RIP Folio Membership

I received a letter this morning from Folio.

There will be no longer be membership of The Folio Society from 1st September 2016, no minimum purchase, no commitments to buy. Purchases are open to anyone and everyone, just as they are at other retail outlets. Sales and special offers will continue.

I also received a loyalty voucher to the value of £25 valid until 30th July 2017.

edited to correct date

>1 bookfair_e: There will be no longer be membership of The Folio Society from 1st September 2016

Hear that rumbling sound? It's Charles Ede spinning in his grave.

The next thing, presumably, is a change of name. No members, no society. "Folio Capitalist Booksellers"?

I also just opened up that mailing. I will miss being a member ... I already feel an oncoming sense of nostalgia. I'm not surprised though. I only hope that this won't herald longer-term price increases or the demise of the instalment plan completely. As long as neither of these happen, I can't see it changing my purchase pattern too much but it remains to be seen whether the discounts throughout the year will match the membership perks.

>2 folio_books: Oh, they reference Charles Ede in the blurb;

“…we aim to bring you a simpler, more flexible and responsive service that honours the values of our founder…” – and then the usual quote about the world’s greatest literature for everyman.

I didn’t mention, there is also a Folio Reader’s Choice 2017 with a list of a dozen titles, six fiction and six non-fiction. Choose one from each category and Folio’s editorial team will count the votes and announce the two winning titles which will be published October 2017.

I won’t list the titles here – I expect a dedicated thread will appear at FSDs to discuss them at some length.

edited to reply to post 2

I somehow don't feel special anymore.
Will they offer special deals to those non-members who buy more than a certain number of books a year?

So sales will be for everyone? I haven't received the mailing yet.

As a relatively new member, for only 3 years, I have to say I never really got the feeling membership was all that big a deal. Sure I got a card with my name on it but it didn't really do anything for me as far as it making me feel part of something. I guess if the shop on Eagle Street remained only open to members then it would have given a different vibe but as it stands I don't feel like losing membership is a big loss in material terms even with member-only discounts. Sentimentally however, even though I don't feel membership in my experience was all that special, I feel this is significant milestone in regards to what the Folio Society is supposed to stand for, at least from its founder's perspective. Unfortunately this is just another case of a company needing to modernize in order to compete.

>6 overthemoon:

The announcement is also on the FS webpage.

Must say I'm slightly peeved as had to really break the bank Three months ago to buy enough to join....

Postage costs have also increased....

I think this change will damage The Folio Society and I very much regret it is taking place.

I would have thought most members are well acquainted with other ways to buy good quality books (direct sales from CUP, OUP, ABE, Biblio as well as Amazon).

Yet I imagine many of us prefer to express our liking of, our loyalty to and appreciation of The Folio Society by giving them our money in preference to these other vendors.

What other commercial organisation with such loyal customers would in effect tell them their loyalty is not seen as even worth acknowledging?

I spent 35 years in commerce and one of the golden lessons I learned is that core and loyal customers are invaluable.

Let's hope the Society reconsiders this bizarre decision before it's too late.

This is sad news, it will make Folio feel far less special and must risk damaging core customer loyalty. Since anyone can now buy direct from Folio without being a member and Folio markets directly to the public as it is, the only difference will be a sense of loss of reward for those most committed to FS. Where's the benefit?

so would most people wait for the sales ?

The vast majority of my purchases were made taking advantage of members' launch prices. This represents, in effect, a 10% price increase for me.

sounds as if we will have to pay for the up-to-now free diary, unless they make some kind of offer...

>14 sir.david: The vast majority of my purchases were made taking advantage of members' launch prices. This represents, in effect, a 10% price increase for me.

Excellent point. It hadn't sank in for me. I wonder what other "surprises" lie waiting.

BCA (Book Club Associates)
44 Eagle Street, London
WC1R 4FS

>14 sir.david: Yes, put like that the demise of membership looks even less appealing.

>17 LesMiserables: Ouch! ;-)

I've been pondering this as it sinks in and I'm not sure, for myself, whether or not the loss of the intangible sense of 'belonging' to something will affect my purchase volume. I have a sneaky suspicion this sense of being part of a 'society' drives me to buy just a little bit more than I would from a simple sales website.

This is unwelcome news. Feels like the first in a line of possible upcoming changes. Phrasing the shipping charges as "simplified" when in effect increasing them is troubling.

Oh well. A wait-and-see approach is the only one available to us.

>18 klarusu: Your suspicion is also mine.

Well I've emailed them with my views, for all the good it will do.

I'm not having a good day ...

>14 sir.david: >16 folio_books: Actually it works out at more than 11% but whose counting? FS is...a nice little earner.

>3 klarusu:

The letter says "We are not planning any price increases to our books this year", although (as sir.david and others have mentioned) they go on to say that members' launch prices will be discontinued, which is effectively a price hike for those who buy the books as soon as they're announced. I wouldn't care to speculate about the longer term: maybe a year is a pretty "long term" in any business these days. There's no mention of the instalment plan, but a pessimistic view may well be in order.

I can't say I'm surprised at the abolition of membership. Things have been moving in that direction for some time. Like several devotees, I feel a certain sense of disappointment, but it's a purely emotional reaction, not a feeling of losing anything genuinely significant.

The demise of members' launch prices seems an inevitable consequence of the ending of membership, but I'll be surprised if we've seen the very last of price reductions on at least some books in advance of or at publication, which surely help to oil the wheels of commerce.

I'm mildly dismayed at the news, which certainly brings nothing likely to increase my spending and may in subtle ways reduce it, aside from the not-so-subtle postage increase, removal of members' launch prices and likely ending of deferred payment schemes. I think since the old annual renewal model ended I've had a sort of internal sandglass, reminding me at intervals - much more often than it needed to - that I've my FS membership to keep up and so had better buy a book or two now and then. No reason now not to move the said sandglass from the mantelpiece to a far corner of the attic.

I have to admit that I am stunned and so saddened by this. I have been a member for over 20 years. Picking my books for membership and then another batch for my Birthday/Christmas presents is my book highlight of the year. I have no idea how many Folio books I have, though it is easily over 1000, but boy will I be treasuring each and every one of them. I am a rereader and my books get a lot of love. I am so grateful for the times that I have bought multiple copies of books that I reread either every year or every other year. This is really depressing. If anything this will just lead me to purchase less. Having the membership and needing to buy 4 books at once to get the calendar/date book often forced me to think beyond my favourite genres and read and discover authors, titles and subjects I would have simply passed by. This takes that magical feeling away. And no more member launch prices is going to hurt my pocket badly. They don't seem to be trying hard to get those books to people. If it has come to this, I would like to see their books available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon, where I might get free shipping or can pick it up in a store and save a loot of money. Looks like I won't be needed that extra bookcase after all. Very disheartening. :( I haven't felt this depressed since Laura Ashley passed away and her beautiful clothing line disappeared and went cheap and looking like stuff you can buy at Forever 21 for a fraction of the price.

Badly done, FS. Badly done.

Loss of launch prices is annoying. I think that's all I care about, though.

It is sad indeed. Time will tell how it will affect sales, freebies, etc...not a good day for FS.

This news is most unwelcome. I do hope, however, that Folio will continue to do everything they can to keep the business viable. They have a fantastic slate of releases in production, and I hope they can continue to produce wonderful volumes for decades to come, even if it means losing the membership model.

I guess they will be more like EP. I only hope their quality will remain much better than that of EP, especially their limited editions.

I agree with some of the posts above that the demise of member’s launch princes is unlikely to mean the end of launch prices altogether. 'After event' pricing is, after all, one of those very common and effective forms of reference pricing that we see all over the place. What has gone is the member exclusivity, but I suspect that this same exclusivity may have been posing problems for Folio when viewed together with its general move towards titles (including genre titles) with mass popular appeal.

Let’s imagine, for the sake of argument, that Folio was mulling publishing the Game of Thrones books or the Harry Potter series. It would be doing so in the hope of enticing plenty of new customers, of all ages. Perhaps Folio knows from its customer research that the buyers of such titles would be more likely come from outside of its membership. Folio might then have a dilemma IF a non-negligible sum of those potential new customers might withdraw from the purchase process simply because they are put off by notions of ‘membership’ and ‘member commitments’ (even if these don’t actually constrain anyone from making a one-off purchase). Those potential buyers might never return, simply because of a mistaken assumption about what ‘membership’ of the Folio Society actually means.

If the expense to Folio of acquiring the rights to publish such popular titles is high (as seems likely given that its existing open market model is in direct competition with other publishers), there would be even less willingness to tolerate any level of ‘drop out’ of would-be buyers on the basis of ‘membership’ connotations alone.

I remember when Folio announced its membership changes a few years ago, allowing direct sales to non-members. Before that change, if my parents (or close friends) wanted a particular title they’d seen, I would buy it for them and they would pay me back (unless I gifted it to them). This was because they wanted that particular title, but not enough to commit to buying three more, or to ‘joining the club’ (including signing up with personal details, receiving mailings, etc.). These feelings haven’t gone away entirely, either. Despite me explaining that they can now buy directly from Folio they still ask me to do the purchasing for them! Membership might be an attractive and rewarding notion for some, but there will be others for whom it is off-putting (even if for no good reason). People can be illogical. But sometimes businesses (even cosy ones like Folio) have to be brutally logical.

My own perspective is that, as long as Folio continues producing products that I desire at prices that I find reasonable, then I will continue to be a customer (even though I will no longer be a member). And, if the changes Folio has announced today give it a better chance of surviving for a few more decades and continuing to produce the volume and quality of books we have come to expect, then I cannot be too upset about it having decided to make those changes.

