Alan Lee on illustrating the Folio limited edition of The Wanderer

Alan Lee is the most celebrated living illustrator of myth and fantasy: a recipient of the Kate Greenaway Medal; the Tolkien estate’s artist-of-choice for over 25 years; and an Oscar-winner for his conceptual work on Peter Jackson’s films of The Lord of the Rings. An artist steeped in myth, legend and folklore, his other-worldly images place him at the forefront of a tradition established by the Pre-Raphaelites, Rackham and Dulac.

Lee’s lavish illustrative scheme sets the poems for The Wanderer in a modern re-imagining of an illuminated manuscript. Detailed watercolours evoke their magic and their mystery, bringing key moments vividly to life. Intricate ink-drawn ornamental borders – where knot-work turns into writhing dragons and shattered twigs become the broken strings of a harp – mirror their themes of life and death, and the brokenness and integrity of the texts themselves. And witty visual puns, where a picture is simultaneously a pile of twisted branches, bones and hail; the outline of a chicken; and the solution to a riddle, spelled out in runes, reflect their complexity and their humour. Crowning this scheme is the stunning design that adorns the binding – a lightning-shattered evocation of the Sutton Hoo helmet that hints at the inspired, and inspiring, tales enclosed within this magnificent volume.

The Old English texts and their translations by Michael Alexander are set on facing pages for ease of reading. This stunning edition is quarter-bound in goatskin with blind and silver blocking on the spine and boards printed and blocked with a design by the artist. Each of the 750 copies are signed and numbered by Alan Lee.

The Folio Society produces beautifully crafted collector’s editions of the world’s greatest books, each with unique illustrations or specially researched photographs throughout. Find books you love at foliosociety.com

View this edition at www.foliosociety.com/wanderer