The Angel’s in the Details

The only thing more astounding than writer and illustrator Ruth Sanderson’s young adult and children’s books — which are painstakingly rendered in watercolor and oil paints — is the fact that she’s published more than 75 of them. Or is it 80? The number keeps going up, especially since Northampton’s Interlink publishing group is now coming out with new editions of Sanderson favorites like The Enchanted Wood and The Crystal Mountain. But it’s her newest, The Golden Key, that really has us floored. A Victorian fairy tale adapted by George MacDonald, the short novel is beautifully illustrated by Sanderson — who has long been inspired by Renaissance art, icons, illuminated manuscripts, old engravings, and woodcuts — in a style relatively new to her: scratchboard. The medium proves revelatory not only for Sanderson, but for readers of The Golden Key, who are flung headfirst into a dramatically-lit and meticulously detailed world of fairies, magical tokens, old-growth forest, and mystical hideaways. The text is splendid, but the longer you stare at Sanderson’s scenes, the more immersive the book becomes. On Saturday, come out to Easthampton to meet Sanderson, flip through a copy, and see for yourself. Then hop into the Manhan Cafe next door, where some of the originals are hanging on the walls.

The Golden Key Book Launch: Saturday, Dec. 10, 3-4:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. White Square Fine Books and Art, 86 Cottage St., Easthampton. (413) 203-1717, whitesquarebooks@gmail.com.

— Hunter Styles