I love Slightly Foxed Editions. I hoover up anything designed by David Pearson for Penguin Books. And I even buy Wisden each year. I am passionate about all of these books and their publishers. I don’t like them any less because they don’t have a concept of membership.

The demise of the membership model is indeed the end of an era, and I shall raise a glass to membership, both in appreciation of the many years of enjoyment it provided, but also in recognition of the fact that, in laying down its own life, it might have prolonged the life of the Folio Society.

>27 sir.david: I do hope, however, that Folio will continue to do everything they can to keep the business viable. They have a fantastic slate of releases in production, and I hope they can continue to produce wonderful volumes for decades to come.

Hmm. I don't know. I really don't know. They have been struggling for years financially and every balance sheet seems to presage more bad news for members (well, customers, now). We've seen the end of joining inducements, helpful instalment plans, other stuff I can't remember. And now away with free postage and membership. I have to wonder what is left to throw away. And then, when the next bad news balance sheet arrives (as it will - these latest changes are not going to rescue the company), what then? I cannot foresee a happy ending. I really wish I could, but I can't.

Well, I purchased far fewer FS books in the past year, and suspect that trend to continue. This is not just because of the changes, but because I can't afford a home big enough for the books I have, so I'll look on it as FS doing me a favour.

I think it is a shame to lose something that is quite singular. I suspect gradually they will start focusing more on the LEs and higher priced editions. But I don't see many sixteen year olds beginning a collection of Folio Society books in the future. I bought my first books with evening and Saturday work earnings. ETA: in the 1970s.

I'm looking into my crystal ball and can see that all of you will become Easton Press customers in the near future. If you know what I mean. LOL. Just kidding.

.

I should add that the £25 voucher (of a purchase of £40+) was gratefully received.

>34 Caroline_McElwee: Did the voucher come via surface post or via email? I haven't received anything yet (I live in the US).

Regular post Chris

I just called up Folio to see whether the £50 LE voucher which I've not yet used could be used together with today's £25 voucher and the answer was yes!

The online system may not allow you to enter more than one code but was told to simply call back once I decided what to buy. I'm sure it wasn't just a one off for me seeing as technically neither voucher stipulates they can't be used in conjunction with one another.

It certainly makes Brook very appealing at £126. I'd rather buy Metamorphoses but even at £227 it's still a somewhat not insignificant amount.

>11 Chawton: "I would have thought most members are well acquainted with other ways to buy good quality books (direct sales from CUP, OUP, ABE, Biblio as well as Amazon)."

I've been sent a lot of low quality books (glued bindings, poor printing, Print-on-Demand) when ordering directly from CUP and OUP. Amazon is probably the world-leader in cheapening the quality of the printed book.

>25 gmacaree:
Exactly my thoughts.
Although I do hope like some others that they will keep introductory discounts, but just open them to everyone.

I have hundreds of books from various fine publishers in my wishlist, including just over a hundred of Folio titles currently in print and over 150 OOP Folios, so however much I want to support FS, a little enticement for spending my money on new titles won't hurt. I'm sure there are many like me. So I hope small introductory discounts do stay, as I think they make financial sense for FS.

>24 Lady19thC:
The requirement to buy 4 books at once has been gone for quite some time. I became a member in 2014 and it wasn't there.

Surely the writing was on the wall when non-members could buy books; and the member's council was a cynical consumer survey.
However I don't think membership is crucial to the Society's dealings with its customers. In a different field, mainly boutique toolmaking, Lee Valley enjoys a brand-loyalty similar to Folio's without offering membership. You acquire a customer number with your first purchase, and thereafter can opt to receive advance notice of sales, new arrivals, and so on. New products are discounted for the first month or two. Customer service is first-class with returns accepted without question. There are periodic on-line magazines and postage-free events. It's a model that works so well that others have been forced to offer something similar.
If it ensures the flow of quality books, I'd be happy with such a model for Folio, without the presentation volumes, free diaries, and assorted tchotchkes of the past. These only drive up the price of the core offerings. The book's the thing.
The postage issue could be a real problem, however. Here in Canada, postage rates for books are ludicrous for individuals. However most on-line booksellers offer free delivery for most orders, as does the Book Depository in the UK. Something like the 2 vol. T. S. Eliot from the BD costs less than the discounted Folio offering after postage.

>29 foliomusthave:
Amen. A most sensible post.

As long as i don`t loose what i feel i have going on with Sally, i love it when she writes my membership number (i will have to save those mails as memories) - i would like to still keep it personal between us ..

I`ll survive, but i don`t like the tendencies, but i won`t lie down and sob either.

Easypiecy: I am a customer, they still have to offer me what i want, tempt me, and continue to do that little extra that make them FS, and now and again they will continue to do so, but maybe not so often? Who knows, i`ll wait and see

Maybe this http://www.foliosociety.com/pages/membership could be listed in the wiki, so that we have a reference to the next time FS make changes?

I've just noticed that the shipping cap for the US is now $17.50, which saves me $2.50 per order, since I tend to buy in large orders. I'm not displeased by this.

"But I don't see many sixteen year olds beginning a collection of Folio Society books in the future. I bought my first books with evening and Saturday work earnings. ETA: in the 1970s"
I did likewise in the 50s, but it took a morning and evening job to feed my habit. Don't know how I found time to read. No room for expansion either, but I'll never have to buy another Dickens, Trollope, Bronte, Eliot ...

>40 elladan0891:
But if I wanted the datebook, I had to order the four books.

>46 Lady19thC:
Not really - don't know when they changed it, but last couple of years the diaries were given out with any order.

I popped into Eagle St today, after a reasonable period of abstinence but prodded by today's startling news about the end of FS membership. I was lucky enough to bump into some members of staff who were able to put into practice some advanced First Aid techniques for managing acute panic attacks in FAD sufferers.

It seems that Folio has reason to be concerned that new members are not joining Folio in numbers sufficient to, er (how to put this?), replace outgoing members elevated to loftier libraries. It seems that many new, young readers are curious about Folio and ring up or call into the shop but also that a significant number of them are put off by the concept of membership and the perceived requirement to buy four books. Many customers are apparently deterred by the lack of any pricing on the books/shelves of the dismembered room where they must ask staff every time what the price of a book is, with staff having to look up the individual prices that apply - each book can have varying prices according to whether someone is a member or not, whether there's a sale on, etc. which has prevented any straightforward price labelling to date. Moreover, the administrative complexities of membership, not only running the membership department itself but including things like having to produce numerous different brochures every time there's a new collection, ones different for members and non-members as well as for all the separate regions, for example, and managing varying joining requirements depending on how long after 1st Sept someone joins, all adds to administrative costs. I'm told Folio has conducted considerable marketing and costing research and found that the ongoing membership structure is simply too inefficient and expensive to run while at the same time alienating too many potential new customers. Hence the change.

They seem to understand the depth of feeling among the core members (us!) who have sustained Folio in the recent past and so they're keen to somehow retain a form of 'loyalty reward' but they don't know exactly what form this may yet take. Various proposals are under consideration, and perhaps there will be some experimenting with this. Perhaps people will be sent discount vouchers or other benefits according to how much they've purchased within a given time period. We'll just have to wait and see.

I have to be honest that I'm saddened and disappointed in the change, as the sense of 'membership' (so effectively reinforced on-line by FAD-infected inspired FSD fellow-lunatics family members worldwide) has made Folio feel something more than just another company we buy things from from time to time. However, if membership is indeed a system which is proving more a hindrance than an aid to Folio doing what we want it to do (remain forever viable and able to deplete our wallets and fill our bookshelves with irresistible tomes) then I'm prepared to be philosophical and hope for the best.

Fingers crossed...

(edited for grammar!)

>49 cronshaw: Thank you cronshaw for the report

>49 cronshaw: I was looking forward to you take on things, cronshaw. I didn't receive the letter yet, but went to see what was new on the site this morning and was met with an unpleasant surprise. I haven't been a member for very long, but it was something that meant so much to me. Indeed, my entire conception of self was coloured by the fact of being a Folio member and now I must reinvent myself yet again. But what else can possibly have as much relevance in this world? I think I will commence a period of deep mourning.

>49 cronshaw:

Many thanks for your field research and report. As always, you manage a perspective that is both sober and jocular.
Well done!

>49 cronshaw: well that all sounds very reasonable. There is no point the ship sinking for the sake of a change of name so to speak. And we do have to accept that younger readers are far less wedded to the paper book, so the thought of four in a year may well give them indigestion.

I suspect, as before, it is a case of watch what happens in the next few months.

Btw: you didn't own to any purchases I note!

> 50-53 Always a pleasure to provide inpatient reports for fellow sufferers when possible. >53 Caroline_McElwee: I confess to having a sniff around the Naughty Trolley but with talented resistance ignored the three-volume Ripley set that was sitting there, also a couple of still-shrinkwrapped Yellow Fairy books (a set I've forbidden myself, so safe). Moreover, now I've entered a period of official Folio Membership mourning, an impetuous purchase would have been unseemly.

Having only been a member for about a year, and acquired all FS titles of interest to me in that time, my rate of purchase is a meagre 0-2 per new collection that's released. So while this news doesn't affect me personally, I am glad they seem to be doing away with a cumbersome system whose value has long since diminished to the symbolic (I don't think I even received the membership card). Given their shaky financials, this is perhaps the alternative preferable to no Folio Society at all.

>49 cronshaw: Thanks cronshaw. Sharing a forum with passionate and thoughtful people like you gives me far more a feeling of 'membership' than the card ever did. :)

Bets can now be placed on when Society will be removed from Folio Society. If I were to have a low risk punt I would say it wont be before the 70th anniversary (2017) but will be before the 80th (2027).

