Autumn collection 2024

From Folio:

Autumn Collection 2024
Launching Tuesday 17 September 2pm (UK time)

Get ready for the perfect autumn reading list with our upcoming collection. Can you guess which exciting titles we have lined up for you?

1. The first instalment of Cormac McCarthy's most famous trilogy ...

2. This collection of short pieces by beloved cosmic story-teller, blending humour and science seamlessly, was originally published in Natural History magazine.

3. Small white characters with big hearts. Arguably Finland's most famous family.

4. The queen of crime delivers yet another gripping standalone classic, set in her iconic countryside.

5. The book that has reshaped our understanding of space and time, written by one of the most famous minds of the 20th century.

6. The next instalment of a well-beloved Children’s classic series, full of magical adventures. The first book was a hit Folio success last Christmas!

7. Paleontology star comes back with a sequel about saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths and much more ...

8. The last book in the original trilogy of this acclaimed science fiction phenomenon has already been announced. Sign up to not miss any news!

I was hoping the next culture book, Use of Weapons, would be part of the Autumn collection but it doesn't sound like any of these clues allude to it; 5 seems to suggest a nonfiction title. Bah!

>2 wongie: I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if we got more than one Culture novel per year.

Looking forward to #1 (All the Pretty Horses) and #8 (Children of Dune), the latter of which I just ordered.

I think I can guess most, and definitely will be skipping this collection.

#3 Moomins!

I'll be surprised though if their take surpasses the editions put out by Drawn & Quarterly. Those are pretty much perfect in terms of printing, size, and binding.

1: Cormac McCarthy, All the pretty horses

3: I agree with >5 Shadekeep: : Moomins, which could be fun

6: Sounds like it might be Diana Wynne Jones, Witch Week

7: My guess is The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Steve Brusatte, which I'd been hoping for since I got the FS edition about dinosaurs.

8: Children of Dune. FS calling this the final instalment in the original trilogy sounds to me like they might end it here, which would be a pity. The new films aren't supposed to move into later books either, so that might be connected. I never understood why it took them years to move on from book 1, and my best guess is that the films did it.

>1 EdmundRodriguez: 7. Paleontology star comes back with a sequel about saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths and much more ...

Ice Age: The Meltdown (?)

>7 mr.philistine: Ha ha! I was guessing Stephen Jay Gould for this one, but suspect >6 SF-72: has nailed it.

5 sounds like it cold be A Brief History of Time by Hawking.

But this list is a big, big disappointment for me because it seems like Folio might not be continuing their pattern of publishing a Murakami each Autumn. Another Murakami was pretty much the only future Folio edition I could imagine being an instant-buy for me.

>9 ubiquitousuk: Have they said if there are any reprints in this collection? That and the Moomin troll book sound like they could be reprints.

>10 Chemren: I am not sure. But it's a good point: I had forgotten that there is a semi-recent edition of Hawking already.

#2 Neil deGrasse Tyson?

In 1995, Dr. Tyson began to write the “Universe” column for Natural History magazine. An anthology, Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, was published in 2007.

#4 Which Christie haven't they done yet? Sounds like a Miss Marple.

>12 PartTimeBookAddict: they say "standalone" so I assume it is not a Marple or Poirot.

>13 David_Mauduit: Maybe "Endless Night" then?

I still hope that they will finish the Bonds - maybe one will come along in October?

>14 PartTimeBookAddict: Many possibilities still:
The Secret of Chimneys
The Seven Dials Mystery
The Sittaford Mystery
Why didn't they ask Evans?
Murder is Easy
Towards Zero
Death comes as the End

>16 David_Mauduit: I was thinking that it could also be Endless Night

>16 David_Mauduit:
The Secret of Chimneys
The Seven Dials Mystery
Murder is Easy
Towards Zero
are all Battle mysteries. However, pretty much all of her books are considered "standalone."

Death comes as the End
isn't in the countryside, rather ancient Egypt.

Could be:
The Sittaford Mystery
Why didn't they ask Evans?

"Evans" is particularly good.

>15 SF-72:

Agreed! Even if the switch to a different artist (or no artist) they have come too far to leave this an incomplete set of Bond books.

