September Collection - Latest

Just been talking to one of my Folio contacts, and assuming he's right the plan is for the collection to go live on the web on September 1st. Later than we (FSD) hoped but the interesting part of the plan is that they're staggering despatch of the actual catalogues in an attempt to have them land at roughly the same time in the UK / US / Australia / Canada / anywhere else. I'm guessing that catalogues to the more far-flung corners of the Folio empire will be being despatched very soon, if they haven't gone already.

Of course I'm disappointed it won't be sooner (I was hoping for this week, following the end of the sale) but I'm guessing this follows directly from the launch of the Mort LE last time, with so many disappointed. If you didn't visit the website that day, and buy it immediately, you weren't going to get one. And that opened the door to some outrageous and deeply distasteful profiteering.

So . . if the plan works (and it's quite a big "if") and catalogues are synched as far as possible (or at least better than usual) that may result in a better deal for Folio members outside the UK. It would be nice.

Thanks for posting

First hint uploaded to the FS Instagram account now - the cover has medical instruments on the front.

>3 Santas_Slave:
Also on Twitter:-
https://mobile.twitter.com/foliosociety/with_replies
And Facebook:-
https://www.facebook.com/TheFolioSociety?fref=nf
Instagram link is:-
https://www.instagram.com/foliosociety/

September 1st?! This is like finding out that Christmas has been postponed until January

September 1st? My wallet just breathed a sigh of relief.

>4 wcarter:

I also saw that cover on FB. Perhaps we can expect more such teasing in the weeks to come.

Anybody to hazard a guess what this book might be? I am hoping for one of Roy Porter's medical histories, but of course it could be any number of fiction works.

Bulgakov's A Young Doctor's Notebook (also previously translated as A Country Doctor's Notebook)?

>8 elladan0891: - an excellent guess, and an intriguing possibility. I just might buy that one!

My wallet's grateful it's not this month, and 1st Sept does make more sense for the September collection!

Here's hoping they're expanding publications of Camus and it's the Plague :-)

Ready to stand corrected, but I think there's a new title to be spotted in the background to this picture on Twitter:

https://mobile.twitter.com/foliosociety/status/763456219868696577

The Last White Rose by Desmond Seward. I don't recall that being published before, so perhaps it's a September or Christmas title.

It looks to be in series with Seward's War of the Roses, which is still available.

>12 foliomusthave: think there's a new title to be spotted in the background to this picture on Twitter.

I think you'll find that's Chaos, by James Gleick, published last year. A science book, like it says in the caption.

>13 folio_books: Yes, that is obvious. I did read the caption, look at the photo and I also own the book Chaos. If you take a moment to read my post and you will see I am referring to a book appearing in the background of that photograph and not to the book Chaos in the foreground.

Edited > to correct post

>12 foliomusthave: I should add that you should be able to see a larger picture showing the background by clicking on the photograph on the twitter feed.

>15 foliomusthave: If you take a moment to read my post

Okay, I misunderstood. Having now taken many moments, I still don't see it. I recognise many of the books, which are current or older publications, but not that one. Maybe it's a psychological block as I'm not what you could call a fan of Seward. I hope they publish it for you. It'd be just another one to cross off my list.

>16 folio_books: I doubt I would buy it if they publish it. But I did want to point it out in case others might like to know. Given that we all share nods and winks about potential forthcoming releases, a concrete sighting such as this seemed worth a mention.

I don't know whether it's me, you or our technology but I see The Last White Rose blooming just left of the copy of The Shining, both being towards the right of the background.

Edited for typos

I will be buying it :)

>17 foliomusthave: I don't know whether it's me, you or our technology but I see The Last White Rose blooming just left of the copy of The Shining

Got it. Absolutely - The Last White Rose, published by the Folio Society. That's one hell of a spot, my friend.

>17 foliomusthave: But I did want to point it out in case others might like to know. Given that we all share nods and winks about potential forthcoming releases, a concrete sighting such as this seemed worth a mention.

Oh, for sure. The sharing of that kind of information is one of the greatest pleasures of belonging to this group, for me. I have little doubt there'll be a few of our members salivating already at the prospect of this one, if not me, or you.

You should consider changing your LT name to Sherlock :)

> 19 Impolitely of me, I didn't thank you for your post that started this thread. Thanks for passing on the intel about the likely release date for the new books.

What caught my eye was the lack of proofreading -- there was a possessive "it's" on Facebook and a "sneak peak" (ARRRGGHHH!!) on Instagram.

Hope the books are more thoroughly edited.

I don't think the social media accounts manager is hired upon their literary prowess. Typos won't bother me much so.

>21 withawhy99: What caught my eye was the lack of proofreading

True, it's not what you expect from Folio. (I was going to omit the apostrophe from "it's" for a joke but my inner pedant refused point blank).

;-)

I've become somewhat inured to "it's," which I think is going to become accepted usage before long, but the use of "sneak peak" in book publicity is driving me crazy! I've seen it from many other publishers as well, not just Folio, and I do wish they would make more of an effort.

End of rant. Looking forward to the September Collection, and thanks to all who have helped us to take a sneak peek. (Peek. With two ee's as in "see." Should be easy to remember.)

