LE: Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Shadow of the Wind coming 8 August

From an e-mail fromThe Folio Society

8 August | The Shadow of the Wind in a new limited edition

Few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart

Lose yourself in the gothic world of post-war Barcelona in Folio's next spectacular limited edition from 8 August.

A modern classic that encapsulates everything from romance, thriller and a love of all things literature, The Shadow of the Wind is bound in gorgeous leather and signed by award-winning artist Jorge González.

Hand-numbered and presented in a stunning cloth-covered slipcase, only 500 copies will ever be made.

Save the date to ensure you secure yours.

The Shadow of the Wind bound in gold-blocked leather

This book gets a remarkably high 4.8 on Booklover reviews, although I have never heard of it before.

I want to like this more than I do but the binding doesn't appeal ... yet

Not familiar with the work, but sounds promising. Will likely refrain until an SE is released, however.

Artist's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jorge_ilustra/?hl=en

>2 wcarter: I have never heard of it before.

Me neither. Another one I'll be giving a miss unless folks whose opinions I respect convince me otherwise. You have six days, folks!

Curious binding design, reminds me of many a hardback c.1900: like more than a few of the "forgotten books" I harbour (current reading: Dorrien Carfax, A Game of Hide and Seek, by Nowell Griffith, 1909, in the copy he gave to his mother, which cost me about £3.50 the other week). It sounds at least intriguing, I'll look into it.

>5 ubiquitousuk: That illustrator's instagram doesn't inspire hope for me.

>2 wcarter: >6 folio_books: It has sold over 15 million copies worldwide (apparently) and in my experience is what one might call "beloved literary mainstream" - it's a historical novel (set around the Spanish civil war); it's a book about books; it's a mystery / puzzle; it's well-written without being modernist, tricksy or strongly stylised (as Zafon's near contemporary Marias' books are, for example).

Not a surprising choice as it has a built-in global fanbase and name recognition (less so here, it seems) but not one that would tempt me. An English language analogue might be Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell - massively popular but not a genre / kids book.

It is a fantastic book, and well worth reading. There are three other books in the series, but I haven’t read them.

Am I looking correctly and the binding looks like suede?

For those who don't know the book, it's like the all time second best-selling novel written in Spanish behind the Quixote.

>10 What_What: Since you haven't read the sequels, would you say it stands on its own as a stand-alone story?

>11 dyhtstriyk: That sounds promising. Though I expect there are translations of various quality, so it will be important to know which translation this will be as well.

>12 mholt: yes, it does. The sequels don't follow the same storyline and not exactly the same characters. According to the author, the Cemetery of Forgotten Books is a series whose tomes 'tend narrative and thematic bridges' but can be read separately.

This is a part of the “cemetery of forgotten books” series.

I’d describe it as a pulpy gothic romance-revenge- tragedy.

I have a very fond memory of being stuck on a boring family holiday as a younger man and reading the first two! Barcelona is just as much a character in this book as the people and it’s this book that compelled me to visit Barcelona as a 19 year old.

Each book is standalone and they can be read in any order.

It’s one of my favourite series’ and I’m glad it’s getting the Folio treatment.

A LE is likely to be beyond my budget unless it around the £300 mark but I do hope they bring out an SE.

>9 ian_curtin: Thanks for the information. A pass for me and I would much prefer any of Marias' novels but glad Folio is trying something different. I actually just finished Thomas Nevinson a few days ago and it was quite sad while reading knowing this is the last of Marias' I'll ever read - what an ending though! Also I'm not sure if you like modern Spanish literature but Antonio Molina is also wonderful, with Sepharad being my favorite.

>10 What_What: Could it be that fantastic if you haven't read any other book in the series?

It will be 650£ for sure.
The illustrations on the Artists Instagram aren't mine style though. We will know on the 8th August

>17 Ragnaroek: I was perusing the artist's Instagram and I don't like his style either.

The original publisher (Planeta) released a 20th anniversary edition a couple years ago with an art style reminiscent of Andrew Davidson's Folio Christies.

https://twitter.com/ZafonOficial/status/1381624542582411265

A good historical novel set in the Spanish Civil War might well a very good read. The history should be fascinating. The drama, tragedy and excitement of that war is arguably matchless.