>1 EdmundRodriguez: first instalment
No box set for McCarthy then. Oh well I'm just glad they're continuing.

Finland's most famous family
I love the Moomins. Wonder what they'll publish there. They did Finn Family Moomintroll in 2007 and it can be had for cheap on the second hand market.

>20 A.Godhelm: I am envisioning a Border Trilogy LE box set in 2027.

>20 A.Godhelm: If they are doing the Moomin novels rather than the strip collections (which makes sense to me in hindsight), I would guess the next offering would be The Exploits of Moominpapa (aka The Memoirs of Moominpappa), as that follows Finn Family Moomintroll. Seems they are skipping earlier titles like Comet in Moominland for now.

Doesn't look like much of anything here. I'll pick up the Brusette at some point (although my palaeontological interests are more aligned with the Devonian) but mostly I'm hoping for a 10% discount off earlier books to turn up in the magazine ...

>22 Shadekeep: That would be my guess as well. Both the English translations and the animated series began with Finn Family Moomintroll (book 3), which is also the book that launched the Moomin craze overall. The Exploits of Moominpappa (book 4) was translated second and Comet in Moominland (book 2) was translated third, followed by the rest of the series (books 5-9). The Moomins and the Great Flood (book 1) wasn't translated until 2005, far after the series completed in 1970.

A photo of this year's non-stack:

I guess no SE Book Thief!

I'm most/only/primarily excited for the Christie: I'm guessing it's the one with the black back laying on the table near Children of Dune.

I've never read Moomin before and was eyeing the picture books recently so I could definitely be into that!

I hope #6 is the next book in The Magic Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton.

I'm about to repeatedly bang my head against the table at the absence of Bond though. I've been holding off on reading it just for FS and it is a pain I tell you. I would've loved to see a Georgette Heyer book, but maybe for Christmas?

I'm going to be much more mindful with purchases this season though since last season ended up a bit of a flop for me.

The Christie book would definitely be of interest.

>5 Shadekeep: Don't they publish only the comic strips?

>21 HonorWulf: You may well be on the money there.
>25 BooksFriendsNotFood: Apparently the new hotness is headless people appearing to read books.
>22 Shadekeep: Indeed though the prediction about a reprint might be true as well? It's been 17 years, I don't know if it's weird that they'd continue a series after so long? Is there precedent for this?

>20 A.Godhelm: I don't think I could resist the McCarthy if it's not bound in paper. Art I've seen for it looks good.

Hopefully a SE of The Book Thief will come out for the holiday collection. Not a lot for me in this one. A pity. SE of Children of Dune and maybe one or two previous books published that I don't have yet. Other than that, crossing fingers for some goodies for my birthday and Christmas with the October release.

>30 A.Godhelm: The headless horseman is only popular for one month but as the headless reader, I shall always be in season. 🙌

Only Children of Dune for me (I have the Everyman Border Trilogy). Since the Winter collection comes out just a few weeks later, I never really bother placing a Fall order anymore.

>34 RRCBS: Fall has definitely become an appetizer for winter!

Three out of the eight books are nonfiction. I hope they always continue to have space in their catalogue for nonfiction.

>26 RRCBS:
>32 Lady19thC:

I posted this over in 'The Book Thief LE' thread, though equally useful here I hope:

I had contacted Folio CS over a fortnight ago regarding the upcoming SE that the artist had 'given away' and thought that as I had responded to a chap's query over on the 'Fans of Folio' page that none of the clues seemed to pertain to a SE The Book Thief, there could be little harm in now cross-posting it here should it be of interest or aid.

There was a not unreasonable suggestion that the SE would drop in concert with the LE on the 10th of Sept. To quote Folio CS, however: 'While we're pleased to say that we are planning a standard edition of The Book Thief, it won't be ready until sometime next year.'

>36 billburden: Yep, Spring and Summer had three apiece as well. Good trend!

>29 santiamen: Yes, my original assumption was that FS would be doing the strips as well, given their forays into comic book collections. Then I realised that the novels were more likely, since they had done one already.

>30 A.Godhelm: That's a good point, bit of a gap for a continuation. If it's a reprint at least perhaps it will signal the start of more volumes.

>15 SF-72: SF-72

I think they will continue, but they need a new artist, possibly one that can stylistically match the previous volumes. That can take time.

