Folio Society

I picked up this Folio Society book earlier this year at a used book shop and have been saving it for the Christmas Season.

Last night I read The Kit Bag by Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) right before I went to bed, giving me extra points in the Stupid Things to Do category. This short but undeniably creepy story brought to my mind the scarier X-Files and Dr. Who episodes I've seen. It relied on what you don't see, or only see out of the corner of your eye, to scare the bejeezus out the show more reader and for this sissified reader, it worked perfectly.

2021:
I re-read three stories for this Christmas season:

Afterward by Edith Wharton: I’m not actually sure why this story is included; it must take place during Christmas, but the holiday is not even a bit player in drama. But it is a great ghost story; the subtle kind that creeps up on both the characters and the reader, so that it isn’t until Afterward that you know you’ve been haunted at all.

When Satan Goes Home for Christmas by Robertson Davies: Not quite a ghost story but come on, it’s Satan. And it’s a funny and oddly touching story in the most unexpected ways.

The Shop of Ghosts by G.K. Chesterton: This is a short one that starts off rather heartbreakingly, but ends not only with hope, but left me chuckling as well. A masterful reminder that there truly is nothing new under the sun.

There are so many others I’d like to re-read this season, and I might, but with my to-do list being as long as anyone else’s this time of year, I’m calling it read and again recommend this for anyone who would enjoy an excellent collection of ghostly holiday cheer. show less

I got my copy of this little diary from the Folio Society on December 29, 2009... but one look tells me this book is only half as useful as I expected it to be.

The Good: The page size is ideal at 5.5 inches wide by 7.5 inches high, so it does not take too much desktop space when open. Nearly half the pages in the book are reproductions of public domain art. The other pages consist of diary spaces to give you an overview of an entire week per page, with large and generous spaces to write show more several appointments or a short synopsis of your daily activity. As with all Folio Society books, this one consists of stitched signatures bound together with a muslin lining and gorgeous hard covers that will last. There's even a bound-in ribbon bookmark to keep your place so you can close the book for privacy or desktop space conservation. So far, so good...

The Bad: The beautiful, quality binding job, and the scant number of pages in this slim book don't contribute enough weight to allow it to lay flat; hence you would need a paper weight or an extra hand to hold the book open while you write. A ringbound format would have been a better choice for a book like this. But even the tendency to not stay open isn't the worst drawback. The entire book is printed on a semi-glossy paper, which makes the artwork stand out even more, but is of the type that generally does not play well with a fine tip ball-point pen or a pencil, which are my preferred writing instruments.

I'll keep my little diary to enjoy the abundance of fine art included, but, as for writing in it, that's "a horse of a different color" (L Frank Baum - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.).

My Stephen King Library Desk Calendar will, once again, become the custodian of such appointments and notations I need to make throughout the coming year. Yes, it's big and clunky, and takes too much space on my desk when open, but the paper is eminently more suitable for writing. Sorry, Folio Society. show less

Short stories from a variety of authors, some more famous than others; entertaining, not very scary, the overall flavour being of Victorian spiritualism.

I didn't use the diary. I've saved it for the pictures inside.