The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher by David and Ruth Ellwand

The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher by David and Ruth Ellwand is a story within a story. It begins with the journal of David, a photographer who finds something exceptional as he explores the English Down. As he's wandering through the deep forest, he comes upon an old dwelling. Inside he finds a mysterious trunk. David claims the trunk and takes it back to his studio. There are many wonderous things inside the trunks - stones with circles through the middle, masks, journals and drawings by Isaac Wilde, glasses with the circle stones inside, and an ancient audio recording from the person who originally packed the trunk. David sends the recording off to a person who has an antique phonograph and receives a CD of the recording in the mail. From this point, the book follows the audio diary of Isaac Wilde, a photographer who was asked to take pictures of an archaeological dig in 1889. This is where he found everything within the trunk. The locals believed the hill where the dig was taking place was haunted by pixies and spirits. Many of them were angry with the archaeologists for disturbing it. Isaac was able to use the stories from the locals and the amazing artifacts he found to see some of the pixies! Needless to say, no one believed him. So, he set out to photograph one of the pixies using a special plate of film that could not be tampered with nor copied. But... things went wrong.

This was one of the best books I've ever read!! I loved how it was structured - it looked like a non-fiction book! The pictures and artifacts on each page supporting the journals were amazing and really added to the experience of getting inside the mind of Isaac Wilde. After reading this book I am more of a believer in the world of fairy. Totally awesome!!!