>1 EdmundRodriguez:

Death by Black Hole - Neil deGrase Tyson
Finn Family Moomintroll - Tove Jansson
Murder is Easy - Agatha Christie
The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton
All The Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy
Relativity - Albert Einstein
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals - Steve Brusatte

Were we in need of a new Folio version of "Relativity"?

Maybe McCarthy and Brusatta. The rest is nothing for me.

Cover images for both those physics books are pretty striking. Seems like an odd collection. Dune 3 will be popular for sure.

Still loving the look of the McCarthy. Here's hoping again for cloth.

>40 Noel_G:

It seems that someone confirmed this on Facebook, with 2025 being when they're trying to continue the series.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/335492#n8615704

Post 54 by HonorWulf

It's a shame the Bond series wasn't finished when the problems with the artist became known. I read on here that she was caught copying some art, but it didn't seem to be the Bonds. Still, what a stupid thing to do - a total career-killer.

That new edition of Relativity is quite attractive. The previous one from 20 years ago sold like gangbusters and went through at least 8 printings. But I really like this refresh, so it might be worth the upgrade depending on the price.

And the new Moomin edition is in color (previous one was black and white).

>43 abysswalker: I have the three previous McCarthy's and (I believe) The Road and No Country were cloth, but Blood Meridian was paper. Since the cloth ones were screen-printed, they kind of look like the same build quality on the shelf.

>41 drizzled: "Were we in need of a new Folio version of "Relativity"?"

I'm definitely keeping my old copy, but will likely pick up Death by Black Hole at some point...

I had Relativity but sold it after reading it. Einstein is really not great at explaining things. If you are interested in the topic I recommend the first part of The Elegant Universe, much more enjoyable to read.
The design of Relativity was already great though.

>18 PartTimeBookAddict: So a Battle mystery in the end!

WHERE'S MY MURAKAMI !?

>48 David_Mauduit: Professor Susskind's "The Theoretical Minimum" series is another worthy mention – four books that start from foundations and gradually implement other topics while being concise but clear: classical mechanics (book 1), then quantum mechanics (book 2) plus special relativity and classical field theory (book 3), ending with general relativity (book 4).

Speaking about some science-related recommendations, I can wholeheartedly list "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science" as one of the books that shaped me during my university years. It's beautifully written, connecting the worlds of mathematics, history and philosophy.

>45 HonorWulf:

"And the new Moomin edition is in color (previous one was black and white)."

Is one of them preferable over the other, e. g. the original version or something of the sort?

>52 SF-72: The Moomin illustrations were originally published in black and white, but color versions were also approved by Jansson. I believe the only book that Jansson personally colorized herself was Moominland Midwinter (book six). I'm sure purists prefer the b&w versions, but the color versions are far more accessible to younger audiences, imo.

>53 HonorWulf:

Thank you!

I watched the Moomins as a series as a child. Just a wonderful children literature.

>45 HonorWulf: Ah, well at least if the Moomin book is a reissue it has a difference as well. I do like the black-and-white sketches, but the what I've seen of the approved color work is good too.

>49 David_Mauduit: How 'bout that? It's the third as well. I don't think I've read this one before. All of her books can be read standalone anyway, except the Tommy and Tuppence series (great!) which benefits from being read in order as the characters actually age.

>50 ubiquitousuk: Ha ha! Now I want to see one of your book videos with this new energy!

I don't get the reprints. I picked up an FS "Relativity" for $10 a while ago and there are so many on the secondary for cheap. Same with Moomintroll. Like when they did a new version of "Silent Spring" and Keay's "India".

I can highly recommend "Rise and Reign of the Mammals". It was even better than his dinosaur book. He really developed as a writer between the two.

>51 drizzled: - I come to this site for enablement. These sound like they're right up my alley.

Hoping the Winter collection has a new Heyer

The funny thing about Murder Is Easy is that it's really not a Battle book -- he literally shows up at the end and isn't involved in the mystery plot, so I'm willing to give Folio the benefit of the doubt on their "standalone" clue with this one.