>16 Joshbooks1: Yes it was that great, despite my not reading the others. I should have been clearer, they are not sequels as such, with the same characters, just thematically related as someone else mentioned.

As much as I love the book, the artwork is going to make me skip it.

>16 Joshbooks1: If they did the Your Face Tomorrow trilogy as a set I'd buy almost sight unseen. This one isn't for me but good to see a translated title get the full treatment (albeit it's a massive bestseller, much like Murakami).

>2 wcarter: So this is the actual FS LE binding? It looks more like one of the older FS editions you see being sold secondhand. With such a plain cover, I'd hope that the slipcase and interior work would be magnificent...

I'll try to give it a read before it goes on sale to gauge my own interest.

The one illustration they've shared doesn't put me off though:

>22 BooksFriendsNotFood: I just don't think a naive illustration style really works for a book intended for adult readers who are paying for an expensive limited edition. For an inexpensive book intended for young children it would make a lot more sense.

Why only a limited edition?!?
This is a wonderful book series, the first book is absolutely amazing.
Zafón had such an intriguing style.
It was a smash hit here in Germany.

I would have loved this as a normal edition! I don’t get why everything has to be a limited edition right now.
Especially when it isn’t that much known in the English speaking world, a normal edition would have been nice, too.

I will have to keep my standard hardbacks in German.

I will wait for more Infos most importantly price and illustrations.
Its an very heavy book.
What I dont like about the recent LEs is the price tbh.
Folio Limited Editions, don't get me wrong, are amazing piece of craft and design, but have really heavy price, for Books that aren't Letterpress.
Take the beautiful James Bond LE , an Suntup Edition for example would be similar priced, but Letterpress.
Letterpress is sooo beautiful 😍

Letterpress isnt everything, but I always try to compare with other publishers.

And at last, I cannot understand why Folio Society soooo often makes Limited Editions of Series, but just did the first book ... in this case its not important, but I always like to have the whole trilogy for example, in the same Design/Edition

>24 woodstock8786: "Especially when it isn’t that much known in the English speaking world"
Not so - it has sold millions in English, in fact it was pretty well ignored in Spain until the translation became such a huge hit.

>23 LeBacon: Agreed. The immediate evocation from the image was one of Scooby Doo. Even though I generally like this art style, it doesn't seem up to the task of representing the subject matter.

And a side note on this particular illustration - the pooling of the light is quite odd. At first I thought the two characters were draped in some kind on translucent shawl. Or perhaps a giant amoeba.

Hmmm... I hadn't heard of this title before, but depending on price, translation and illustrations, I might go for it. So, for now, it's a maybe...

The more I look at the illustration, the more I like it. No complaints from me on that end.

>27 Shadekeep: Good to see that I wasn't the only one who immediately thought of Scooby Doo.

I did read this book not long ago. I found it very interesting and engaging, but not quite good enough to convince me to read any further volumes in the series.

Btw Sub Press did all four books in the series, and they will likely be cheaper than the Folio edition.

>22 BooksFriendsNotFood:
That is the book binding shown in the email from the FS promoting the book.

>32 wcarter: Thank you for the confirmation (and for sharing the picture)! I didn't receive an email from FS and only saw the social media promo so wasn't sure.

I just read the first 20 chapters, and while I am seemingly one of the few who thinks the shared illustration works with the text, I don't really find the book compelling enough to continue. But hey, the wallet rejoices!

>23 LeBacon: Yet Picasso with his ‘naive illustration style’ illustrated Ovid, Aristophanes, Balzac etc & Quentin Blake illustrated Voltaire & Beckett etc for FS, none of which are ‘books intended for young children’- you seem to be confusing naivety with childishness.

I’m not sure that how expensive a book is has any relevance to the desired complexity/simplicity of the illustrations included.

Yeah well Picasso was Picasso and could dash off a sketch on a cocktail napkin and it would be a masterpiece. Jorge Gonzalez isn't Picasso.

I'm not a fan of Quentin Blake for something like The Golden Ass or Waiting for Godot but for Roald Dahl's kids books he's perfect. Otherwise it's a miss.

