Folio Society

[zerfu]

On 11/15/2023 at 12:35 AM, willoyd said:

I think there's very little chance of that. I started collecting Folios back in the late 80s, and was a regular buyer until a few years ago, around the time they got rid of the membership structure.  Recently, their prices have gone through the roof as they have become increasingly 'fashionable', and most of the fiction I would have wanted is only being produced as LEs (limited editions), which I have no interest in nowadays (I've sold off all but one of the LEs I bought in the past).  The sales used to be good for picking up older titles reasonably cheaply, but that seems to have gone by the board in the past couple of years, and they are now of very limited interest. I'm a member of the Folio Society Devotees group on LibraryThing, and there are quite a few longer term members like me who have become rather disillusioned I'm afraid, not least because FS seem to be increasingly catering for a very different type of market, centred primarily on the fantasy/scifi enthusiast, and have seemed to have lost any interest in classical lit (other than LEs) other than rehashing a limited range of popular titles. They have improved on the American literature front, but I've gone over to Library of America for that now, which provides far greater depth of coverage and is much better value (I'm currently reading one of their volumes).  i occasionally pick up the odd travel/exploration title, which they do well, my latest being Paul Theroux's Old Patagonian Express, but othewise all my FS purchases are now in the secondhand market, as there's still some interesting titles to explore from the back lists.

I still have a couple of bookcases worth of FS volumes - I do tend to prefer their older more understated productions, and there are quite a few favourites which are a real pleasure to read and reread.

Having said all that, my reading preferences have changed quite dramatically in the past few years, and am enjoying especially exploring more independent publishers like Peirene, Peepal, Pushkin, Fitzcarraldo, Persephone etc, along with a range of other world lit, so highly unlikely to buy much FS nowadays even if their prices ameliorated.

 

Is Fitzcarraldo the one who published 'The Question Of Palestine ?' Can we buy from their sites ? I can't find the book in libraries :(

[willoyd]

On 2/8/2025 at 3:36 AM, zerfu said:

 

Is Fitzcarraldo the one who published 'The Question Of Palestine ?' Can we buy from their sites ? I can't find the book in libraries

 

Yes, it is.  And, yes, you can buy from their site.  I do regularly, usually when they have a sale, although I tend to buy individual titles through my local (indie) bookshop - they usually get next delivery.

 

[DavidMcCann]

I used to be a member but a lot of what I bought I sold on — poor editions or bad illustrations. I love my complete set of Jane Austen with Joan Hassell's illustrations, though.

[willoyd]

On 2/23/2025 at 10:19 PM, DavidMcCann said:

I used to be a member but a lot of what I bought I sold on — poor editions or bad illustrations. I love my complete set of Jane Austen with Joan Hassell's illustrations, though.

 

That was my freebie when I first joined back in the late 80s, and it remains one of my favourite sets.  A good example of where I prefer the older edition: the latest version, all gold, swirls and colour illustrations, is way too blingy for my taste, whereas this edition seems to fit Austen like a glove.

Edited February 28 by willoyd