.co.uk.

We read Animal Farm in my highschool here in the States, and I didn't hear about The Wind in the Willows until later in life, when I started moving in more Anglophilic circles. It was seen as very much a British book, as opposed to a book by a British author like Orwell or Dickens. By which I mean its context is very much of its place and time. Same with Three Men In A Boat. Not saying that people didn't get it or appreciate it, but rather that it has a little bit less universality than say Animal Farm. Or at least such was our experience.

>130 abysswalker: I'm not saying no one in the US ever heard of this novel, just that it's far far less well-known outside of UK. Look at the goodreads ratings (yeah, not a perfect measure, but still pretty indicative): Animal Farm has ~3.2 million ratings, WITW ~200 thousand. So we're talking a factor of more than 10x in popularity.

As for it not being a children's book, I guess it depends on your point of view. Grahame himself apparently claimed that the basis for WITW was bedtime stories that he told his son, so... I'm not saying it cannot be enjoyed by adults or that it doesn't have hidden meanings etc, but it still seems like a children's book primarily.

Rcvd. First impressions very very nice! Slipcase is super sturdy, and interior is lined with a soft fabric. Endpapers are nice and paper of text block nice to touch. Overall very pleased with the purchase and would recommend upgrading to include slipcase for those that ordered the standard,if not too late.

>133 trentsteel: Thanks for the quick review. Very excited to receive mine (should be early next week.) Are the endpapers illustrated/letterpress printed?

Love mine too!!! Especially the afterword by the Artist. And, as trentsteel points out, that's how you make a slipcase. When I get around to making my own, this one might be my model.

>134 Nightcrawl: I think it's just a printed pattern, I am not sure if letterpress, but could be. I just appreciate when they aren't just a single color. Having a design on endpapers adds a little something extra.

My copy (numbered) arrived today. My initial impression is that this is a perfect little book. Exactly the right level of fanciness for the material. The gray and yellow color scheme is simultaneously dignified and cheerful.

I took some pictures of my standard edition copy, which you can see here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/339838

(I opted to create a separate topic to avoid loading issues here, since there are a decent amount of photos.)

If there are any U.S. folks on the fence because of shipping costs, I've got a standard with slipcase I'm considering selling. Shipping will be much cheaper than ordering from the UK. PM if interested.

I got my numbered copy today. I love everything about it except the binding design. The stamping on the cover is only really noticeable in bright lighting, and it drives me crazy that the tips of the fingers on one of mole’s hands carry over on to the spine - like someone broke his fingers by bending them backwards over the edge of the binding. I asked, and it’s intentional, but I just don’t get it as a design choice. It’s like the stamp was designed for a slightly bigger size book and they just decided to go with it anyway. Given the choice, I think I would have preferred the standard binding - but on the other hand, I love the hand colored illustrations, and wouldn’t want to give those up and replace it with a standard edition. Oh well - can’t have everything, I suppose.

The rest of the book is lovely, though. The illustrations are profuse and delightful, the printing is excellent, and it is on a very nice textured paper.

>139 jsg1976: I agree on all the points. I would have liked a brighter cover as well as it is too dull. Otherwise I love the book!

>139 jsg1976: Same thoughts here as well. The coloured illustrations are lovely and I am pretty happy with my copy

My numbered copy arrived this morning. Lovely book, I have no issues with the black cloth binding design choice personally (not saying I would have picked it, but I do like the simplicity of it). The hand-coloured illustrations for each new chapter (and title page) are great, I think these splashes of colour make the book even more joyful. First impressions of the paper also very good.

I really love the colour on the title page, think it works really well.


Fundamentally I think the illustrations are already very strong in black and white, but I really do like having the little extra bit of colour spread throughout the book. Adds a nice variety and does feel worth the extra effort from the artist (and cost, at least for this customer...).

Does anyone have an email for Hand & Eye besides print@handandeye.co.uk?

>144 ChampagneSVP: have you tried phil@handandeye.co.uk ?

>145 NathanOv: thanks. Trying that too now.

Phil’s Hand and Eye editions wonderful book of the Wind in the Willows is nearly sold out.

Grab one of the last few copies for Christmas. It’s a lovely book, tactile and warm, made in the best Fine Press tradition, and I can't recommend it enough (and, I know you know he's my partner in Arete).

https://www.handandeye.co.uk/store/The-Wind-in-the-Willows-Standard-Edition-with...

>147 marceloanciano:

FWIW, I will second Marcelo's recommendation. I own a copy and the illustrations by Judy White are spot on - and there are many of them. Phil Abel's letterpress printing is reliable, as always, and the Standard Edition on Zerkall mould-made paper is exceptionally well priced. If you do not own a fine or private press copy of this classic, you can hardly do better than this.