>25 withawhy99: Perhaps it all started tongue-in-cheek with the blurb for an edition of The Magic Mountain.

>25 withawhy99: I've become somewhat inured to "it's," which I think is going to become accepted usage before long

I can only hope I'm safely in my grave by then.

>26 cronshaw: Perhaps it all started tongue-in-cheek with the blurb for an edition of The Magic Mountain.
Ho ho ho!

>25 withawhy99:
"but the use of "sneak peak"...is driving me crazy!"
Oh, come on, it could of been a simple typo!
;)

>25 withawhy99: I hope it doesn't make you feel peaky.

>28 elladan0891:
Indeed, but it's becoming so prevalent that I think some people believe it is the correct spelling. And publishers (of all people) should be on the lookout for that particular typo. Or at least, I wish they would be.

>27 folio_books:
Goodness, I hope your life expectancy is not that short!

>26 cronshaw:
Or perhaps tongue-in-cheak?

>30 withawhy99:
Oh, I wasn't being serious! It was a joke - I intentionally sneaked my own pet peeve in there. I'm still feeling sick after typing that "could of". )

>31 elladan0891:
: )

I passed through London on Friday and could not resist a quick visit to Eagle Street. Came away with From Dawn to Decadence and Mort. I was told that a new Pratchett is being published in "a few weeks". Title is a top secret but might be S***l G**s.

>33 N11284: Title is a top secret but might be S***l G**s.

Really? How very random.

Congratulations on Dawn to Decadence. I lust after it myself. (The book, as opposed to the decadence. Probably.)

>33 N11284: If it is indeed S****|G**s then although random it is one of the more popular (and is the only non-Guards title in my top three on the previous "Which Pratchett next?" thread https://www.librarything.com/topic/223247#5578245 ).

PS and congratulations on From Dawn to Decadence - I have only read part (so far), but it is wonderful.

There was some William Gibson talk of his cyberpunk `Neuromancer` a good while ago .. right after the release of the Dune 50`th anniversary ed in 2015

>36 Pellias: There was some William Gibson talk of his cyberpunk `Neuromancer`

That one and quite a few other SF classics await the Folio treatment. My own personal one to die for would be Stranger in a Strange Land.

>37 folio_books: Robert Heinlein .. that and starship troopers .. i have the barnes & noble edition of those .. i will of course have the FS edition of this, but that is one of the better B&N, if i may say so. I collected B&N plasticleatherbound classics before i found FS in a different life. I like them, they made me go back to books in english. Before that i read mostly f.ex Harry Hole, now i prefer to read in english - besides when i read the likes of Heimskringla, edda etc .. i prefer those in norwegian, there are so many great quotes .. i will of course read FS Edda LE when that time comes

So, let`s hope for Gibson in september, and Heinlein

Have you checked the latest Facebook post by the Folio Society?
What title do you think the cover is for? The Folio Society says some people guessed it right, but can't tell which one it is. Apparently it is between The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea. I've never heard of either before! (though they're quite well known)

>39 Kainzow:

I just guessed that too! Those are books by Mary Renault about the Theseus myth (hence the bull that you see in the picture). The King Must Die has long been requested by many FSDs.

I am very excited that we will soon get to have a Folio edition of Chateaubriand -- there is a post on the Folio Blog about the background to the design of this book here:

http://www.foliosociety.com/media/blog/this-folio-life-chateaubriand/

The very first book I suggested to the FS some 4 or 5 years ago when I joined was his Mémoires d'outre-tombe - if it is in the September collection, I shall order it at once as a treat to myself.

>39 Kainzow: The clue might be in the original September Collection thread.

>41 sir.david:
Ah, I see! Thanks for pointing this out! ;)

The King Must Die!!!! Christmas coming early!!!

>39 Kainzow:
It's most definitely the King Must Die, the first book of the Theseus duology. It wouldn't make sense to publish the sequel first. And a picture of a bull is more than appropriate for the King Must Die.

>37 folio_books:
>38 Pellias:
I love sci-fi, but would prefer that FS do something not done by EP.

-shawn

Fabulous news!

>44 sdawson: Agreed. Particularly since I already have EP copies of Dune, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Neuromancer, and Stranger in a Strange Land.

I'm excited for more Renault. Expensive month on the horizon I suspect!

>46 kdweber:

Part of the problem is that the books that will ensure customers were already issued by EP - not that there aren't enough that are possible but most of the big names are covered. And skipping them just because another publisher already did them does not much sense -- it does for a customer (I have quite a lot of them) but not for a SF/F collection for Folio...

>48 AnnieMod:

Understood. Still, FS doesn't produce that many Sci-FI books, but they have done more in recent years. There should be some classics or modern-classics that fit the bill.

If not, then a few suggestions for authors would be Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, Stephen King, Theodore Sturgeon, Neal Stephenson, Ursula LeGuin.