And the price of the book wasn't the point - the intended audience was the point. The price is worth mentioning because let's be real - at this price these are intended for adults so the illustrations should reflect that - especially if it is a book written for an adult audience like The Shadow of the Wind.

LOVE this book, love this artist, leather is gross. Two out of three is not enough. High time we as a society stopped using someone's literal skin on books. Repulsive.

>37 dogwizard: High time we as a society stopped using someone's literal skin on books. Repulsive.

Not even dog skin?

This series has been high on my personal list of books I was hoping Folio Society would eventually do. The illustration on the e-mail however doesn't inspire me to purchase so I may wait for the (hopefully) eventual standard edition and see if they plan on buying the other books in the series. One of the main themes of the series is the power of books, writing and stories themselves which I think would appeal to many Folio Society Devotees.

One of the best books published in Spain in the last twenty five years. About books, written by someone that loved books. Book one of the series is the best. Books two and four are good too. Book three I found was more a set up for book four than a cohesive story, but just my opinion anyway. I have been wanting to get a good edition of it for years, but read the original Spanish, so not sure how much would be lost in translation... on the fence on this one!

I’m always drawn to books about books and this book is one of my personal favourites. However, regardless of the price, the artwork is enough to put me off splurging.

>40 penitent: The 20th anniversary edition in Spanish is very nice. Illustrations really fit the story.

>42 dyhtstriyk: can you provide a link?

>43 dar.lynk: Sure

https://amzn.eu/d/fcmt1od

>38 mr.philistine: I suggest Labrador skin - gorgeous colour and so soft to stroke!

>45 English-bookseller: Be careful, you could be accused of discriminating against Labradors :)

>45 English-bookseller: Anthropodermic bibliopegy surely couldn't offend anyone.

What a pity. Yet another LE of a book that would have almost certainly bought as an SE. Par for the course of late.

The price will be funny I think. I bet for +700£

There’s so many FS LEs announced lately; it curbs my enthusiasm. I can testify that the transition from FOMO to JOMO is swift and painless.

>51 DMulvee: Thanks. I don't really like the slipcase, but at least the £ price isn't too bad...

>52 Dr.Fiddy: Yah, it's a fair price for the locals. $80 American gratuity, but I'm not tempted by the book anyway.

I wish they would drop the stupid prints they include.

>53 Shadekeep: Depending on the details of it, I may pull the trigger though...

>54 DMulvee: Me too!

Here it is:

https://www.foliosociety.com/row/the-shadow-of-the-wind-limited-edition.html

I wonder what leather is used as it does not say in the production details?

I placed an order. I don’t know the work but thought the illustrations looked better than I expected

>58 DMulvee: Agree wrt. the illustrations, so I placed an order too.

>57 assemblyman: That’s likely intentional, given the price point.

The illustrations are also not as bad as I feared, though that bar was very low to begin with.

Would definitely go for a standard edition. Not quite sold on the LE.

>61 EdmundRodriguez: Same. Interested enough in the book itself to give an SE a go if one materialises.

Sadly no SE and I doubt there will be one following.

The price positively surprises me .
But iam not 100% convinced though.

The book doesn't look like an LE, beside that it's bound in leather.
What is blocked leather ?

The Slipcase doesn't appeal my eye.
Every Folio Books look more gorgeous if you hold it in hand. The Videos and Pictures on the internet can't catch the beauty to 100%.

So maybe I will give it a go. I need to overthink 😅

Yeah, i really hate the illustrations. At this price point, i would have gone for it, but the illustrations are just a straight up "No" for me. I also find the plain leather look with those types of illustrations rather incongruous.

FS is making it so easy to save money nowadays. Cheap consolation.

The sneak peeks didn't do much for me but seeing the full production I quite like it. A reasonable price compared to recent LE inflation... still not for me though. A regular, non-LE version a la Picnic would be a temptation, but no sign that's planned.

Reasonable price for an LE. Love the book, but happy with my SP set and they might not bother with the other three in the series. Reread my SP set last summer and really enjoyed enjoyed it.

