The editors of The Folio Society describe themselves as producing “carefully crafted editions of the world’s finest literature”—and, well, to put it bluntly, they’re selling themselves short.
Obsessively focused on typography, illustration and tactile craft, what the 73-year-old publisher does is editorial magic. It elevates text and design to an experience—and that’s no more evident than in the Society’s spectacular latest release: a special limited-edition volume of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic Dune.
Limited to just 500 hand-numbered copies, the book is illustrated (and signed) by Sam Weber—whose work also appears in Folio’s Fahrenheit 451 and Lord of the Flies—housed in a gorgeous cloth-bound clamshell box, and comes with a print and a volume of commentary.
As for the rest of the specs, the book is printed in black and gold ink on Abbey Pure paper sourced from responsibly managed forests (with the illustrations printed on Modigliani paper), and set in Dante, with Helvetica Neue and Black Tulip as display faces. The essay collection, meanwhile, features work by Michael Dirda and Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert’s son), alongside a double-sided fold-out map redrawn by Weber.
At $695, the edition may not be a casual purchase—but its craft is at the heart of the ethos of The Folio Society.
“In the digital age, information is served to us instantaneously,” the publisher writes. “Success is measured by speed, and we can dispose of the written word at the click of a mouse. This is why Folio books are the perfect tonic. We offer the reader an opportunity to pause and reflect; to spend time appreciating beauty and wisdom. The books we select for publication are timeless–and in the editions we produce, they will be enjoyed and valued now and in generations to come.”