Some of the authors could extend what they have already started:

Stephen King: The Dark Tower, The Stand, The Dead Zone (already done by EP)

Bradbury: The Illustrated Man, EP has already done many of the other Bradbury biggies Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and both have already done Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451

LeGuin: please continue her Earthsea series

Asimov: I, Robot, The Stars Like Dust, and others in his Galactic Empire series,

Heinlein: Like Asimov -- so many to choose from. Bypassing Stranger in a Strange Land, how about Friday, Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Arthur Clarke: Which of his later books have been overlooked and should get the FS treatment?

Sturgeon: A short story collection would be great.

Stephenson: Someone else here must be able to recommend, I haven't read much of him, but I would if FS published him.

Looking for UK Sci-fi authors in addition to Arthur Clark, many are too well published, including Wells and Huxley. I am so very grateful for the Wyndham set of three that FS has already published. While I'm a fan of Fred Hoyle, I don't think he appeals to the younger generation like he did when I was a kid. What other British sci-fi authors or books should be published?

>49 sdawson:

Regarding Neil Stephenson I would personally pay a lot for a Dune level treatment of both Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon.

Especially Snow Crash which in my mind is the bridge between Neromancer and the more modern interpretations of the genre.

Just love that book!

>49 sdawson:

Oh, I won't disagree. I am just saying that with the little number they have so far (increasing but still lower than I wish they had done), not publishing the classics does not sound very logical.

Reynolds is worth publishing from the English guys. Asher. Hamilton... But then I am a bit biased - it is kinds my list of favorites. And most of the current authors have Subterranean Press that does wonderful editions as well. :)

>50 Sorion: I'd rather wait for a Subterranean Press version of Snow Crash to go with their Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon editions.

>52 kdweber: I'd never heard of Subterranean Press before but apparently they did publish Snow Crash as well. Sold out through them but available for the low low price of 1300 dollars on abebooks! Alas!

>33 N11284:

a new Pratchett is being published in "a few weeks".

!!! Wow. Did they plan this, or rushed through a commission after the amazing Mort performance?

Wonder if they'd dare make it another Pratchett LE?!

Probably... not... but it would be so much fun.

I can't imagine it was a rush job. All the preparations and policy changes for this collection, another Pratchett LE would make sense. (If it is the one implied above there might be styles that might suit it, too?)

>53 Sorion: With a little more searching, I found it for as little as $990 :( I guess I would like another nice publisher to give it a go.

>54 LolaWalser: I was told definitely not an LE and was already planned. Title is as I hinted at above.

I wonder if the new collection will be introduced after the sale of all the other publishers stuff is over on Sun.

Hopefully Monday?

>58 devilsisland: It wouldn't surprise me if Folio waited until Membership ends at the end of August before introducing the September Collection.

From a recent email I received from FS marketing - "The new titles will be available to view online from Thursday 1 September." There will be "...17 new titles."

>60 MisterThreeSpeed: 17 titles is a lot. May include reprints of older titles but even so there's at least 8 or 9 books coming that we have no clue whatsoever about. It's like the old days.

I think the current rumoured and confirmed are:
The King Must Die, Renault
War Horse (now or Xmas?)
Ulysses?
The Red House Mystery, Milne (now or Xmas?)
Love Lies Bleeding, Crispin (perhaps unlikely to be at same time as the above title)
The unknown one with the medical cover..
The Last White Rose, Seward?
The new Pratchett
Chateaubriand?

More likely to be at Xmas

From Russia with Love
So Long and Thanks for All the Fish AND Mostly Harmless
Persuasion

I think the facebook page has given us another clue as to one of the future titles.

If I had to guess Cloud Atlas will be one. Even though it is on the readers choice survey.

And perhaps also some Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey and Eric Ambler?

And I have a hunch that Hornblower might be setting sail soon.

Maybe also Icelandic Sagas volum.2 in bucram, as nr.1 came around this time last year?

If I could have one wish for a reprint it would be The Master and Margarita. I have seen plenty of requests for that one.

>63 gatxito: more Josephine Tey would be great

>66 devilsisland: I second that.

>66 devilsisland:
I third that

We just had new Josephine Tey, last time. I'll take new Crispin over it, besides which the artist posted a sample illustration a month ago on his website.

>61 foliomusthave:
Isn't Life of Pi also supposed to come out fairly soon?

That's another one I would buy

The following four have all but been officially confirmed for September:

The King Must Die
Love Lies Bleeding
Memoirs From Beyond The Tomb
something by Terry Pratchett (possibly Small Gods)

I'd expect there to be some poetry in the collection too.

Here's an interesting article:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/13/folio-society-survey-bible-edges-o...

The following four are scheduled to arrive before the end of this year:

From Russia with Love
Mostly Harmless
Persuasion
So Long and Thanks for all the Fish

The following four are believed to be in production, with no known release date:

Last White Rose (photographs circulating, so a September release quite possible)
Red House Mystery, or other Milne title
Ulysses
War Horse

Neuromancer has occasionally been rumoured, but never anything official. Treat with caution.

Re the article referred to by >73 sir.david:, a survey of the books most valuable to humanity: this survey might increase the general store in human knowledge but otherwise I fail to see its purpose. The article gives none (beyond that given in the title) and on its own admission has little, if anything, to do with reading preferences. Whose bright idea was this? I would have thought FS might have a better use for its scarce resources.