>84 Ragnaroek: blocked means the lettering on the binding was created by a relief printing process.

>85 antinous_in_london: I agree the leather is a weird match for the illustrations, especially given the slipcase design. A nicely designed cloth binding might have been more fitting, even if the leather was inspired by a book described in the novel.

I’m guessing it would be bonded leather for the price point and that usually if it’s of a higher quality they would love to tell you.

>57 assemblyman: I regret to say the leather may have been obtained from a recent unwilling participant in a bullfight - I am not talking about the matador either!

If this was the case I do hope the bull did not see the quality of the illustrations before its cruel and untimely death...

I like The Shadow of the Wind but I don't know if I like it enough to spend 300 pounds on it. I'm still not convinced by how the main plot is resolved.

I'll give it a thought, but given that there is a probability a highly-sought SubPress preorder is due this month, I need to rein in the budget.

>60 What_What: I agree, they had a similar generalised description for leather used in the James Bond LE.

>70 English-bookseller: I think the illustrations were the least of it's worries.

I quite like the look of it including the illustrations but have never read it.

The Peloponnesian War LE says:
Bound in full-grain leather blocked in black and gold foils with a design by Nick Hayes 
400£

The Beowulf LE says:
Bound in goatskin leather blocked in metallic blue and gold foils
625£

Hmmm.
So is blocked Goatskin a better quality then blocked Leather 😅
(295£) The Shadow of the Wind
Goatskin doesn't say anything about the quality aswell, am I wrong ?

I hate this Folio description. Why can't they be honest with us and just tell us the materials we're paying for.

>61 EdmundRodriguez: >62 Shadekeep: You might be lucky. Including (Limited Edition), as part of the title, seems to be typical for books published in both LE and SE editions.

I had some correspondence with Folio recently about this book. I should perhaps say I am not in the slightest interested in the LE but I wanted them to know why, as my consumption of new LEs has dropped alarmingly this year. I received a courteous response which contained one observation I thought might be interesting to authors of some of the comments above: "I think there might be a standard Shadow of the Wind eventually, but not immediately!" (Folio Society).

I should add that at this stage I find the prospect of a standard edition equally unenticing.

>75 folio_books: They have also stated on their social media that ‘we’d love to publish a core edition if the LE does well’ so would assume a SE will be on the way at some point, though i imagine they won’t want to confirm & thereby undercut the LE while it’s still available.

The standard edition would be over 100£ I assume.
I wait for some unboxing videos on YouTube I think

>77 Ragnaroek: Not sure why you think it would be over £100. The Roadside attraction LE is the same price as this at £295 & the SE is £49.95

>69 Charon49: I highly doubt they’d use bonded leather, with or without saying so.

>17 Ragnaroek: 'It will be 650£ for sure.' Actual price £295

>77 Ragnaroek: answered by >78 antinous_in_london:

Quite a track record for error and negativity within two weeks of joining the group.

>78 antinous_in_london: it has 500 pages...
Godfather has the same size.. its over 100£

>80 affle:
It's called criticism. You can follow blindly if you like to do, but don't blame people that have not youre opinion.
Folio Books aren't the top notch books ever created, but I like them nevertheless.

>81 Ragnaroek: If it's just based on page number Half a Yellow Sun has 528 pages and is still only £49.95. There a number of titles with that page number that vary from that price to the £85 range. I would say it could be anything between that range.

>83 assemblyman:
Oh okay. I find it difficult to guess prices on folio titles tbh.
Over 100 copy's of the LE are sold already. Like i said, i will wait for unboxings.
An CE would be very neat though

>81 Ragnaroek: I don't think FS have ever priced books based on the number of pages in them otherwise The Turn of the Screw LE at only 168 pages would not be £500 (and only £39.95 for the SE)

Folio's website and email:

The reason the book is bound as it is -

'...Its sumptuous leather binding, blocked in gold and with a gilded top edge, is an exact replica of Daniel's own magical discovery...'

much the same as the Mort LE.

>85 antinous_in_london:
Good to know 😊

My guess of any potential SE is a textured paper cover and £49.95 price, as per the latest Shirley Jackson LE. But who knows, FS doesn't seem to follow a predictable pattern.