>60 HonorWulf: Also an unfortunate coincidence that Murder Is Easy was dramatised by the BBC last Christmas, so a lot of UK readers will have the murderer fresh in their minds. I was really hoping for Endless Night, as the inimitable Backlisted did a wonderful podcast about it and the rest of the 'Swinging Christies' of the 1960s, written when she was in her late 80s.

https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/217-agatha-christie-endless-night

>61 red_guy: Hmmm, might be why Folio chose it, to capitalize on whatever buzz the show created. (Hopefully it was better than the bastardized version that ran in the Miss Marple series years ago.) But, yeah, Endless Night is a great choice and is probably on Folio's short list (or should be).

>41 drizzled: I agree, a refreshed reprinting of Relativity seems a peculiar choice when there are generally dozens of copies of earlier FS printings available on the secondary market from £10 or thereabouts, and it's not as if the old binding was unattractive in some way. When there are numerous Folio editions that are ridiculously expensive on the secondary market, clearly indicating strong pent-up demand, it strikes me as odd that FS don't reprint one of those titles instead and enjoy guaranteed strong sales.

>63 cronshaw:

I assume some of those reprints don't happen b/c the publisher or copyright holder doesn't want them to happen, at least not at the price Folio Society wants to pay.

It looks like a nice collection. I've not ordered anything since January and that was a pretty small order, so I may place one this fall or wait for the January sale so I can bundle for shipping.

I went through my wish list following the price increases (all books were up $5 to $20) and removed quite a few that no longer seemed worth the price and/or space on my bookshelves which are quite full. Of course, I'm always ready to reconsider if a book appears significantly discounted in a sale, but that doesn't happen much anymore. I'll be adding the Christie and McCarthy books to my wish list.

I'm interested in the Neil deGrase Tyson and Steve Brusatte non-fiction books but will probably just get them from the library when I'm ready to read them.

Maybe the Brusatte at some point. I like some Christie’s, but have read bad reviews about this one, so think it’s a pass. Might spend my money on an order of LOA books instead.

>66 RRCBS: As the Folio Society prices go up, it encourages customers to start upgrading or downgrading to get better value.

Either LOA books which may not have all the bells and whistles, or some of the Standard/Collector editions of other presses like Lyra, Conversation Tree Press, Curious King, Arete, which do have bells and whistles and a narrowing up-charge relative to FS as the FS prices climb.

Of course, these latter alternatives don’t publish dozens of new books each year, so the selection is much smaller. But eyes will start to wander.

>67 What_What: yes, I still really like FS and will buy books I want from them. I’m one who is indifferent to letterpress, so would only buy from somewhere like Lyras if it was a book I couldn’t get elsewhere. From a selection perspective, LOA is great, the only limitation being the focus on American authors.

>68 RRCBS: Besides LOA, one can also look at the Everyman's Library offerring

>69 drizzled: good point! I do keep up with their offerings, actually just finished reading The Intuitionists, which was a fairly recent release. In terms of size and selection, I love Everyman and LOA.

>70 RRCBS: I recently bought my first LOA book and have mixed feelings about it. I had heard that the paper was thin, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite that thin! I'm finding that the opacity isn't great and under lamplight the bleed-through of the text from the other side is a bit distracting.

Do you find that you just get used to it eventually? The value and range of titles is brilliant.

>71 GardenOfForkingPaths: for me, the paper used by LoA editions is a dealbreaker. I never got used to it. I've had a few from them, but ended up selling all of them. Typeface is also on the small side. It's too bad, because they do have some nice collections in terms of selections.

Everyman's Library produce superior reading copies, with decent build quality.

Obviously title selection differs, so it's not 1-to-1, but Everyman's remains my go-to for the price point one or two (or three, now!) bands below Folio.

>71 GardenOfForkingPaths: I find LOA editions exceptionally readable. They fit well in hand, the paper is durable despite the thinness and turns easily. I have many and love reading them, I’m curious because I never found bleed through at the level it is in these distracting.

>71 GardenOfForkingPaths: >72 abysswalker:
Same here. I like the size, the cloth bindings, the availability of slipcases, and the range of titles is obviously great within their niche. But the cigarette paper they print on and the insistence on cramming as many works into 1000+ page text blocks are major turn offs. Once every couple of years I get an itch to subscribe to get works unavailable as decent hardcovers elsewhere, but then I think of their text blocks and my only LOA remains lonely.