>76 scratchpad: It's fairly straightforward brand marketing. It's designed to be picked up by interested journalists (they'd have sent out a PR blast to a mailing list), whose readers would then associate the Folio Society with Important Books. The money would probably have come from the advertising budget.

>77 gmacaree: Then I would seriously question if such indirect methods work. The osmotic effect strikes me as a somewhat desperate hope and so far off the point that it deserves to fail. Succeed or fail it is one of those attempts at publicity the results of which will be impossible to determine (in terms of the bottom line).

good god its click bait. I doubt much thought went into its succeeding or failing and as far as use of resources its very low weight.

>78 scratchpad: I work on the editorial end of things, so while I do know that ad agencies value this sort of exposure more than they would e.g. a banner display, I can't speak for how well it turns into cash. My sense is that if it didn't work folks wouldn't try it, but that is very much not my problem. :)

>64 foliomusthave: What is giving you this hunch? Has there been news or hints about this?

They have added a new Collectable, M.R.James selection, for "next autumn," whatever that means. Hard to get excited about that when the full collection was so recent,

>81 Sorion: On Twitter recently there was some conversation between a customer and Folio about all the Patrick O'Brian books and Folio said something like 'there's something you might like in the new catalogue'. I'm just guessing that it might be more nautical adventures. And a few years ago Hornblower was mentioned in a survey of new titles, plus I know many of the fans on this forum have suggested it. I'm putting two and two together and may have made five.

I will see if I can find the twitter conversation and put the link up here for you, so you can see what you think.

>81 Sorion: Well here's hoping you're right! I had been planning on purchasing the EP Hornblower collection early next month but I'll hold off I think at least till we know for sure. Or buy both. Yeah that sounds like a good idea.

> Ha ha. Enablement and we don't even know the September titles yet.

Here you go https://mobile.twitter.com/foliosociety/status/761482039317172225

After a tweet about Patrick O'Brian, Folio replied: Check out our new catalogue coming soon, there's something you're sure to like...

Am I the only one here who does not want prior notice (fact, rumour or points in between) of forthcoming books? If there's anyone out there who feels the same let's hear them. Down with spoilers!

>87 scratchpad: - I'm with you on this. I like surprises.

Nope, not me,,,I like gossip and speculation. An event of the magnitude of the release of the new titles demands it.

To ignore the opportunity would diminish it's importance.

I'm tempted to pretend I have some inside knowledge and make some stuff up.

>87 scratchpad: are you asking for posters on FSD to refrain from discussing what they see/hear on social media, otherwise on the Internet, in the dMR, from FS staff, etc etc about forthcoming titles? Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not being chippy, just wishing to understand whether your wish to avoid spoilers is directed at FSD (or certain posters on it) for sharing this information, or at Folio for its approach (intentional or unintentional) which allows such information to be in the public domain?

>89 EclecticIndulgence:
It's #garbage. And considering all our British friends, you should add the #rubbish hashtag. So instead of "garbage#" it should be "#garbage #rubbish"
:D

>91 foliomusthave: Perhaps I was speaking to those FSDs who, like me until now, have remained silent while watching in dismay at the excited flurry of anticipation which can only have the effect of producing a bowl of thin gruel on the day.

You should know that I don't expect things to change but the pressure was building and I just had to blow off.

>93 scratchpad: I expect that Folio are increasingly likely to tease and share information in a piecemeal fashion, especially through social media, to maximise customer anticipation and interest ahead of release dates. In this respect Folio is acting like any other publisher that wants its customers (or potential customers) to buy from it. So I fear that your dismay as others exhibit excitement or anticipation is unlikely to recede.

Edited for typo

>87 scratchpad: I'd love to know well in advance the new release list. Preferably 2 months. My funds are limited, and my interests unlimited ... :-)
I have several hobbies competing for my limited funds. It would be great to know how much money to save for a particular release.

>95 vonDorffy: True enough! In the old days we used to have notice in one swoop of all the titles that would be published over the membership year (up to 9 months' advance notice in the case of some titles), which really did help budget planning.

Additional benefits I see from the release of information in advance include the fun kinds of speculation that occur when one has chronic FAD. If Folio tease the title of the book, I spend far too many quiet moments wondering what it might look like and how I might go about designing it (and it's always interesting to compare one's own thoughts with the reality when the launch day comes round). Alternatively, if Folio tease a snippet of the design, there's the entertainment that comes from playing sleuth and trying to work out what book it might be from very limited design details.

>95 vonDorffy: I get that. But your early 'official' list would inevitably be preceded by an even earlier gaggle of expectation. And so it goes....infinite regress! Now, go on >96 foliomusthave: make my day by telling me this didn't happen before.

>97 scratchpad: Apologies, if I'm misunderstanding your question. In terms of what level of anticipation there was in the old days, compared to what there is now, it's quite hard to compare given the variables. FS was less active on social media then; it didnt have blogs on its website; and the very fact there were fewer titles published each year (12 or so, compared to 80 or more) meant that there was simply less 'stuff' to know about (or speculate about) in advance. There were, however, more regular (more regular than today) printed Folio Newsletters which one could, if one were so minded, scour for information about what they might be publishing (or contemplating publishing) in the year(s) ahead.