>82 Ragnaroek:

It is rather about good manners.

>88 Shadekeep: Yeah, probably they'll follow the Roadside Picnic route. I'd definitely prefer a clothbound priced at 80 pounds, though.

>89 affle:
What ? 🤣

Pfft I should've known that the final FS presentation would impress me even though the initial cover reveal did not. I just placed an order even though a few hours ago I told myself I'd "wait a few weeks or months" before purchasing it.

I know I wasn't super intrigued by what I'd read of the book so far - or the entire wiki plot summary that I skimmed because I thought I'd never pick up the story again - but anyways I look forward to reading the rest of it in beautiful physical form and I figure that even if I don't end up loving it, I'm buying this for the reading experience rather than to collect a pretty version of a beloved book.

EDIT: I will note that it's interesting that this is the same price as the Roadside Picnic LE in the UK, but it's $60 more expensive than the latter in the US. FS international pricing is truly mysterious.

>53 Shadekeep: Indeed. The extra tax of unknown origin for international customers is 22% for North American patrons this time around. Still less than the 40+ percent they were charging for some other LEs, but excessive nevertheless. This edition looks great, but at $455 I would much rather purchase a beautiful letterpress edition from the numerous other publishers out there which actually charge LESS than $455 - in many instances significantly less! Amaranthine Books for instance has a beautiful letterpress Sherlock Holmes for $230, and that includes free shipping in the UK and USA!

>93 astropi: “Amaranthine Books for instance has a beautiful letterpress Sherlock Holmes for $230, and that includes free shipping in the UK and USA!”

So?

>93 astropi:
That was exactly my point a few Chats and days ago. The Folio Society pricing is an absolute mystery. Sometimes I think they play roulette...

>93 astropi: Agreed. And there are also cases of fine press books that cost significantly more than this LE but which feel much more worth the price to me. For example, Arete Editions' forthcoming Frozen Hell, which is going to come out around $800 for me in the US and yet feels worth every penny. I can't say that this LE inspires the same feeling.

>95 Ragnaroek: I know what you mean. I honestly suspect some overpaid administrator said something like "Hey! let's tax the colonies more!" and hence this unexplained surcharge of 15-40+ percent...

>96 Shadekeep: Another great example.

As a fan of this story, I can get behind the more "cartoonish" interpretation by the illustrator, but I really would have personally preferred if they went in a different direction. I have yet to see any illustrated edition that really hits the mark, for me (that includes the deluxe and SubPress editions). The exterior design is a bit uninspired, in my opinion. They could have added more gold stamped design elements to the cover/spine, but I suppose that runs of the risk of having it just end up looking like an Easton Press book. In any case, I'm sure their designers could have come up with something a bit more interesting. Still, I figure this is the kind of book that will look better in-person, and I do love the story so I'm probably going to order a copy of this LE.

>98 adamsw216: For me personally, the slipcase really complemented and enhanced what otherwise would've been a rather plain-looking book. But I also really appreciate FS's confirmation that the binding was specifically designed to align with the description of 'The Shadow of the Wind' book which the protagonist first picks up in the story's prologue — I've copied the passage below. It's a pretty good match, and I like how both the FS and in-story versions of The Shadow of the Wind are unassuming books which many people would pass over without a second thought.



"...at that precise moment I knew I had already chosen the book I was going to adopt, or that was going to adopt me. It stood out timidly on one corner of a shelf, bound in wine-colored leather. The gold letters of its title gleamed in the light bleeding from the dome above. I drew near and caressed them with the tips of my fingers, reading to myself.

The Shadow of the Wind
Julián Carax

I had never heard of the title or the author, but I didn’t care. The decision had been taken. I pulled the volume down with great care and leafed through the pages, letting them flutter. Once liberated from its prison on the shelf, the book shed a cloud of golden dust. Pleased with my choice, I tucked it under my arm and retraced my steps through the labyrinth with a smile on my lips. Perhaps the bewitching atmosphere of the place had got the better of me, but I felt sure that The Shadow of the Wind had been waiting for me there for years, probably since before I was born."