I've been a member for over 25 years, and I will always consider myself a member even if this "membership" is recognized by no one but myself. The world has changed, and the way companies must do business has changed along with it. Cronshaw's explanation makes sense; high quality books, made of old fashioned paper and buckram and such, do not command the market they used to, nor are they bought by the same customers. I will still buy FS books as long as their high standards of quality are maintained, and I have not moved on to the loftier library mentioned above.

>49 cronshaw:

Well, I do not care if they call it a membership or not - I am buying the books at full price when published because I like them and because I want to support the publisher - not because I need to find 4 for the membership. So this change won't change my buying patterns.

>56 gmacaree:
Well said!

I don't get all the mourning. I don't see anything being lost with membership other than a hint of exclusivity, and I don't see any appeal in exclusivity. This forum provides a far better sense of community than a membership tab on Folio's website.

As long as Folio keeps publishing beautiful books, I'll be happy.

>49 cronshaw:

Thank you for your report! Your posts are always both informative and amusing. A real pleasure to read!

Speaking of 'loftier libraries', I wonder if the falloff of returning membership coincides with the establishment of a certain George Macy Devotees Librarything group.

>49 cronshaw:
Let me join others in thanking you for the great reportage in the best traditions of cronshawnalism. This definitely makes sense.

Also, I imagine that even when they know they can purchase a book without being a member, potential customers might still be deterred from doing so by a thought that they're getting a rip-off price as non-members. So it does makes sense to drop the membership model and maybe introduce some kind of loyalty program instead.

>62 Rodomontade:
While Folio 60 does happen to be the #1 characteristic work of the George Macy Devotees (proof: http://www.librarything.com/groups/georgemacydevotees/groupzeitgeist), there are.... drum roll.... all of 243 GM devotees out there. Including yours truly, who discovered Folio in August of 2014 and bought 86 books directly from them since, with no plans to slow down )

The increase in non-Folio publications has been a weathervane pointing towards this lately, but to be honest this has been on the cards for at least 7 or 8 years: we have all noticed the internal battles between the marketing arm and the traditional arm of the company.

With the passing away of Lord Gavron, I suspected that it would not be long for the leopard to show its spots.

If Folio really want to sell more of their own books and attract new customers they could try putting their books on their home page. For the past three weeks I’ve been welcomed to the website with OUP, CUP, Thames & Hudson and other ‘leading’ publishers, taking pride of place, with just the Dali LE flickering into view for a few seconds.

>66 bookfair_e:

I suspect that they are trying to clear their warehouse from the non-FS books to make space for the new collection (and probably to make some money if they got really good percentages from the publishers) :)

Other from that - yeah - it had been a bit excessive last few weeks.

Folio books or not, the front page carousel is appalling web design and should be scrapped post-haste. Why hide 80 percent of what you're selling at any given time?

The description of the members of this group may need some updating.

>68 gmacaree:. I couldn't agree more. In 2016, it baffles me when websites have a "splash" page you have to click through to get to what you want. At one time many years ago it would make sense due to limitations of web programing, but shouldn't be used any longer. It's just lazy design.

Unfortunate that the membership couldn't be retained along with perks but hopefully this change will fuel sales and not cut ties with our longstanding members.

I wonder if they might do more limitations like Mort. Depending on the book it could prove lucrative, sadly it feeds resellers but it generates sales at least for FS. I like the interactions in choosing books to be published, it is also good reason to publish series of books by authors because it should help guarantee a sales forecast to some degree. I'm still waiting for a new Hardy set Folio! :)

Who says the impossible can never become reality? Who dares to think the unthinkable?

When I joined the Folio Society more than twenty years ago, having already been a part of the Folio family through my father's membership for thirty years before that, I quickly came to believe, and even to accept, that this was something for life. It was a friend and a comfort (or maybe sometimes a curse). It would always be with me, for good or ill. I could escape occasionally into a haze of fiction and unreality, but the new prospectus would always come, along with the little plastic card and the annual gift volume, and I was part of the family for yet another year. I couldn't stop. I couldn't see past the next free bagpipe stand. It could never, ever come to an end. . . . But now it has. I've been cured of FAD.

And the amazing thing is that it just took a letter - that's right - a simple letter:

"IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FOLIO MEMBERSHIP" (and I paraphrase the rest in a husky whisper): "There isn't going to be any . . . ."

Suddenly a weight lifted. My back straightened. I took a deep breath. Huhhhhhhhhh. . . . Fhhhhhhhhhh . . . .
No more exclusive discounts. No more member offers. NO MORE "YOU'RE VERY SPECIAL TO US!" Then the full implication dawned. It doesn't matter! None of this matters any more! I've got my life back! I'M CURED!!!!!!

I'M FREE, FREE AT LAST!!! I CAN SPEND MY MONEY ON OTHER PEOPLE'S BOOKS ... OR NOT. It's my decision, mine alone. I don't need to budget for the next sale or plan my instalments (I never could count reliably above four anyway, having been a MEMBER for so many decades). I no longer have FAD!!! FOLIO IS JUST ANOTHER PUBLISHER!!!

_______________

Edited to say, I just spotted the £25 voucher and, naturally, I relapsed immediately. Once a member, now always utterly dismembered. FAD has returned! Membership is dead! Long live Dismembership!

>72 boldface: Nice!

>60 elladan0891: 'I don't see anything being lost with membership other than a hint of exclusivity, and I don't see any appeal in exclusivity.'

That's a good point. In fact it's rather painful. I've never thought of myself as someone wedded to any notion of exclusivity yet that isn't an unreasonable way in which membership of anything can be construed. I've been trying to work out just what it is about 'membership' of the Folio Society that has been so appealing, and I realise it's more of an idea or feeling than anything frankly tangible; you can't quite put your finger on it without bursting an eardrum, and even then I'm not sure how solid the notion would be and suspect it would be just as grey and squidgy as everything else. It seems a sensation of belonging to a sort of family, or group (for those who hate their families). It has simply felt lovely and warm and slightly fluffy, at once impoverishing and enriching, and I've not had that from other companies that have sold me things during the almost half century since I bought my first sherbet fountain and thought this is what life's all about.

I need to caress my Folio History of Western Philosophy and Ideas: A History and get back to you with a more definitive answer.

>74 cronshaw: The History of Western Philosophy is a good touchstone. It's now hard to believe that only a decade ago, one could buy a standard edition from FS, printed on decent paper and clad in full goatskin.

>74 cronshaw: It has simply felt lovely and warm and slightly fluffy, at once impoverishing and enriching

You've nailed it. That's exactly what membership is to me. Not exclusive in the elitist sense - after all anyone can (sorry, could) join. All it takes is a love of books.

I thought I might wake up this morning feeling different about this calamity but no, still very sad.

Hopefully, the first-rate customer service will continue as at present. The shipping of my Dalí LE has somehow got lost on its way to Spain and FS is sending a replacement. This is a book worth more than £850! I certainly hope that it was insured.

>76 folio_books: Through the haze of my Valium (too early for gin) I'm telling myself that the real calamity would be for the FS to fold. Once we had bought every hallowed work the former Folio Society had ever revealed to us in their seventy years, in every single edition, printing and misprinting, what would we do then? Pick up a Penguin? Until we can find a way to stop our dear old planet rotating and revolving quite so fast, I fear we've little choice but to keep up with it.

>77 drasvola: So sorry to hear about the Dalí delay and I hope the replacement arrives muy pronto. I've already drooled over the dMR copy and think it's magnificent, just somewhat beyond my budget. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

I consider myself a member only when I'm here discussing things with you guys. My feeling of being a Folio member was short-lived; it vanished when the shipping went up and ceased being the same for every country. That being said, I kept buying their books.I can understand the comments of long-time members though.

The demise of the Folio membership is not really a surprise. We could see this coming. The sales of Dune and Mort suggested that one-time customers are the most welcome; by their demands alone, the books went from ''newly released'' to ''sold out''. The temporary sponsoring of the ''Folio Prize'' was an indicator as well that the FS was looking for ways to reach the ''mass''. They then did it with Dune, Mort and The Shining. They even had giveaways of signed copies of The Shining. If you google 'Folio Society' in the news section, you'll see that there are some sites interviewing the illustrators or the design manager at the Folio Society. I mean, these interviews were always around, but with the three aforementioned books, the FS got the exposure they wished for; people were amazed that such a copy of The Shining could exist.Likewise, on the giveaway of a signed copy of Dune, there were more than 300 entries, and everybody was drooling over that book. You can bet that next year they will publish some really popular books which will get sold out very quickly.

I have been blogging on wordpress for three years already. In my first year and second year even, the Folio Society was quite unheard of. But recently, there was a meme asking bloggers what book-related things they most wanted, and I noticed that some people included Folio books. Their marketing strategy worked!

At the end of the day, I just want to keep collecting Folio books. I love the opportunity they give artists and the deserved treatment they give classics. If with their new strategy they can uphold quality and become a more profitable business, then I'm happy.

>79 Kainzow: Thank you. Some insightful points about the course Folio is charting.

Having been a member for less than a couple of years I'm a bit ambivalent about the membership issue but I can understand the feelings expressed here. However, for me as a book collector, the fun is in the search and the discovery of books and this won't change. I suspect this will be the same for many of us.

>78 cronshaw: I'm telling myself that the real calamity would be for the FS to fold. Once we had bought every hallowed work the former Folio Society had ever revealed to us in their seventy years, in every single edition, printing and misprinting, what would we do then?