I think the rumour mill that circles around the Members Room (now the FS Bookshop) - or when Members (customers) otherwise interact with FS staff and glean some snippet or other about future releases - is probably as old as the hills.

Where there was a Prospectus containing the of all books (12 or so) to be published for the new membership year - including details of their cover design, internal illustrations, endpapers, materials, introducers and other features such as maps, drawings, etc - it is certainly true to say that there was a big bang of information about the new editions provided all at once, rather than in a piecemeal fashion. But even today, we are only really talking about advance knowledge of the identity of the book and a snippet of its cover design (sometimes not both together) - all the other details I describe above tend to be unknowns right up until release day. So in that sense, not much has changed.

One thing that has changed, perhaps, is the nature of the anticipation. Now that new titles can be in our hands within days, we have lost the sense of anticipation (often unbearable) of waiting up to nine months to actually hold the thing! Perhaps I have substituted that sense of anticiaption for another.

Finally, today there seems to be more clustering into the launch seasons, and less ad hoc releases throughout the year (say, a new 4-volume set, annouced by a flyer landing on the door-mat). So, I tend to think now that whatever is announced on the various key launch dates (three or four of them) will be our lot for the year (I'm talking about standard editions not LEs here), whereas in the old days I did anticipate that there would be some bonus editions (particualrly sets) announced during the year.

Edited for typos

>98 foliomusthave: Where there was a Prospectus containing the of all books (12 or so) to be published for the new membership year - including details of their cover design, internal illustrations, endpapers, materials, introducers and other features such as maps, drawings, etc - it is certainly true to say that there was a big bang of information about the new editions provided all at once.

Speaking as another long-term member I'd just like to say you've drawn a very accurate picture of life in the olden days. Gratification is now instant in comparison with the long wait. But when you know for absolute certain that your Prospectus is going to arrive annually, and only once annually, with the Folio magazine in between (4 issues, Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn) the same overall pattern was there, just at a lot less frantic pace.

How I wish we could go back to 12 books a year, knowing full well it's never going to happen.

>99 folio_books: Thank you. Frantic is just the word. Keeping up with the news about new titles is one thing. Keeping up with buying them harder still.

>98 foliomusthave: Re then and now: Yes, my implied question was absurdly over simplistic. I realised that conditions were/are so different as to make comparisons difficult. Your reply more than confirms this. I also wondered about the differences in customers (members). I like to think that they were perhaps less in a hurry than we are today. Maybe less intolerant of delayed gratification. I'm sure a different mind-set existed but that in turn might have been influenced by the factors you have described.

>101 scratchpad: I'm sure you're right. Perhaps we are in more of a hurry, especially for knowledge. We desire instant answers in a world of instant information. Whereas in the past we might need to go to a library or an archive to find an answer to a question, we can now find the answer online in seconds. 'What books will Folio publish in September?' is just another question. I very much admire the self-restraint of those FADdicts who can resist the temptation to search out the answer (or at least part of it) right away! :-)

Outside this thread, I've seen no indication anywhere as to what the September list will be. So if one doesn't want to know, there is a fairly simple answer........ (with the caveat that I access neither Twitter nor Facebook).

>86 foliomusthave:
Patrick O'Brian wrote some other excellent novels, e.g. The Road to Samarcand, The Unknown Shore, and The Golden Ocean. Maybe FS are going to include one of these in their list? Either way, Forester or O'Brian, it would be a treat to look forward to.

>103 Willoyd: thank you and quite right - most presumptuous of me to forget his other works

I spoke to a gent at folio if there would be any ancient history titles in September and he said "Oh yes! but more than that I probably shouldn't say."

tease

Well nothing is ringing my bell so far, lucky for my wallet.

The medical one has been nagging away at me because it reminded me of something I’d seen before. It suddenly came to me this evening; on the back of the dustwrapper for Len Deighton’s An Expensive Place To Die. Perhaps they are too similar for it to be this book.

https://www.librarything.com/pic/5460703

>107 bookfair_e: it's been nagging at me too. I wondered if it might be some more J.G. Ballard. You are right that it is reminiscent of Raymond Hawkey's designs for the Len Deighton books.

Interesting what everyone is saying about how FS releases their books and information now. I also like the way they did it back in the old days. I liked getting a Prospectus showing me the majority of books coming out for that year, letting me know how much they were, what month, giving me time to save and mull over and work around my funds, plotting which books I would ask for Christmas, etc. As they changed I found I bought less and less. Offers snuck up on me and I could not afford them, or at least not all that I wanted, because other things in life and other interests also needed financial attention. My collecting status has dwindled. That and the basic fact that I prefer classics over anything else. I also like the way they would start a series and be sure to keep going on with it until it was complete. Now I hesitate to buy any series from them as they have a bad habit of doing them piecemeal. Some are started, then never finished. What good is that? When it comes to series I want them all to look the same, match, be gorgeous. Not a book plucked out of one series and another from another series and neither ever finished. I was about to say that is no way to treat members, but alas... what is a member?