Hmm. I think a book for $40 should have decent paper and normal typeface for a good readability.

>71 GardenOfForkingPaths: I never notice any issues with readability. I would prefer one volume per book, but there’s nowhere else that offers the quality literature they do in any quality that is comparable.

As an aid to readability, just put a piece of card or paper , which also serves as a bookmark, under the page you are reading. And while on the subject - a shoutout to the Harper Collins complete 5 volume O'Brien Aubrey/Maturin series. To all intents and purposes identical to LOA or Everyman - albeit with the need of a card bookmark.

BTW the India (onion skin) paper is a feature not a drawback. I treasure my India paper LOTR, which is less than an inch thick ...

>67 What_What: "As the Folio Society prices go up, it encourages customers to start upgrading or downgrading to get better value."

Very true actually. And it's not even just prices, but the stuff they put out is less unique. For example, I look at that Moomin cover and while it's a huge improvement design-wise from the previous edition (for me, anyways), it doesn't scream Folio but could easily be something put out by any other publisher. I thought the same about the Batman book when it came out. When I first got into FS, there were a plethora of unique books that blew me away and made me go "I need it!" such as Neverwhere, Norwegian Wood, Charles van Sandwyk titles, Jaws, Black Panther with the sculptural cover, etc. but nowadays many releases feel pretty meh to me.

I've started buying other books just to experience something different. I got a leatherbound Jane Austen book in 2 volumes from a smaller press recently, and while the leather shows marks and obviously isn't as perfect as something put out by Folio or the popular fine presses, I appreciate it and look forward to re-reading it. I also found an amazing deal where someone was selling their CTP Lettered Flowers for Algernon for a bit less than 2/3 the original price and figured that was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to experience the best of CTP so I'm really excited to receive that and hopefully really enjoy it! And even if I don't enjoy it (which I doubt), I think it'll be a good experience. I'm definitely broke now though. 🫠

>78 BooksFriendsNotFood:

A great deal on Flowers for Algernon. Could I ask where you found that?

>78 BooksFriendsNotFood: Ah, it was you who snagged that awesome deal ^^ Congrats!

Sadly, I have the same observation on the vast majority of recent Folio releases. Most titles don't excite me that much and some design/material choices seem questionable ("Neuromancer", I writing about you). Of course, I still haven't fulfilled my "to be bought" Folio wishlist but there are only a few fresh additions present on it.

>79 SF-72: It was posted in the Fans of Conversation Tree Press facebook group

>81 drizzled:

Thank you. I'm not on Facebook, but it seems to be a good place to buy books.

>82 SF-72: For sure! The best Folio deals have been in the various Facebook groups. Good set of folks.

>71 GardenOfForkingPaths:

I hate bleed-through, too, but I just grabbed the 4 LOA volumes within arm's reach (Grant, Sherman, and 2 Lincoln's) and bleed-through is not at all an issue for these copies.

I haven't had any issues with paper and opacities with LOA. Yes the paper is much thinner than an FS volume but the quality is good, and I do not find anything that distracts or detracts from reading.
The value is nothing short of miraculous overall.

>81 drizzled: Thank you!! And yeah, FS could be better!

>82 SF-72: Yes, Facebook is THE place to be for book deals / harder to find books! This and getting book updates is the only reason I created an account.

>63 cronshaw: I agree strongly with your point - I've been hoping for another printing of Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for a while now. I think the illustrations are gorgeous, but I have yet to find a copy online for less than $200 USD. And my understanding is that Verne's work is all in the public domain by now, so I can't imagine publication rights present a significant issue.

>87 indianabones: The issue may be translations.

>88 What_What: That hadn't occurred to me, but that's an excellent point. It appears they used a translation by William Butcher dating back to 1998.

>72 abysswalker:
>73 User2024:
>74 elladan0891:
>76 RRCBS:
>77 red_guy:
>84 cpg:
>85 LesMiserables:

Thanks to you all for your thoughts on the LOA volumes. I really want to like them! Hopefully I'll get used to it, but I'm not sure I can grow to love that paper. The sewn binding is obviously a massive draw, but keeping the volumes so small by using such thin paper just isn't an important consideration for me - I find Everyman's Library volumes of equivalent page length are still comfortable to handle and the slightly thicker paper makes all the difference. I think I might end up preferring 3 or 4 separate paperbacks rather than several novels in one LOA volume. For example, I was thinking of getting the John Williams Collected Novels volume, but the 3 NYRB paperbacks would probably be a nicer reading experience for me.