Precisely. My fear (actually, near certainty) is that's where we are heading. It's been looking that way for some years but this, to me, sounds like the last desperate throw. It may even work - miracles do happen. In the meantime I'll be doing what probably every other Folio aficionado will be doing - keep on buying in the hope that miracle will occur. I still can't help thinking they have more chance with members supporting them than customers but you have no idea how much I hope I am wrong.

>78 cronshaw: Thanks. Love the alliteration!

>82 folio_books: Well said, Sir. Let's keep all our page-turning (and wallet-emptying) fingers crossed. I am optimistic. This will lower their costs, can only help increase sales to non-members and is unlikely to drastically affect sales to the (dis)members. So this should keep the show on the road for a bit longer. And if the worst comes to the worst then we FADdicts shall have a whip-round and send financial aid to Eagle Street (effectively pre-funding our future fix). It shan't come to that, though. There's life in Ede's old dog yet.

Edited for typos

>84 foliomusthave: There's life in Ede's old dog yet.

If only there was even a little bit of Charles Ede left in the dog.

Received following information from FS today after I asked about monthly payments etc

'While offers and sales will now be available to all, there will be some features that reward our past members. For example, our past members will be the first to hear of special offers throughout the year. Furthermore, we will be tailoring some offers to the specific interests of our past members. In this way we hope to show that we are very much committed to rewarding our loyal members who have lent us so much support over the years.

Regarding the four monthly instalment payments, we are more than happy to have these continue.

I would like to thank you for your understanding at these changes. If there are any further questions you might have, you know that you have only to ask.'

I admit that I did enjoy the little bit of exclusivity that membership afforded, but FS is obviously doing this to improve their sales. So, since we're all in this for the quality books anyway (I hope!), I'm all for anything that will keep them in business, and possibly even give them the ability to publish more books!

I did receive a reply from my contact in Customer Services, understanding and helpful as ever. Some of the stuff he told me about the reasoning behind the decision is off-record and I promised not to divulge (having said that there was nothing much that wasn't covered by
>49 cronshaw:'s excellent post yesterday).

I'm still having great difficulty getting my head around the implications, but I had to ask if if there was anything I, or members in general, could do to help. This was his response, entirely on-record: "Thanks for asking. I think the thing that will best help, most FSDs are doing already. In the words of a sign in a West Midlands chip shop I used to go: "If you like what we do, please tell a friend. If you don't. Tell us. Also, please buy more chips."

I for one will be happy to help with the chip-buying.

Also, notice that Folio staff do pay close attention to FSD and the views expressed here. Your opinions on this and on all things Folio are valuable and never wasted.

Edited for typo.

Although I feel saddened by the demise of membership in the scheme of things I don't think it will make that much difference to me. The benefits of membership have been declining for some time now - previously you had to be a member to buy the books but when that distinction was abolished a few years ago membership became largely meaningless. My association with Folio has always been predicated on my love of their books and not on being a member - so long as the books continue to be produced then I will be satisfied.

However, like many I cant help but feel a twinge of sadness at this move. On an emotional level membership resonated with me and it does make Folio feel slightly less special than before. But I know this is an emotional response - in terms of the quality and breadth of its output Folio is as good, in fact probably better, than it has ever been.

I think it can in a way be good that sales are not more exclusive to members. I know some people who cannot afford full-priced books, but then they couldn't have access to sales. We all know the usual books which go down in price by 50% or 60% every year, and I believe these can get sold out if they're open to everybody.

To add on >43 Pellias: - Being a member since just 2014. I don`t feel i have lost anything. That plastic card never became personal. I neither had the time to get that closeness to the FS that only years can give (but it was sneaking in, as i have spent lots of money on them since the start. That was not just buying though, that was also support in my mind - if it were not FS, i would not have spent all those money on books/luxuries). Next, i don`t have the closeness to the physical place in Holborn. But, i bet they will offer me some tea if i should travel there - not as a member anymore, but nobody can take away the fact i once were a member, and therefore would be treated like one should i go.

The only loss, is probably just member discount for me. But, my bet is that there will be vouchers to take their place - and they will come unpredictable as always in the true spirit of FS - if pre members gets a heads up on this for a while that`s much appreciated, until we all will be treated as one of the other in the masses

FS would never be just another bookplace for me, as long as they continue to produce "fine press material" there are simple none other in the price range in the market today - at least not to my liking that i know of that are still active. Others can try, but they won`t make it. So still once in a while other presses for me, like say, Subterranean, Centipede, maybe Arion and it`s like, but still primarily FS - and once in a while LEC

I am glad i hoarded when i did though, no regrets. It`s a massive TBR, but that doesn`t matter anything. They are all quality books. If it had that old bookclub feel, i would naturally have bought less - but, it can`t be with internet. Internet is competition, and competitors needs a fan base to take stand and supportort, or else quality would fade, or quantity would go down, with time maybe both

That era with sitting in a sofa, smoking pipe tobacco, discussing books behind closed doors only for members may have passed. Now members are worldwide, not just in London and thereabouts and members now meet in say, librarything. It will/would never be the same as the real thing, but at least it`s something - if there were no group to share interests it may have been lonely - or most likely non existing at all, as most of my purchases have come with enablement

The politics around FS in general i know nothing about, do any? They keep their cards tight, we get some fragments here and there, and who knows where it will all be in say 10 years time - that`s too far ahead for me to care just now anyway

My FS has charm, if they lose that english charm, they become one of many. So don`t lose charm.

I wonder if Folio are a smidgen top heavy in middle and senior management? I don't know, merely asking based upon...

1) Lots of ineffective changes over the past few years.
2) No seeming improvement.
3) Struggling to be profitable.

>94 LesMiserables: .. and what`s up with the downgrade to buckram bindings. If i only knew ..

Cheer up people. It's going to be fine. At the end of the day, all we care for is to get books we want that have superb quality and illustrations. As far as it goes for me I only buy limited editions from FS. So, saving couple dollars because of my membership does not matter to me. If you really like the book and want it buy it and read it. FS will not bring membership back. So, it's useless to be upset with them. I'm sure they will remain devoted to their customers in some different way. Obviously, they want to be in business for a long time. So, sheer up, smile and read. Well, I just got tipsy from drinking wine while reading "The golden ass" at my shore house. What a great experience. I think I will open another bottle. Cheers.

>88 folio_books:
Thats all very interesting, and as a member for 24 years, somehow reassuring. It seems that the present members, and future regular customers, will be looked after with regard to offers and rewards, something that is done by many businesses.

Nobody has discussed the most serious consequence of the end of membership: no more cheaper Members' prices for items on the Naughty Trolley! Even these were subject to downward travel on the whim of the charge nurse.

I live and work in London so pick up my books from the dMR, and I've often found it annoying that books aren't priced when I browse. A single rate for each item would help in pricing them.

I would like to see some continuation of a discount for buying new items. It has helped me commit to a newly released book rather than second-guess the chance of it appearing in a sale.

I can well understand that the old membership structure was expensive to administer.My children are young adults in this age of instant gratification and constant change and I see them reluctant to sign up for membership schemes of anything from gyms to mobile phone plans.They seem to want to be free to move from one thing to another as they see something that attracts.I feel so old saying this and realise that my way of buying almost exclusively from the Folio Society because I love everything about the books and feeling a little like my best friend has moved to the other side of the world(because of this dismemberment),is not the way younger buyers of folio books feel.Hopefully they do buy and help folio survive.I will continue to do my bit as a world without Folio Society is not one I wish to contemplate.

>95 Pellias:
Am I the only one who actually likes the Buckram bindings? I love them! The books seem so sturdy and take quite a battering. Considering I do a lot of rereading, they seem to be the ones that show the least wear in my FS collection.

>57 foliomusthave: I'd say closer to 2017 than to 2027. I think it will be re-named "Folio Inclusive (TM) Publishers" or some similar progressive drivel.

'Inclusive' is TM of SJW, Inc., licensed for use to pure-memed progressives

>100 Lady19thC:
I'm with you. I like buckram. And it's definitely one of the most durable binding materials.

>100 Lady19thC:
>102 elladan0891:
I'm with you too. If I can't have leather, make mine buckram.

Personally I'm ok with the disappearance of the membership model. In fact, I think I delayed starting buying Folio books precisely because the membership system (which at the time meant buying some books just to get in, after a first almost-free offer) seemed quite suspicious... I simply hope they can continue producing good books at reasonable prices. And I would not even mind buying Folios from third party vendors, since their IT system seems chronically incapable to send my parcels to the right address.

>100 Lady19thC: >102 elladan0891: >103 sdawson: Vanity i guess. I see what you all mean though. It is most relevant in the cases of M.Aurelius, and the Icelandic sagas, and some of the poet`s series i reckon. As the reissued model no longer fit the set they original belonged to. It is noticable when they are next to each other. The Charles Dickens quarter bound in red leather is much more expensive secondhand also and another example. Same with the Iliad and the Odyssey. That said, i like buckram too, but not when they come in conflict with earlier published books that is a part of a set. Other than that, i don`t disagree with you at all. Buckram is very solid, hands down

> 100

Another vote for buckram here. With the exception of leather, buckram is the book binding material par excellence. I have never been a fan of cloth because it stains and marks to easily. And as for Folio's paper bound books, I avoid them whenever I can.

>104 vegaz: I remember, some years prior to being pulled into the Folio Society's orbit, receiving a flyer from them in the mail. I was impressed by the books but, never having handled them and so unaware of the quality, unimpressed by the price, and was extremely put off by the membership system. I find introductory offers and other gimmicks deeply suspicious, and so avoided FS for some time afterwards.

Oops.