I like their new bindings on the Bronte Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights editions. I would like to see Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Agnes Grey, Veillette, Shirley, The Professor, all added to the mix. I would like to see Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park come out in the new Austen editions so I have a full set. I'm still waiting for and hoping for Phantom of the Opera, more Wharton, A London Life by Molly Hughes (such a fantastic novel), The Sketchbook of Washington Irving, Emerson's complete Essays. For modern titles I want to see The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Memoirs of a Geisha, Year of Wonders, The Crimson Petal and the White, more Bradbury, loads of Neil Gaiman, Keble's The Christian Year. I am not feeling very positive now for ever seeing these titles by FS. :( Drats.

YES! I would love to see some Neil Gaiman titles, esp American Gods.

I also would like to see Good Omens by Gaiman and new folio superstar Terry Pratchett.

Not sure why I hadn't thought of that before. Damn,,, now I really want those.

>109 Lady19thC: Really wish they would finish of the recent Barchester series they started...

Even I, a teaser-loving frenetic millennial, would like to see FS follow through on the sets they've started.

>111 J.Sealy: Indeed. I have the first two, love them, and *could* complete the series with the older editions (a local used bookstore has them for about $15 apiece), but they look so different. I also find the illustrations and typesetting of the new series to be vastly superior to the old.

>109 Lady19thC:
I had a feeling they never would and am glad I hopped on the train of collecting their 47+ volume set of Trollope when it came out, so now I have all his works. Won't try to get them again through FS! One set is enough for me.

>111 J.Sealy: I agree.

>109 Lady19thC:
Oh I do so agree with all your comments!! I too have found myself buying less and less since the demise of the annual prospectus, for the same reasons. Like you, I have a preference for the classics. And as for unreliability on completing a series.....

I was really attracted to the new Barchester books, but held off as have already seen the FS's deterioration in its commitment to completing series. I'm glad I did. I have complete Barchester and Palliser novels, plus one or two others, from the previous complete series, but am not overly fond of them as the paper sides are far too vulnerable to stains - even clean finger tips seem to mark, which is why I haven't tried to extend my set. I would have loved to have replaced those Barchesters with the new ones, but FS have, so far, failed to come good.

On books I'd like to see published, I do agree with you about Edith Wharton, and many of the modern ones (although I'm not a fan of Neil Gaiman, and whilst I would like to see Girl with a Pearl Earring, I prefer Falling Angels). I would also love to have seen more Woolf fiction, plus Cunningham's The Hours, more of the Zola Rougon-Macquart series, more Balzac, more American literature (barely scratched the surface), more natural history (eg Oliver Rackham's History of the Countryside, Mark Cocker's Crow Country), more historical biography (eg Claire Tomalin, Jenny Uglow, Lisa Jardine - and not only her biography - and Elizabeth Longford), more real-life adventure (eg Peter Nicholls's A Voyage for Madmen, Sebastian Junger's Perfect Storm, The Salisbury's The Cruellest Miles). And then there's all the history.......

On the other hand, I could certainly do with less 'Golden Age' detective fiction (yet more Josephine Tey?).

>1 folio_books: In the DMR today for a very brief visit and when leaving said that I was looking forward to the September collection next week, and was told to look out at the weekend. We will have to see what that means.

>117 CarltonC: thanks for letting us know

Be still my beating heart...

>117 CarltonC: Well, well, well, looking forward to a surprise this weekend.

Anyone else receive that email earlier today with the sneak peek? I'm curious to know what the first cover is for? Gotta be something to do with cosmology.

Yes I got the email.

15 new titles, the sneak peak has three: one in the genre of science, one in myths, and one in historical fiction.

Not sure I really care what any of them are.

>117 CarltonC: was told to look out at the weekend

Very good. Which weekend, I wonder?

>121 Diglot: Anyone else receive that email earlier today with the sneak peek?

(Friday) Still "no".

Small Gods (Pratchett) is now advertised on the website. No other mention of the September collection.

>124 ohrus: Excellent! I'm pleased to see they're varying the binding colours within the series, and that we're getting more of Omar Rayyan's wonderful illustrations. As a new Pratchett fan thanks to the Folio Mort and having subsequently read The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, I can't wait to get my paws on this one.

>121 Diglot: I'm still hoping for one of the most influential books of the moment.

>124 ohrus: Without any launch discount, I see.

Another sneak peek of Love Lies Bleeding on the Society's Facebook page this morning.

"Our September catalogue is so nearly here! This stunning illustration is from one our new crime editions - we love it. Can you guess what book it could be from? (As a clue, it is in a series.)"

"Strangely enough there is a link to Shakespeare in this book!"

Wow. Must say the two `Mort` look great together, crimson red. `so many books, yet so little time`

The Small Gods announcement coincides very nicely with the four-day Discworld Convention which starts today at the Chesford Grange Hotel, Warwick. I wonder if Folio have an exhibitors stand there?

Good thing there's no limited edition version of Small Gods or we'd all be going berserk by now.