Respect to LOA, though, they're obviously doing a great service keeping these works in print, in sewn, acid free form.

Scrolled through the collection now that it’s live. Will definitely pick up Children of Dune and maybe Mammals…have bought Christie books before but feel like I don’t need any more in my physical book collection. Will place an order with the Christmas collection, for which I have high hopes, in a few weeks!

>91 RRCBS:
When the Christmas collection usually will be announced? November?

It’s usually in mid to late October to allow customers time to receive orders by Christmas.

McCarthy ordered - glad it was cloth.

Still waiting on Children of Dune that was ordered exactly two weeks ago. Fedex has delayed it twice so far, but now expected to arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed.

The edition of Einstein's Relativity looks so good. Between Relativity and Carlo Rovelli's The Order of Time last year, it appears that FS has established an ongoing relationship with designer Daniel Streat. I'm glad to see it -- he's an outstanding designer.

>95 CJDelDotto: It's curious, but the 'new' Relativity doesn't appear to be a new edition as such, merely a reprinting in a new binding by Mr. Streat. There don't appear to be any new illustrations or added content from what I can determine from the information provided on the FS website; moreover they've carried over the old customer reviews from their last printing. The Order of Time looks far more sumptuous being printed in three colours and with numerous integrated colour illustrations.

No temptation for me in this collection, which I'm relieved about given current FS pricing.

>95 CJDelDotto: It looks okay. Not 5x better than a copy from the secondary. Should have been cloth bound if they really wanted to make an upgrade. I don't get it.

Also, none of the printing locations have been mentioned in this collection. However they have been "sized". But only "Children of Dune" has been "perfectly sized". So, I guess the other sizes are imperfect.

Might get "Death by Black Hole"​ eventually when it hits the sales.

Are there any codes that currently work?

Anyone notice the books now have an Editor’s Note? Or was that always there?

Is there any hope for free shipping or something of the sort? I vaguely remember that often being an option towards Christmas, and the forced express shipping to the EU is a real whopper.

>97 PartTimeBookAddict: Children of Dune was printed at LEGO SpA in Vicenza, Italy. Abbey Wove paper.

>99 What_What: I think the Editor's notes on the website are new -- in the past, they've filled that space with quotes from known people and/or marketing fluff.

>100 SF-72: I may be mistaken, but the last free shipping promotion I remember was Summer 2023. Given how sales have been lately, I'm not holding my breath right now.

>101 HonorWulf: No wonder it's so perfectly sized!

They listed the production location for one or two collections. Now they seem to have dropped that. If anyone orders from this collection it would be great if you could post where they're making the books.

>103 HonorWulf:

Thanks. I remember several before Christmas, but it's quite possible they stopped those.

>105 SF-72: I think Christmas 2022 had a free shipping on orders over $200, but I don't believe they ran that promotion last year.

Edit: Winter 2023 had a free shipping promotion.

>104 PartTimeBookAddict: Some more for you (courtesy of Facebook):

The Rise and Reign of the Mammals -- Gomer Press (Llandysul, Wales) with Abbey Wove.
Death by a Black Hole -- Graphicom (Vincenza, Italy) with Abbey Wove.
Murder is Easy -- Memminger (Memmingen, Germany) with Abbey Wove.

>107 HonorWulf: Odd that they're not advertising these great printers.

>106 HonorWulf:

Thank you.

>109 SF-72: Just checked my order history and it looks like they did run a free shipping promotion last Winter, so I stand corrected (by myself!)

>110 HonorWulf:

Thank you.

I just received my Children of Dune and the Mammals, and as so often, they're much better in person than in the photos. Beautiful.

Disappointed that they went with a paper binding for Moomintroll. The colorized illustrations are nice, but the older black and white version has a much nicer cover.

>108 PartTimeBookAddict: All the Pretty Horses arrived today and that one was printed by LEGO SpA as well with Abbey Wove.

