The cover of The Folio Society edition of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, illustrated by Sam Weber
The touch, feel and even smell of a beautifully created hardcover book give a tantalising flavour of the stories that lie inside – and they make perfect Christmas gifts.
In this age of e-books and e-readers, many of us yearn for books that can be bought and held, kept in a home library and handed down to future generations. It is something that The Folio Society, which will celebrate its 65th anniversary next year, understands very well.
Founded just after the second world war, the company brought the best of the small British press tradition to the general reader. At the time, beautifully bound books with colour illustrations were the preserve of the wealthy, but by establishing a membership scheme The Folio Society was able to produce 12 fine quality books a year and sell them at an affordable price. It now has an international membership of more than 120,000 people.
“The one thing that links our members,” says publishing director David Hayden, “is that they share a passion for books, both the physical object and reading.” And it is The Folio Society’s incredible attention to detail to the physical object – the binding, the paper, the look and feel – that stands each one in good stead. All of the books it produces are of the highest standard and are created to last from generation to generation.