>128 Pellias: Must say the two `Mort` look great together

I can only agree. I still think Small Gods is a very random choice for the second Pratchett, but it looks lovely. Any thoughts of giving this one a miss have been banished. Just been speaking to Folio who confirm Small Gods is immediately available. I'm waiting for the full list on the website or in a catalogue.

Edited to say:

>125 cronshaw: that we're getting more of Omar Rayyan's wonderful illustrations.

Totally agree. He's been a perfect choice and we can only hope he goes on to complete the series.

The September books have arrived in the dMR (absent Small Gods, alas), but are still boxed up. I had a sneak preview of the prospectus, but am sworn to secrecy. I can say I was very impressed, though!

>132 PeterFitzGerald: Consider me thoroughly teased.

>132 PeterFitzGerald: I'm counting down the days until the release. This is almost embarrassing.

Small gods looks great! Beautiful slipcase. Amazing, that's exactly the title I'd have gone for next (didn't it lead in the thread poll here too?) But, dammit, now it feels "wrong" not to get the standard Mort as well!

>130 gmacaree:

Good thing there's no limited edition version of Small Gods or we'd all be going berserk by now.

I'm a little sad for the excitement, though. :) Good times, good times.

cmon...what ancient history offering is there?>

>137 EclecticIndulgence: But the Vile Bodies binding is great :)

>137 EclecticIndulgence:
I've been staring at Vile Bodies and the Pratchetts for quite some time now, and the only common thing I can find is that spines of 2 out of 3 books have black background )

P.S. I like all 3, despite different styles. Binding materials aside, I particularly like Vile Bodies.

>121 Diglot: >122 devilsisland: Sorry to be a pain, but I'm feeling bereft of sneek peeks. I still havent received any email and I suspect that I'm not alone. If its not too much hassle could you please post the pictures here?

i also don't care for the Pratchett bindings. I think its just personal preference having not seen any but the LE Mort in person.

From the sneak peek e-mail:

http://contentz.mkt7493.com/ra/2016/37945/08/26336710/17CRM1_MG_02_Low.jpg
Genre: Science and Natural History

http://contentz.mkt7493.com/ra/2016/37945/08/26336710/AFK_S_012.jpg
Genre: Myths and Legends

http://contentz.mkt7493.com/ra/2016/37945/08/26336710/KMD_S_01_Low.jpg
Genre: Historical Fiction

The naming of the URLs seems to follow the naming conventions of the URLs to direct book pages at the Folio website, which I think pretty much confirms the last one (KMD) as The King Must Die.

Not sure what the other two (CRM and AFK) could be.

Guess AFK could be African or Australian myths & legends of some kind? Not sure they've been covered yet.

>143 waffle_xz: Thank you for posting these. I wondered whether the first was Cosmos by Carl Sagan. But it wouldn't tally with the naming of URLs you point to.

ok .. let`s play:

1) Cosmos: Carl Sagan or A brief history of time: Stephen Hawking (but the latter doesn`t match the letters)

2) I am with >144 J.Sealy: on that one .. myths and legends of Oceania .. or maybe more likely based on a gut feeling, .. Africa

3) No idea .. Katherine: Anya Seton (In 2003, Katherine was ranked 95 in the BBC's Big Read survey of Britain's best-loved novels)

Could the first two letters of 'CRM' be for Carlo Rovelli's 'Seven Brief Lessons on Physics?'. No idea what the 'M' would be for...

Will there be some form of discount on the new releases, like Small Gods?

I think FS said there would be no new release discounts.Sales in some form will continue.

>148 susanne-27:
Who knows!!
Its a whole new ballgame now with the cessation of membership from Wednesday!
It will be a new experience for all of us.

>149 shdunne: >150 wcarter: Oh, I did not know this would affect these kind of discounts as well. Thanks for letting me know. I'll put Small Gods on my list then.

>151 susanne-27:
Yes I will be disappointed if the discount on new releases finishes as,like a lot of us I expect,I got most of my books this way.
I suppose ,trying to see a positive,we won't have to keep on logging on to see members page...a very tiny positive compared to a price discount.

>149 shdunne: Correct. The Membership Announcement on the FS web page: "...we will no longer offer members’ launch prices on new books..."

It'll be interesting to see how that affects sales. I would have thought an initial launch price for a limited period of time would have made marketing/promotional sense. I'll certainly be in no rush to dive into the new collection unless something absolutely hits the nail on the head. Having bought at least 4 books every September for the last 20-odd years, it'll be strange if this year comes to nothing. But then my rate of purchasing has plummeted this year: I used to buy 20-30 books/sets a year, this past year it has dropped to six after the initial September order.

>154 Willoyd: I agree. It used to be an incentive to place an order in good time before the introductory discount expired.

Perhaps they'll offer a 10% voucher in the mail to recent good customers or something, as a way to reward loyalty without having to manage a membership. I wouldn't be surprised of they do something along these lines.

Remember our £25 voucher. Maybe that's as good as it gets.

$40 USD for me. Assuming that the average price of a new Folio is somewhere around $65, this amounts to a one-time 10% discount on around 6 books. I appreciate the voucher, don't get me wrong, but I hope there's something in it for long-time members beyond this.