>104 PartTimeBookAddict: Finn Family Moomintroll, printed by Neografia, Slovakia, on Abbey Lynx Rough.

Edited for spelling (can't type for toffee these days, lol).

Not directly pertinent to this topic but since the Moomins are part of the discussion I wanted to highlight the 80th anniversary release of the first book in a new edition. This includes Tove's notes on the characters and a cut-out paper Moominhouse she designed back in 1957. This edition is released by Sort Of Books.

https://sortof.co.uk/tove-jansson-the-moomins-and-the-great-flood

Also a nice article on the Guardian about the same: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/oct/24/tove-jansson-moomins-notes-to-be...

>116 Shadekeep:

Thank you, that's good to know. It seems to be Waterstones exclusive.

Do you think it will be a sewn binding? It’s inexpensive at £12.99.

>118 BorisG: Not sure, I didn't find any details about the binding apart from "quarter-cloth hardcover". Probably would have to ask the publisher directly, I'm not finding much about their binding technique in general on the site.

EDIT: I've asked about the binding on Instagram, will share any reply if one comes back.

>119 Shadekeep: I couldn't find any information about the binding beyond 'Hardback' on Waterstones' site and 'Deluxe Hardback' on Sort of's site. For £12.99, I'm prepared to take a chance.

Actually, I did notice that Sort of state: 'Waterstones Special Price £9.99'. When I look on Waterstones' own site, however, they have the book priced at £12.99, so I've contected Waterstones to query that.

>120 Cat_of_Ulthar: Thanks, let us know what you find out. It would be a bit curious to see it discounted that far, since £7.50 from each sale goes to the Red Cross/Red Crescent. That's some narrow returns for a small publisher after!

>119 Shadekeep: Thanks! Thinking it could go either way – “quarter-cloth” is specific enough to sound like a positive sign to an optimistic mind, but at current prices, a sewn hardback for £12.99 sounds less likely. Curious which one it turns out to be.

>120 Cat_of_Ulthar: >121 Shadekeep: >122 BorisG:

I have the standard Sort Of Moomin hardcovers (the Collectors' Editions) which are, having checked, unequivocally glued not even possessing vestigial silk headbands to disguise the fact. The standard eight hardcovers heights are 192mm vs. 220mm for the upcoming The Moomins and the Great Flood.

They're very nice for what they are, heavy card dust-jackets, printed by Clays of Bungay, but they are also jolly inexpensive. Sewn? I cannot imagine so.

Edited to add (a borrowed photo) showing the eight standard hardcovers, as well as the earlier edition of ...the Great Flood (2012 I think, and 244mm high):

>122 BorisG: No response to my question yet so nothing definitive. But I agree with >123 FitzJames: that it's most probably glued. Still, it is a nice price if you're in the UK and don't need to pay the overseas shipping.

>120 Cat_of_Ulthar: The Waterstones website has 2 versions listed - for 12.99 & £9.99 - the £9.99 is the Waterstones Exclusive charity edition with £2.00 of the price going to charity. The £12.99 edition does not mention any charity connection. (The non-charity version contains a fold out poster & the Waterstones charity edition instead contains a ‘cut-out-and-build Moominhouse’). Oddly the Waterstones edition lists 96 pages where the standard edition lists 88 pages - assume this is a mistake.
(Waterstones ISBN: 9781914502132 & Non-Charity edition ISBN: 9781914502149)

>125 antinous_in_london: Thank you. Well spotted and a quicker response than from Waterstones :-)

>125 antinous_in_london: Oh, how interesting, I didn't notice that! Thanks for the clarification. I wonder if the Waterstones includes Tove's notes and the other doesn't, accounting for the discrepancy in pages? The article seemed to mention the notes and the paper house were in the same edition.

>124 Shadekeep: >123 FitzJames: Thanks! Makes sense of course…

>127 Shadekeep: It could be - the cover of the Waterstones edition specifically mentions the inclusion of the notes, where the other edition doesn’t - so the cheaper 9.99 charity version would seem to have more pages/content than the more expensive edition.(The cover also states that £2 from every purchase goes to the Red Cross - so seems like the £7.50 originally mentioned is incorrect).

The listing also has a photo of the constructed ‘moomin-house’ if anyone wants to see what it looks like !