I'll have been a member of FS for 15 years come this October, so I am somewhat sad about this decision but find it understandable. Being a Member hasn't really meant what it used to for a couple of years anyway. As long as the production standards & beauty of the books remain I'll keep buying.

One little thing I really hope is that they don't change their name to just "Folio". If they drop Society something of their identity will go. In the announcement they repeatedly just identify themselves as Folio which felt flat and rather like the brand is going to change.

As to buckram bindings - I like their cheerful sturdiness and much prefer them to paper sides.

Jumping into on the buckram debate, I personally don't mind it though I'd rather have at least quarter leather binding and high quality paper with production costs focusing on those issues rather than for exclusive artwork. I tend to find the art hit or miss and even somewhat annoying that images tend not to match up with the part of the book they're trying to illustrate. That said I'm not sure how much they pay for art commissions so it may be that even not having artwork won't save enough on production costs to bind in leather, again I'm not sure what the going price of leather is.

With respect to bindings, my preferences are:

1. Leather.
2. Cloth.
3. Buckram.
4. Paper.

My preference combinations are:

1. Leather/cloth.
2. Leather/hand-marbled paper.

>108 J.Sealy: In the announcement they repeatedly just identify themselves as Folio which felt flat and rather like the brand is going to change.

Sadly, the brand has changed now. A society without members is not a society.

Changing to plain Folio might give them an ID problem in some markets. Folio has been a paperback brand name for Gallimard since the 70s, and there are Folio Books general bookstores in both Canada and the US with an online presence.

Just to throw something out there... Do you think they might bring in ISBNs? If you're selling in new channels, trying to be easily found and counted... I can't help but think it's a small way to get yourself aligned with other outlets that sell books. Would my inventory a wee bit easier.

Got the letter today. I am looking to see what awaits us in 2017, at the 70 years anniversary of the Folio ... society - really, i do

I am not buying something for a while i think. So, i hope i don`t forget about having that voucher £25 ..

The membership was a joke. Seriously. I have been a "member" for 3 or 4 years now and besides the small discount all "membership" did was psychologically train you to buy books you otherwise wouldn't have to meet the threshold for what were rather paltry gifts: physical day planners anyone?

It isn't good for FS either: it cheapens the brand and trains a small group of core readers to feel cheated if they don't by something on sale - there by devaluing the brand and its production in the eyes of those members. It also means that when Folio publishes a book instead of people who want it just buying the damn thing, they have this group of what my dad would call P*$$y Footers holding off for months while said books sit somewhere and take up space.

Folio will probably have plenty of sales and most importantly: If the end product is of high quality those of us who like nice books will by them.

Throw out any nostalgia for times gone by. You ate up the marketing too well. Folio's books are not for the working poor (or everyman). That's why Kindles exist. They are a relatively luxurious product.

Hopefully they get their house in order and continue to publish things for the masses and then use that to subsidize more interesting and niche publications.

*riddled with typos, sorry all

>108 J.Sealy: >111 folio_books: 'Folio' does sound flat and is already in use. Perhaps 'Former Folio Society' may be the way to go, I look forward to buying books with 'FFS' emblazoned on the spine. I would remain a FFSD.

>116 xrayman: I look forward to buying books with 'FFS' emblazoned on the spine.

Just as well I know what you mean or I may have thought you were venting some frustration there ;)

If they change their name to just Folio, it's going to be so strange. What will their logo be then? Just an 'F'? The new books will look weird next to the older ones definitely. Hopefully they're not thinking of changing the brand's name.

The marketing manager at the FS looks fairly young. Maybe she knows how the market works and what needs to be done if the company wishes to stay relevant.

Not having memberships is not a reason to change the name of a publisher...

>120 AnnieMod:
I think it's very unlikely that it's going to be changed.

>119 Kainzow: Many FS books only have the word 'Folio' in a variety of fonts. Others have various manifestations of the FS logo. Plus ca change....
>120 AnnieMod: It is perhaps a reason to change the name of a society.

The artist formerly known as Prince did it. But FS won`t do it. They don`t want to confuse their customers which is now our name, formerly known as members. They took away those membership criterias (ex.buying 4 books) because customers gave feedback they were confused by them. It seems like they want to play it simple to reach out to more people to sell their brand - to change their name would therefore confuse even more

>122 xrayman:
Yep, you're right. But I think they know that just 'Folio' doesn't look good on certain books, namely Anna Karenina, the Austen series or Lost Illusions. If they ever change their name, books published in similar style will have 'Folio' embossed on their lower spines, and that will look weird.
But....it's mere speculation. I'm pretty sure they won't change their name.

On the topic of book binding I too prefer buckram if I can't have leather.I don't generally like paper sides,with the exception of hand marbled paper which I really like and some interesting ones such as on In Patagonia.

>125 shdunne: I agree. I have also seen some letterpress printed paper sides (with wood block or metal plate decorations) that are very nice, and qualitatively equivalent to hand marbled paper, imo.

As an example, go to the bottom of the page from the link below, and select the 'Handmade Paper' edition of the subject book:

http://www.petrarchpress.com/petrarch-letters/

Really wonderful,thank you.A new temptation I didn't know about.

>115 jlallred2000:

I'm really not too fussed about the membership going. What has always bothered me is the nauseating marketing in recent times of how special the members are, when in fact we were nothing of the sort.

Just received the email from Folio about membership. So you guys weren't making this up after all...

Just received the email with a $40 coupon.Looks like I'm buying a book!

But which one,,,,

I'm tempted to use it on Candide because I feel it's overpriced. $40 off might be about right.

Queen of Spades or Foucaults Pendulum are also in for consideration.

Hmmmmmmm,,,,,,,

>128 LesMiserables: speak for yourself! :-)

>130 devilsisland:

I was going to buy Icelandic Sagas but the illustrations do nothing for me. Can anyone convince me otherwise?

>132 LesMiserables:
That one is also on my list.

Tough decisions

They need to hit the widest audience in a declining market for physical books, so I understand the move. They should probably drop "Society" and go with "Folio Publications" or a similar name. "Society" implies a need for membership to buy the books. A tough market, to be sure.

As a relatively young, barely solvent postdoc, residing outside of Britain, and with enough inked socialist insignia on my body to give concern of septicemia, I'm probably the least likely kind of person to have membership to begin with.

Yet I have been, and for the next two weeks will be, a member, because I love these books.

So I would like to offer my concerned opinion that unwealthy non-members are not killing the FS, and neither are young people.

For one, forget competition from ebooks. According to Pew and other aggregate survey sites, ebook trends continue on a slow and steady rise, while printed books have had the same number of readers reading the same (or greater) number of books, for the last 10 years. This is because ebook sales increase only with an increase in ownership of devices to read them on, while an increase in ebook readers does not preclude a decrease in printed book readers. In fact, printed-book readers have been consistent, while the number of people who read both ebooks and printed books is expected to increase. Only ten to fifteen percent of all books read in the last five years are audiobooks, and their sales have pretty much bottomed out. I think it has been conclusively proven that the printed book simply will-never-die. Amazon is opening its own bookstores FFS. The tactile kind.

Membership has nothing to do with it, either. I whole-heartily doubt there are a horde of would-be customers who want to purchase one and only one FS title that *aren't* going to look for it second-hand first. And what if they offered FS editions of Martin or Rowling? Are there not more than four titles in those series? That is membership right there. No, no, it is not younger readers, either.

FS will never, ever, be for the everyman, and I hope the recent changes have not been an attempt in that direction. The prices prohibit it, must prohibit it, because it is simply impossible to sign paychecks to binders and tanners and illustrators with their own agents and remain solvent without charging precisely what they do, to say nothing of acquiring rights EP hasn't already gobbled up. FS is more affordable than Arion, but it's not more affordable than many other acid-free publishers, such as collegiate presses, to say nothing of print-on-demand, which is capable of printing even more cheaply than hiring an editor with a tech certificate for a properly published ebook. I think we all know what an ebook looks like that hasn't been graced with the knowing eye of one of these.

From where I sit only two things could have killed membership: the second-hand market and members themselves.

When 500 copies of a £150 / $200 LE sell out in just 13 hours, I'm sorry but it is not the case that 500 distinct persons were its purchasers. I wouldn't be surprised if half of the purchasers (not just for Mort) purchased more than one copy. Not all of those copies were gifts, unless in December you hang up a stocking so-marked, or light a special candle for, Ebay or Abe.

The point is, if this is what's happening for LEs, where theoretically the FS is losing no money because there will be no further printings, then what is happening to its other titles? If you purchase a book from FS and then resell it, your asking price is irrelevant, because the real loss is the customer and potential new member you are denying the original seller.

One more minor point, nobody wants to see a clearance sale. Clearance sales, if they are so named in good faith, occur because the warehouse has not sold older items fast enough to make storage space for newer titles. It means people aren't buying the books. If members are waiting for clearance sales, those members are hurting the company; that's just how it works. Clearance sales are unable to benefit the producer of the items marked down, only a distributor of those items who has already paid for them can benefit.

Mourning for the demise of Folio membership is now on.

The flag of the Folio Society Devotees will fly at half mast all through this week.

Wreaths, messages of condolence and eulogies are welcome.

RIP.

>132 LesMiserables: I, like you, am non-plussed with the illustration. I wonder what the illustrations will be like for the Edda LE.

It's still up http://www.foliosociety.com/pages/our-history

I don't know, I am not that optimistic. As somebody said above, this feels like the last throw of the dice. No reason why the Gavron family should continue to see their nest egg dissolve into nothing. Only a year or two ago we were being told that "membership was central to the future of the business". Now suddenly, it isn't. Certainly, the change in direction is a godsend for me - no more juggling sales to see if I can scrape 4 books out of them, no Mortification as Folio slides down the slope of populist pulp, no resentment at barbs about "low loyalty customers - good riddance!". It is better this way.