Mine has just arrived and it is better than I expected. I find the slipcase to be attractive when seeing it in person. The leather also feels nicer than my expectations (which were low). I have the Mort LE, and when comparing the two prefer the feel to the leather on this volume

>100 DMulvee:
So the leather quality is good ?

>101 Ragnaroek: I think that the Mort LE feels like plastic. This doesn't. I'm not saying it is the best leather I have ever felt on a book (it isn't), it just isn't the worst

>100 DMulvee:

So, if the gilding "shed(s) a cloud of golden dust" when the volume is extracted from its slipcase, don't anyone complain, it's part of the design ;)

I liked the idea of "the book from the book" when used for the Mort LE, and I like it now: but I started reading a sample of the work, and soon had no wish to continue.

>100 DMulvee: The leather also feels nicer than my expectations (which were low).

I emailed Folio about this and they told me the book is bound in crazy horse leather. Never having heard of it, and fearing the worst, I googled it and was led to the following:

https://eikenshop.com/en-gb/pages/what-is-crazy-horse-leather

So, not too bad, in theory.

Sounds good, the leather looks very different from other leather I have seen.

But why Folio doesn't write it down ?
Wouldn't that be smart in a world where people have the knowledge of everything, just one click away ?

What i find interesting is that people say it can't be good leather quality for 295£.
But didn't sell Easton Press genuine Leather bound books ( Bonded Leather, which is grade 3 or 4 in leather quality).

And Century Press is selling books letterpress printed bound in full grain leather for arround 150€, which is the best leather available.

Maybe we have some leather specialist here who can enlighten us. 😊

>105 Ragnaroek: Speaking of things being "just one click away", why don't you use the search function to explore the many discussions about leather types, provenance, quality etc. that can be found in the FSD archive? Instead of asking people to take their time to rehash on this thread, which is about a specific title?

>106 ian_curtin:
Okay. Thank you for calling out to me. That was the well deserved uno reverse card I assume

I will try some clicking 👌

I love the book (and the rest of the series) but I'm not tempted to replace, or supplement, my Subterranean Press editions.

>104 folio_books: Thanks for that. Very interesting.

>102 DMulvee: The Mort LE reminds me of patent leather shoes. Very smooth, very shiny, doesn't really smell how I think leather should smell.

What paper is it printed on? Folio don't say in the description which makes me suspect it's just plain old Abbey Wove as used in the Shirley Jackson Castle LE.

On the fence about this one at the moment. Sort of tempted but not really sure yet. If there was a standard edition in the pipeline I could wait.

>103 terebinth: Books that shed clouds of gold. Very romantic, maybe not so practical unless you happen to have a magical spinning wheel handy, heh :-)

Any further feedback from anyone that has received a copy? I’m very tempted and keen to make a decision on whether to opt for the LE or take a risk and hold our for a potential SE. I already own a couple of versions of the book and just want to get a feel for whether this edition justifies the extra cost.

Just received mine, and it's a rather lovely thing. A good heft and very, well, book like.

The slipcase is nice too, but I can't see what the print in an odd half-envelope adds.

>113 DukeOfOmnium: If these were limited edition prints, numbered and signed by the artist then I would understand the rationale in including them. However they are complete rubbish as they are currently produced

>113 DukeOfOmnium:, >114 DMulvee: Yes, what on earth is the use of a bit of bog standard offset litho on a card, which has as much value as a cutting from a magazine? I suppose in an IKEA frame it might add a spot of tone to a downstairs lavatory, but that's about it.
The annoyance is that you feel you have to carefully keep them in case your LE would be worth less without it (and infuriatingly probably would be).

>115 red_guy: The annoyance is that you feel you have to carefully keep them in case your LE would be worth less without it (and infuriatingly probably would be).

Indeed, that is the greatest nuisance. You feel compelled to keep a piece of tat.

>115 red_guy: >116 folio_books: "You feel compelled to keep a piece of tat."

Only so that the next owner can keep it in case their eventual buyer would otherwise pay less...

>117 ubiquitousuk:

I truly don't know why I bother. I'm never going to sell a Folio book, other than duplicates. And I'm never going to sell this one because I'd never buy it in the first place.