>135 YuunofYork: So I would like to offer my concerned opinion that unwealthy non-members are not killing the FS, and neither are young people ... from where I sit only two things could have killed membership: the second-hand market and members themselves.

Thank you for a considered and insightful post. I found myself nodding along with you, though I still haven't decided if it makes me feel better or worse, pessimistic or less pessimistic.

I certainly agree completely with your view of the secondary market which, while good news for us folks chasing Folio books, must have an enormous impact on sales.

Going back a few (well, many) years there used to be a paragraph in the Prospectus which said: "The standard, incidentally, is reflected in their second-hand price; the few copies which reach the fine book market tend, at the very least, to hold their value, and it is not unknown for them to show through the years a significant appreciation." (1973 Prospectus - the year I joined). We can only wish for a return to those years but I fear it is not going to be granted.

Welcome to FSD. I am sure you are going to be a valuable addition.

Edited for an afterthought.

Secondary market pricing is of course a simple balance of supply and demand, and equally applies to any physical book sold by any other publisher. With the print runs for standard (and particularly for fine) editions much reduced in recent years, however, it is likely that secondary market prices will remain notably higher for more recent volumes than they have in the past. Indeed, not only have we begun witnessing secondary market prices substantially higher than RRP for several titles (examples off the top of my head: Paradiso, Icelandic Sagas II, Myths and Legends of Russia, Irish Myths and Legends, The Secret Life of Trees, The Third Policeman, Master and Margarita, The Handmaid's Tale, The Dark is Rising), we have also witnessed far shallower discounting of 'clearance' titles in sales in recent years.

While admittedly it is too soon to tell, I doubt recent FS releases will deviate from the trend set by their past titles, i.e. their value halves at best. There's certainly exceptions like Paradiso etc, but they cannot make up more than a fraction of the total FS output which can be picked up for a song. Even most LEs barely hold their value - and forget about their worth at an auction house.

FS may actually be well advised to abandon their standard editions and focus on greater quantities of LEs at smaller limitations.

I'm a bit optimistic, to be honest. If they hadn't published Dune or Mort, it'd been otherwise. A £120 LE got sold out within days while Dune had to be reprinted to meet demands. The Austen books are also quite popular. I'm pretty sure they've found here a formula to stay relevant: amidst the usual classics or award-winning books that get the Folio treatment, there should be a couple of books that have a huge following. I'm pretty sure it's one of the reasons they've ditched the membership.Members are not a guaranteed source of income (I, as a member, didn't spend much this year), and non-members can easily sometimes make up for the losses the FS is incurring with the members. That's why I think it's sensible to let the sales be open to anybody. Besides, if they were not doing that well, I doubt they'd have published the £885 Dali LE! Also, some of their latest designs are very modern - the Austen books, Space Odyssey, Dune, The Shining, etc - which is proof that they feel the urge to appeal to a wider and even maybe younger audience.

>141 cronshaw:
And Primo Levi's Periodic Table :(

The FS may have been listening to us.
Just got an email about the demise of membership, along with the code for the $40 discount. My letter has not yet arrived.

I've no strong feelings on the dissolution of the "membership" model and as far as I can tell, it seems like a good move. But I'm astonished that anyone would think they might change the name; even more that they'd "have" to. They are a publishing house. Publishers have all sorts of names, and "society" doesn't necessarily imply the existence of an actual "society" or a club any more than "Penguin Books" implies books about penguins.

>145 LolaWalser: Absolutely. It would be absurd to change a brand name in which so much has been invested to positive effect over seven decades.

>146 cronshaw:

Exactly. Especially as, as others have noted, "folio" alone is both generic and already present, while changing the name altogether would be a ludicrous risk. Even Prince didn't pull it off... ;)

>145 LolaWalser:, >146 cronshaw:

Agreed. The Medici Society, once a very worthwhile book publisher, is but one example trading still under its original name although its dalliance with operating a subscription model ended long before the Folio Society was born.

>135 YuunofYork:

I struggle to see the second-hand market as a significant threat to the well-being of the FS. Once in a blue moon a title, like the Mort LE, is snapped up by some to be sold at a profit: in such cases the FS receives, and quickly, money, unless its cost-accounting has failed, which grants it a tidy profit on the publication. Outside of such instances, Folio Society books rarely gain in value, and so aren't bought by dealers for resale. I doubt that many are bought either with the intention of selling them on once read: they're bought by collectors, devoted collectors or more casual collectors, and rarely arrive on the secondary market until their owners either indulge in radical downsizing or come to the end of their days. The books are bought with the intention of keeping them, or at least of giving them to someone who is thought likely to want to keep them.

Is the secondary market in recent books really that active at all? I've not made it a moral principle to avoid buying pre-owned copies of Folio books that are still in print, but I can't think offhand of a single one that I have bought, aside from dipping my toe into the waters of the Letterpress Shakespeare which is something I would probably never have done at the published prices. Three plays, and there it will probably end for me as I prefer a less modernised orthography and have since secured the LEC set.

Clearance sales... well, yes, they make space in warehouses, and cut losses on the end of a print run which won't necessarily have been loss-making as a whole. I can't see them as necessarily hurting the company. Like, I expect, many of us here, whenever a list of new FS titles appears there are likely to be books on it that I will buy at the launch price without much hesitation, others over which I will hesitate, others again I'm not so persuaded by but am likely enough to purchase if somewhere down the line they're offered at a 30%, 50% or larger reduction. The existence of sales, as of clearance lines in supermarkets, just reflects the reality that not all offered lines will prove attractive enough to enough people to sell out in reasonable time at the price initially asked. They're a sign that supply and demand haven't been perfectly coordinated, but such perfection isn't attainable or necessary, and they can be a stable part of a system that's running well enough for everyone concerned.

I think the secondhand market has hurt some of the LE sales. In particular, the letterpress Shakespeare which sell for a third of the list price on the secondary market. Slow selling LEs with large limitations must be a drain on the society's finances. Most of my used FS purchases were for OOP books (regular, fine and LE) but I must confess to the occasional used purchase of an expensive FS book that was still sold on site. I've also bought older versions of leather bound FS books when the new reprints are bound in buckram.

>150 kdweber: But not all the letterpress Shakespeare volumes can be found on the secondary market, unless I'm missing something. The history titles seem especially scarce.

>151 ultrarightist:

Yes: what proportion of the Letterpress Shakespeare volumes thus far sold by the FS will have appeared at all yet on the secondary market? I'd hazard a guess at 10% or so, they're not at all books that anyone would buy with the intention of selling them on again soon after reading. The FS will have lost a few sales, though many of the secondary market copies will have been bought, like my own, by individuals who would never have bought them at full price. Much the greater problem seems to have been an immense over-estimate by the Folio Society of the number of buyers for either a substantial selection of the plays or for the full collection at a five-figure outlay.

>107 gmacaree:
Exactly my story. I saw Folio adverts in one of the archaeology magazines I was subscribed to years before becoming a member. The sets offered for joining looked interesting (one of the Ancient Empires sets), but I was immediately put off by the gimmicky membership model (back then you couldn't buy their books without becoming a member).

They created an addict only after they dropped the silly "we don't sell to non-members" stance and dis-membered the Members Room. I came, I saw, I was conquered.

>149 terebinth:
Like you,I do not think I have bought any books on the secondary market that FS still has for sale.This is because
-I prefer to support FS if possible and tend to buy new publications straight away at launch price.I buy books I probably wouldn't have purchased anyway if they are at a good sale price later on.
-the price of postage to more distant parts of the world tends to make many secondary market purchases too expensive.
-I prefer to deal with Ardis books (who I find reliable) and not EBay ,Abe or others.(and then only for pop books)

>145 LolaWalser:

My point about the name, absurd as you might think it is, is that they don't want people to think they are a book club. They CLEARLY don't want people to think they are a book club, as that is why they are getting rid of membership. Their name, not unnaturally, makes them sound like a bookclub. Getting rid of the (optional) membership probably won't achieve anything in terms of market perception, and is a pointless exercise unless done as part of a greater rebranding to introduce themselves to the rest of the world.

Like it or not, what they are doing at the moment isn't working for them.

(PS. "should probably" != "have to")

This has the ominous tone of a last try before ...

It's an interesting discussion around marketing name change.

Here are few alternatives to Folio Society

Folio Books
Folio Publications
Folio Codex
Folio Editions
Eagle Books
Eagle St Books
Eddie the Eagle Books
Beak Books
Claw Compendiums
Tooth and Claw Codex
Folio Library
Folio Folio where art thou Folio Books
Dismembered Editions
Addict Tomes
Hardup Hardcovers
Quaint Quartos
...

The term "Folio Press" was used intermittently for some publications in the 1980-90s, but I would prefer them to remain the Folio Society.

How about Société Folio? That would simply mean Folio Corporation, but more or less allows them to keep the name :)

I had the same thought, but one could see "Society" in the name as referring to the publisher, not the customer.

For example, the National Geographic Society publishes books, but there's no need to be a member of the society to buy them. I'm sure there are many other examples.

"Club" in the name would be much more problematic.

I'm sticking to Dismembered Editions.

>161 LesMiserables: That shouldn't affect the spine.

I don't think the term "Society" has the same book club connotation as membership does. Society has s nice, and I think classical British (though I am American so feel free to correct) sense of quality. For example I contribute to the Virginia Historical Society to preserve historical sights, but I don't even think you can be a member. It implies a group of people, not members, who share a love of something noble, in this case fine books.

>155 stubedoo:

Their name, not unnaturally, makes them sound like a bookclub.

Folio Society has been a book publisher for as long as it existed, not a "book club". I believe most of their prospective customers are capable of distinguishing between those just as their past customers have been. Not that it seems the least relevant to begin with...

No argument with what it sounds like to you personally, of course.

I think that very few people would think that "Folio Society" would mean it's a book club, or would be upset upon discovering differently. I'm sure there are a large number of companies in many industries that have names that connote something that may have been true years ago, but no longer holds. The vast majority of people don't care about that kind of thing.

>166 EclecticIndulgence: - There is much meaning in words. There is little meaning in names.

Exceptions exist, of course, but when it comes to corporations and other commercial entities, that's the way it is.

I don't see changing their name as a top priority right now, by any means. They have dropped membership and making other changes. But what the result of these changes will be have yet to be seen. Will their sales stay steady, go up or go down? Will not having a membership actually attract more buyers or not? If not, what happens then? Does it fold? Probably. Because I doubt they will reinstate membership ever again and get it back up and going the way it used to be. I am referring to the good ole days when we got to pick a set of books for 9.99 each year, date book was a given, free gifts, several free books. People who have joined only in the past 5 years have no idea what it was like to be a member of FS back in the 80's and 90's. One by one the perks have diminished. Anyhow, my point is they probably won't bother to worry about what to call themselves or make changes to their name (expense in changing stationary, cards, stores, emblems, etc.) until they see if they will actually stay afloat. If things go well and they do make progress, then and only then can I see it make sense to possibly consider changing their name, though it certainly is not a necessity by any means. Society does connotate the idea of a group, club, association, etc. That is one of its definitions. But changing the name could easily be another bad play right now.

P.S.~What is going to happen to 'Members Rooms" now that there will be no members? Will they keep them open, turn them into shops or "Reader's Rooms" where anyone can come in and check out the books?

>169 Lady19thC: It suffered dismemberment a couple of years ago and was renamed the Folio Society Shop, hence it having since been sometimes referred to here on FSD as the dMR :)

Just had a thought. Why can't the Folio Society do both: be just a book publisher and seller like they are planning to be AND have an exclusive section just for those who want something extra? i.e. Folio Rewards / Friends of Folio - join if you want to, but not necessary.
In this way members can get recognisable extra benefits. This is a widely popular customer retention strategy. Heck we could even call it membership!

And they may as well go there - but if the current model is hard to maintain, they won't go into a new thing that will require more people and resources. The thing I will not miss will be the topics here on "which are the 4 cheapest books you can recommend so I get the renewed membership and wait for the sales" and variations of that :)

On the other hand, some of the specialized publishers that publish special editions together with standard books (Subterranean Press for example) have no rewards program of any type and are not suffering too much.

>174 EclecticIndulgence:
Yes absolutely.I buy a lot of books soon after they appear but have missed a few I wanted by waiting for a sale price.Who hasn't done that I wonder.Not many of us I imagine.It is the risk we balance up between desire and budget.

>174 EclecticIndulgence:

FS is a business - I kinda understand why they decided that have the memberships was not profitable. I do not like it but it is what it is. I do hope they come up with something downstream - but who knows...

Anyone have the right to buy books at whatever prices they feel correct - and from whatever venue they want. But they are not supporting a publisher this way - even though I commend them on their ability to recognize a good book. I am just commenting on my personal thoughts on how this group will change - and what I will not miss :)

>175 shdunne:

There is a difference between the regular members here that buy what they like (and use the sales to finish their collections) and people that never buy more than the 4 needed books and then use just the sales. I thought it is abundantly clear which behavior I am talking about.

>177 AnnieMod:
Yes Anniemod.I do see that distinction.Didnt read your comment carefully enough.

I've only ever been in it for the books, and never so much for the so-called "membership." I hardly fear that the discontinuation of the membership model will affect my inveterate hoarding behavior. Sadly, I know my foibles all too well. I will continue to acquire these gratuitous material possessions against all reason and common sense, for so long as the devil on my shoulder has its forked tongue in my left ear, and its imprecatory pitchfork in my wallet.

I don't see what all the fuss is about - though maybe this is because I have only been a member for one year. I know I always had the notion that Folio Society was membership-based and never bought any of their books except off ebay because I thought I couldn't without being a member. I was pleasantly surprised when I actually bothered to go look at the website and realized I didn't need to be, and have made multiple orders in the past year, and plan on many more since they keep publishing books I would like to buy (if only I had enough money for ALL of them!). I agree that membership to things may be less appealing to millenials than it was for older generations. I don't want to have to jump through hoops to buy stuff, and with the internet around, most places that have any hurdles to buying lose my business pretty quickly (on that note - add paypal checkout!).

I also noticed when I was a member that the non-members would get different gifts and discounts, some of which I liked more than what was available for the members, and I found that kind of annoying.

re: bindings, I like buckram, but I like leather more. I will still buy books I like with other bindings but I will easily buy a book I like a little less well that is in leather to a book I love that is not. I do love that all FS books have such nice pages though - even on the less expensive ones I have gotten, the paper feels relatively luxurious, and that makes me SO much more likely to actually sit there and read the book when it just feels nice to touch.

I also wouldn't like it if they changed their name to just "Folio" from "Folio Society." Even if we are not technically members, we are still in the informal society of booklovers and FS-buyers!

>180 katielouise: "I also wouldn't like it if they changed their name to just "Folio" from "Folio Society." Even if we are not technically members, we are still in the informal society of booklovers and FS-buyers!"

Good point!

Assuming that the Society looks to trade under another name ... won't we former members thereby become defoliated, or even worse perhaps exfoliated?

Chawton: I sincerely hope the Folio Society doesn't change its name. Is there a legal reason to do so?

And hey, have you received your loyalty voucher yet? I haven't.

Does that mean my allegiance to Folio is in question? :-D

>183 bookaroo:
I received email last week but not the mailed voucher.I am not concerned as I normally have the books ordered here before the post showing the latest collection in my letterbox.It seems to take three or four weeks after UK people have received their brochure.

I am in the U. S. and have not received an e-mail or letter yet. I have been one of those inefficient pesky members since 1976.

I received the email in the US, might want to check your spam just in case it went there

In southern CA I got the email last Wednesday.

I wonder what will happen to the monthly quiz with £50 voucher prize currently only open to members. The monthly prize draw has changed tabs to customer's and non customer's entry

The last email from them was August 9 about suggestions for summer reading. I ordered and received four books from them last month. I receive email on three different devices and receive various emails from them.

No email or letter here, also in the States. I've only been a member since 1988 though - Forthwith has me beat.

My voucher arrived today in the membership letter. (Brisbane, Australia)

I think they have wasted a lot of cash on this mailing.

`I can confirm that The Folio Society will not be changing it`s name going forward. Although membership has disappeared, the name of The Folio Society shall remain`

>192 Pellias: Thank you for passing this good news on. Much appreciated

I'm not too miffed by the excision of membership from the FS. I only very occassionally buy books from FS, so I never saw that much benefit from membership (other than the small membership savings when a book was released). There was also, of course, the regular sales, but most of FS's catalogue has always been unappealing to me and putting them on sale doesn't change that (I assume that the sales will now just be opened to everyone?)

I just want FS to keep making high quality books and if this is what they have to do in order to keep afloat, then I'm all for it. I like the recent trend to produce more modern popular books (e.g. Dune, The Shining, etc). If they continue in this trend then it is likely they will publish a higher number of books I'll be willing to buy.

I just used the $40 voucher code to buy Dune. I've wanted it for a long time but the $135 (incl. shipping) pricetag was a bit too steep for me. But for $95 I was just able to pull the trigger.

>194 Diglot: Dune is wonderful. Love the size, the illustrations, and how richly it stands out on the bookshelf.

I too appreciate the trend to more modern popular books, but I'm weary at the same time. If I ever see a "Ready Player One" folio edition then I'll know all is lost (a recent EP publication). As it stands, I'll give anything published by FS a chance.

>195 ohrus: It seems to me that EP are nothing less than promiscuous with their choice of books. In fact the word 'choice' seems to be a misnomer in their case.

I see far fewer Easton Press selections for me than any from Folio. While the leather bindings and moire end pages are luxurious, the illustrations and binding designs of the EP books are off putting to me. (There's the price, too!). That said, I've enjoyed EP's "landmark" Hreodotus and Thucydides, "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" (which should be in every library). I'll soon buy EP's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" to replace the unfortunate book club edition I own, and Carlyle's "French Revolution". But the art! Eeeeek! The Victorian illustrations are atrocious to my taste - in general.

The illustrations and variety of bindings (and lower price) is what makes me value Folio over EP. I hope Folio keeps up the good work!

>197 TriKnighg: Have you seen the FS (1995) first edition of Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich? The red white and black binding design is stunning. There's a second Folio edition (2004) but the binding design is comparatively bland.

Thank you, Cronshaw! Abebooks, here I come!!!

Perhaps we can feel reassured that while we will not be members,folio customer service seems as excellent as ever.Several years ago I ordered the standard(fine,not LE)edition ofThe Holy Land and Egypt and Nubia.It arrived with other books in the normal box and bag but when I opened it the box was very wet and pushed in.All books were undamaged except the slipcase of The Holy Land that was wet and pushed in.I dried everything out and decided not to contact Folio Society about it as I decided slipcase had done its job of protecting and books were fine.Recently I have seen The Holy Land had become mouldy and emailed FS to check about more volumes and possible future sales of this.Edward replied that a new set was being sent to me.I think ,so far after my purchase this is much more than I could reasonably expect.

>200 shdunne:
That is seriously impressive.