Mandatory comment from me shared below in case FS reads this topic and listens to all of you who hate the prints and may prefer them to be excluded XD

They're probably included for people like me who get genuine pleasure from taking the print out of its folder, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over it for some time, and then carefully replacing it in the LE case (and repeat). My feelings about the prints are somewhat similar to Amy Duncan's thoughts on an unnecessary $400 pair of heels: ". . . They make everything an event."

Strange design choice. The Scooby-Doo / noir comic-effect artwork jars completely with the images I developed in my head when I read this work many years ago. To my mind the artist doesn't seem to have captured the atmosphere of the novel at all. As for the cover design, very bland, and it sits oddly with the inner artwork. A monstrously easy pass.

I’d really prefer if FS stated which paper its Limited Editions are printed on.

They do it most of the time, but I always assume it is printed on basic Abbey Wove when it is not detailed in the product description.

And call me thick-headed, but I never buy an LE if it’s printed on Abbey Wove. In my mind, it better be upgraded to Pure or better when I’m paying that kind of money.

>121 Nerevarine:
What is so bad or basic at Abbey Wove ?

>122 Ragnaroek: Because that’s the base paper they use for their lower-priced offerings usually. The paper if very fine for their standard editions, don’t get me wrong.

But for their higher priced fine editions, or their limited editions, I expect better quality paper (such as Pure, Pure Rough, etc.).

The production quality and price point of this is exactly what I want from all FS LEs. The content of this is not for me but it gives me hope that FS will bring LEs back in line with this standard of production and pricing.

227 remaining as of 11.15 in the UK. I’ve pulled the trigger.

Ordered an copy yesterday too 👍😊❤️‍🔥

>126 Ragnaroek: Please let us know what are your thoughts on the book, and also which paper it is printed on.

Thanks and enjoy your purchase.

>127 Nerevarine: I actually have the book in front of me so I can confirm that it's Abbey Wove paper, printed and bound in Germany.

Fewer than 200 copies remain.

>128 BooksFriendsNotFood: Thanks a lot for the confirmation :)

>130 Nerevarine: No problem!

193 copy's remaining.
My copy will arrive in a couple of days.

//I think this was an good LE sell for Folio and they will start making an SE .

>132 Ragnaroek: I would be surprised if the SE followed quickly. I think that there were 5 years between the limited edition and standard versions of Micrographia. That type of timeframe might be more likely

>133 DMulvee:
Ohh wow. But it will come eventually.
I still hope for more Dune Books too 😅
Hope will die last.

>128 BooksFriendsNotFood:
Printed offset I assume ?

>135 Ragnaroek: This info isn't listed as far as I can tell. If FS books are normally printed offset, then I don't see why this wouldn't also be.


After handling and reading this book for two days (I'm about halfway through), I can't believe I dared to call it "plain" when it was first announced. It's like...the most perfect book I've ever had the pleasure of beholding. When I'm not holding it in my hands, I look forward to the next time I can do so. It looks, feels, and reads delightfully. And as someone who was already fond of the so-called Scooby Doo illustration which was first revealed, I find the oversized two page spreads gorgeous. The illustration featuring the outside of the "Libreria" is my favorite so far and I often go back and just admire it because why not.

The story is also interesting me much more now that I'm reading it physically and with these illustrations. I just finished watching The Resort (2022) and I found it complementary with its similar themes of time, mystery, and love.

>136 BooksFriendsNotFood:
Great review👍😊

>137 Ragnaroek: I hope you enjoy your copy as well!

>138 BooksFriendsNotFood: should arrive tomorrow or Friday. Iam very hyped now 😊

I received mine today. It's much better IRL than what it seems like online. My only complaint is that I don’t think that Abbey Wove should be used for a LE.

>140 Dr.Fiddy:
True, but it's "only" 295£ 😅
And we know now that they used very valuable Crazy horse leather

>140 Dr.Fiddy: Agreed. At minimum one of the finer Munken or Mohawk papers would be preferable.

Got my copy today and iam positively satisfied.
It's alot more beautiful in real. The leather smell gets an 5/10 , the feeling 10/10.
Overall its an very good price. It can't compete with the Peloponnesian War LE though. That's a whole other level.

I'm glad folks are enjoying it. I'm still interested in the SE, and if one comes it will be curious to see how it differs. Going to guess different cover material and no extra print. Simpler slipcase, too.

>144 Shadekeep: I don't like extra prints. I want them in the book. 🥲

>144 Shadekeep: let's hope that if a SE comes, it won't be paper-bound

I finished reading the book last night and it's an instant favorite. I get why everyone loves it so much. My sole criticism of the FS edition is that the final illustration acts as a bit of a spoiler because the event that's illustrated doesn't happen for a few more pages. I think FS did something similar re: inserting an illustration too early in their edition of The Postman Always Rings Twice as well, if I'm remembering correctly.

>146 dyhtstriyk: I fear that's the trend, so it's more than likely to be so.

>140 Dr.Fiddy: I decided to order a copy and, having had the chance to examine it, I agree that it looks a lot better in 'person' than online but I find that's usually the way with Folio titles.

The leather is lovely, a deep red with lighter patches.or streaks. It has a slight roughness which reminds me of suede. And it smells like the real thing, too.

The paper is much nicer than I was expecting because it doesn't seem to be the standard Abbey Wove. When I flicked through the book the paper felt smoother than I expected so I got out another book printed on Abbey Wove (2001: A Space Odyssey) to compare with it just in case it was my imagination. The normal AW feels rougher, a bit stiffer, and a rough and ready measure with a ruler suggests the AW used in Wind is slightly thinner than the standard, but I can't say I notice any more show-through from the other side of the page.

An internet search didn't turn up much of help but I did discover that I am not the first devotee to have noticed this variation in paper: see

https://www.librarything.com/topic/291176

and

https://www.librarything.com/topic/238713#5785306

>149 Cat_of_Ulthar:
And a perusal of the (lengthy) last item will reveal that Abbey Wove was used for other LEs such as Poetic Edda, Metamorphoses, and Moby Dick.

>150 Jayked: The choice of paper doesn’t seem to have diminished the appeal of those LEs, especially Edda and MD.

>149 Cat_of_Ulthar: How did you use a ruler to measure? By collecting 100-200 pages of each and measuring their height?

>99 BooksFriendsNotFood: I think the description of the book within the book leaves a lot open for interpretation. Representations of the book in various other forms (dust jackets for the trade hardcover, SubPress reverse jacket design, etc.) all add gold tooling, raised spine bands, and other things that would make the book feel more unique. Remembering the time in which the book is supposed to have been created, many books would look similar. I think they still could have done more with the exterior design, and I don't mean make it gaudy. Just add some subtle gold stamped design elements to it to make it pop.

The slipcase does look nice, but I dislike the cloth they used to wrap it in. It's that silk-like cloth that damages easily which Folio has used to bind books in the recent past. Plus the shimmery quality to it washes out the darker shades of color in the illustration.

That being said, the leather they used is quite nice and the book feels good in-hand. My only other complaint is that the gold top edge is that cheap spray-on paint that rubs off easily. I wish they used the same sort of gold edge foiling that they did with Montaigne's Essays.

>150 Jayked: Indeed, which I confess I had forgotten. I have a few of the ones mentioned (Edda, Moby Dick, Sound and Fury, Bible) so I might pull them out and have a fondle to see how much variation there is.

>151 What_What: 'How did you use a ruler to measure? By collecting 100-200 pages of each and measuring their height?'
Just so, pinched together a block of 200 pages and measured the thickness. There was a couple of mm difference between them.

>154 Cat_of_Ulthar: That’s clever. Thanks for doing that.

The bookstory is very well written. Iam glad I bought this LE Folio Edition 😊

>156 Ragnaroek: Right? It left me feeling the kind of awe I feel after finishing books like The Book Thief and The Starless Sea! It was a great story.

>157 BooksFriendsNotFood:
Definitely 😊
Iam pretty sure Booksillustrated will do The Starless Sea next year ❤️‍🔥

>158 Ragnaroek: I heard that it's in their plans! I'm happy with my Waterstones Exclusive copy but a new edition reveal is always fun.