It would be interesting to know the cost of replacements to the FS. I like to think it's very small.

>202 scratchpad: I hope so. I just requested a replacement of War & Peace because it was damaged in shipment. I hate having to do that, because I don't want to reduce FS profit margins, but the corners were crushed. Colin handled my issue with speed and courtesy.

I know it feels crap to ask for a replacement (i seldom have done so, maybe 2 times?. Lolita and news from nowhere, expensive books, when i pay that amount, i want it in perfect condition). As long as it is their policy to do so, then it should be so, i`m sure they evaluate this in meetings etc .. i just think they should verify the damage, if i wrote today about a book i`m sure they would send it to me no questions asked (of course they also look at my membership, pre purchases too, i`m sure) .. if i had not given them as much support, i`m sure they would be more sceptic .. again, it`s their policy, and they base it on trust, hope it`s not many shitheads out there taking advantage of it and ruin it for those who care for FS

Conclusion: If they couldn`t handle the situation. They wouldn`t have it as their policy - or else they would be plain stupid. I have trust in them for beeing smart (well, at least not for beeing dumb)-;)

>203 ultrarightist: I would have done the same in case of War&Peace

>204 Pellias:

I always send them pictures of the books so that they can evaluate the damage.

It used to be policy to ask you to cut out the title page of the damaged volume and mail it to them. Have they stopped doing that?

>206 Jayked:
In 24 years of ex-membership I only had to ask for one book replacement. No questions asked, no photo required and no need to cut out title page.
With LEs they require the colophon page and one illustration to be cut out and returned.

Yea, they don't ask you to mail them anything. I really think they need to go after their shippers, I really hope they're insuring their shipments. Even the suggested express shipping did nothing to reduce the banging on the slipcases I seem to almost always get when I order from Folio. Books from Abe Books are packed better and arrive with less damage. Heck, recent lackadaisical Amazon packaging gets the books to me in the same condition as Folio - i.e. the corners are always dinged a bit.

I've pretty much given up when the first shipment AND the second / replacement one arrive with much the same corner dinging.

>205 gatxito: That was what I did; when I was a member I received a lot of damaged books from them and I always sent them a photo and they typically said they'd replace them before I'd even asked for that; I queried wear of the paper sides on my new copy of Seeds Of Change, which was occurring while I read the book, and they replied back to say it wasn't right and they were sending me a replacement (the replacement book remains pristine, so it was a production issue of some kind). I remember posting photos here too, asking whether damage was thought bad enough to bring up with FS or not.

>206 Jayked: I've never heard of this, and despite having a lot of replacements I was never asked to do anything of the sort; they just said if I know someone who would want the damaged books then feel free to pass them on.

>209 Paulfozz:

In all the years I've been a member I've only had to return one book: vol 2 of the Life of Johnson, 1993 reprint. The binding was upside down. So the "send us the title-page" rule was still in force that year, confirmed by a call to London, and it came as no surprise to me, having been written policy for some time.
I came across the defoliated Doctor recently at the bottom of a drawer, and consigned him to the recycling bin. A vol 2 is of no use to anyone.
I do for some reason still have an invoice from 2004 when the Canadian office survived, saying that all returns should be sent there, carefully packed, letting them know whether a refund or replacement was required. I suspect that a call to London would have eliminated the red tape.

Our last day as members of the Folio Society. 😖
Our New Zealand colleagues will be first to go, while those in Hawaii will be the last lingerers - or will it all cease at midnight GMT?

The way they usually operate - it will be midnight GMT. :)

I've never been dismembered before, at least not against my will.

>211 wcarter: "while those in Hawaii will be the last lingerers"

I was one of the last to join, (but I got a membership card ) and I will be the last out.

The fact I joined in June and got a membership card makes me think this decision may not have been final at the time as others have stated they never received their card.

Always a good sign when decisions are made on short notice. ( that, for the record, is sarcasm)

Has anyone made the mourning bands? I plan to wear sackcloth and ashes...maybe some black nail polish. I feel like I've been punished for buying books and being faithful to a publishing company that brought me so much joy. Sigh...

I only joined early this year. I was always late to the party...

The changes have started: the monthly prize draw now has "Customers' Entry" and "Non-Customers' Entry" options.

Repeat after me: It is a far, far better thing we do than we have ever done. There now, dont you feel better?

>215 Lady19thC: a mourning band bound in black buckram and 1/4 leather perhaps?

>218 scratchpad:
lol No!

Tick-tock goes the clock. The end of an amazing era is looming on the horizon....

While I do still feel somewhat miffed at the membership being done away with, I hope the FS can be persuaded into kicking off "Friends of the Folio Society" or something like it - I, for one, would be happy to pay a (modest!), annual fee for such a thing - say, perks including access to a couple of staff blogs and perhaps a 24hr head start on any sales. Invitations to happenings at Eagle St, for instance release parties. Should be a lot easier to maintain than a membership, and be a source of revenue for the FS.

I'll freely admit my main motivation for wanting such a thing (which could well be called membership by another name!) is a desire to belong to something a wee bit special... :)

a desire to belong to something a wee bit special... :)

This group could always go "Join to post"... :)

Well, I think I was quietly dismembered early on, since I haven't received the Horror survey )

>222 LolaWalser: Now, there's a thought...

>224 EclecticIndulgence: Well, beggars can't be choosers. The romantic in me definitely would love to have some sort of connection to the institution which runs off with a significant part of my income, anyway. It would feel more personal, then. Less of a business transaction, in a way. :)

(Yes, I am laying it on a bit thick now - I assure you it is on purpose...)

I just want nice books :)

>213 cronshaw: You've been willingly dismembered in the past? Were you the black knight?

>226 gmacaree:

Seconded!

>277 I voluntarily dismembered myself from my gym when I realised my attendance was so erratic that I'd been spending almost the equivalent of a new Folio volume per visit.

>223 elladan0891:

Perhaps you were dismembered for failing to make the purchases considered relevant - at a guess The Shining will have been among them. It does seem to be one of those surveys that have only gone out to those determined by a secret Folio algorithm to be likely buyers of the titles under consideration. There was no survey for me, I expect because my 1999 purchase of the Poe Tales has vanished from the records and I've bought little enough since that could qualify as horror, probably nothing at all from this side of 1900.

>231 terebinth: I bought The Shining and consider myself pretty sick on the FAD scale of things, but wasn't treated with a Horror title survey either.

>232 cronshaw:

Ah, that's certainly a blow struck against the credibility of my hypothesis. Perhaps the Folio equivalent of ERNIE was responsible, then. ( http://www.nsandi.com/ernie in case anyone from outside the UK cares to know what in tarnation I'm on about...)

>90 Quicksilver66:

I feel the same, David. I was still waiting for that platinum card... Now I can't say that "I'm a member of the Folio Society" when someone asks about my what those beautiful books on my shelf are.

>233 terebinth: Yes, I've always allowed for a little randomness with things Folio. I'd not mind not receiving FS surveys if only Ernie would compensate.

I am the chief librarian of my own Folio/EP room. That is really all the membership I need.

>231 terebinth:
A very sound theory. Horror is not my cuppa. I did fail to purchase The Shining, although it's somewhere in the bottom half of my wish list (just to see what King is all about).

Don't think the fact that cronshaw didn't get the survey discredits your theory. FS knows perfectly well that he will buy any book they publish, so why bother sending surveys? )

>237 elladan0891: I wish! Both space and purse enforce the discipline my cerebral frontal lobes are unable to. I'm restricting myself to a modest purchase of only two volumes now to celebrate the new non-membership year.

I haven't bought any horror titles; I didn't get the survey.

>236 natashaslove: Nicely said.

>239 cronshaw: Yes, space is going to be the real killer for me - old stock is already being chucked out to make way for the new. That sounds easy but it ain't.

>217 PeterFitzGerald:
The Monthly Prize, which I always enter on the first of the month, now seems to have disappeared from the website.
Maybe this is another minor cost saving.

>243 wcarter:
Slipcases will be next...

>243 wcarter: The Monthly Prize, which I always enter on the first of the month, now seems to have disappeared from the website.

Aww. I used to enter every month. Can you balance goodwill against the cost of a couple of books? It's another step away from the Folio Society of old.

'Current and former members of The Folio Society who love the beauty of its books, the wisdom of its choices, the quality of its illustrations and engravings. Non-members most welcome.'

Opps. Is there an Editor in the house?

>246 Forthwith:
The only person who cam change the introductory paragraph for FSD is Kieren Valente, the founder of the forum, and he has been notable by his absence in recent years.
I will try sending him a PM.

Now that we've been dismembered, what a pleasure it is to go down memory lane and revisit thread

http://www.librarything.com/topic/101293

and its continuation!

Also available as "Older Folios" in our wiki.

And have a look at page 15 of the 1960 prospectus (over on the Folio Prospectuses thread) to see what membership offered then to those able to visit The Folio Club, 70 Brook Street. Ah, "those days of wine and roses"!

I recall reading about that. Can anyone fill us in?

>251 Forthwith:

I see there's actually a dedicated thread to "The Folio Club" which I missed when posting above.

Jonathan, we think alike. I was just reading that today on p.15 in the 1960 Prospectus when I thought I create a topic for it to find out more.

"It is limited to 500 numbered copies for sale to members of the Foloi Society"

Mort, 2016

It's never too late or perhaps it is. Just today I finally received the notice from the FS about the discontinuance of membership in the mail. Although I receive numerous e-mails from FS, the notice of the membership has not yet arrived.
Perhaps it is a way to discourage U. S. Customers.

>257 LesMiserables:

Good one!

???

Dismemberment.