Was a little disappointed in the Canadian value as well, but appreciate it all the same.

https://twitter.com/foliosociety/status/770630554970652672

"Exclusive offers" - perhaps I'm just being cynical, but I really hope this is not referring to third party publications.

>159 EclecticIndulgence: >160 ohrus: Every time I start to get upset with Folio's ridiculous US dollar/pound exchange rate, I see a post from a Canadian or Aussie making me realize things could be much worse.

I'm still waiting for my voucher. I guess I'll need to place a call in order to get one.

>161 kdweber: Just curious - what is the answer if one asks the FS to be allowed to pay in GBP?

And what if one uses a proxy server to appear to be in a country which is invoiced in pounds; will the currency magically shift to one's local currency once the country the books are to be shipped to is chosen?

I consider myself lucky in that the FS defaults to invoice me in pounds when I order for delivery to Norway; after the Brexit vote, doubly so.

>158 chrisrsprague: >159 EclecticIndulgence: But how much do you each have to spend to get the stated discount? It's a minimum £40 spend for Brits to qualify for a £25 discount.

>161 kdweber:
Actually, when it comes to vouchers/discounts, exchange rate, while still being ridiculous, is always in USD favor. £25 off the Brits get is about $32 or $33 only, while we get $40 off. And pre-Brexit USD discounts were usually double of the "original" GBP discounts, so were always seriously in USD favor.

So something to counterbalance the rip-off prices of the books, especially the older ones.

>163 odderi:
I tried to order in Sterling from Australia once, pretending I was ROW. The order was refused, and I was directed to pay in Aussie Dollars!

>167 wcarter:

Scandal! :-)

I haven't received my letter nor voucher yet, here in the USA. Let's see if they get it to me to announce that I am a no longer a member, before I am no longer a member! They have one day left!

>167 wcarter: That's hilarious! How did you set about pretending you weren't from Australia? And how did they catch you out – was it the accent, or would they just not believe that Brizbän, Kvinsland was in fact in Austria?

>171 cronshaw:
The delivery address was a dead giveaway.
(BTW. Love your accent!)

врач Уорвик Картера
Брисбен
Австралия

I've no idea how they could have been fooled. Even Richard Hannay would have been hard put to solve it. ;-)

>167 wcarter: You can certainly get GBP prices, even from Australia. Visit the website through a VPN, let them deliver the package to a company that then ships it directly to your doorstep.. I'm not sure how much you would save this way, if at all. You can do the math for the books that interest you, maybe it is actually worth it.

>174 susanne-27:

Or of course, to keep this in theme, get it delivered to a safe-house in the UK. I know one or two, in fact, some agents frequent these pages occasionally ;-)

>175 LesMiserables: I'm one of those people who use VPNs to get cheaper plane tickets, and so I thought this could work here as well. It is a very simple process, the only question is whether it is cheaper this way. The same goes for all sorts of geo-restrictions.

Now that the membership model is discontinued, you can even order under a different name, you know, like a spy :)

>176 susanne-27:

VPN.. like hola?

The books can be seen on the website - 18 new titles. Looks gorgeous.

1. MEMOIRS FROM BEYOND THE TOMB
2. WINTER: A FOLIO ANTHOLOGY
3. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME
4. AFRICAN FOLKTALES
5. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN
6. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
7. EMILY DICKINSON: SELECTED POEMS
8. HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY
9. JOSEPH BANKS: A LIFE
10. LOVE LIES BLEEDING
11. MANHATTAN '45
12. RUBICON: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
13. SMALL GODS
14. THE FOLIO SCIENCE FICTION ANTHOLOGY
15. THE GREATEST BENEFIT TO MANKIND: A MEDICAL HISTORY OF HUMANITY FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT
16. THE KING MUST DIE
17. THE LAST WHITE ROSE
18. THE NURSERY RHYME BOOK

HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY for me with £25 voucher

To me, this is probably the least interesting fall selection of books in a long time. There are some, about 4 or 5, that I plan to get, which I'm glad, but overall not as excited as I hoped I would be. But on the brighter side, American prices seem to have gone down a little bit for similar volumes in the recent past, which is very gratifying to see, and hope the trend continues. Long live the FS!

>180 brother_salvatore:

I too feel that the Canadian prices are more reasonable this time around.

Is it just me or do the prices seem a bit more approachable this month?

>182 chrisrsprague:

I agree--if cutting out freebies and other membership paraphernalia means more reasonable prices, then I'm all for it. The tell is the nursery rhyme book at $60.00. Prior books in the Andrew Lang series were close to $90.00. And with a ceiling on postage costs, I'll be buying a bunch of these books.

>184 EclecticIndulgence:

I completely agree with you about Emily Dickinson and A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man. I was so excited to see the latter title and then came that fatal word: collectible. (thud).

MUST BUYS for me:

African Folk Tales
Nursery Rhyme Book
A Brief History of Time
Small Gods

Anyone notice that the notecards announce several Christmas titles? With Warhorse not in this set we have a far clearer picture of the next set than we did of this one yesterday.

Really annoyed about Dickinson not being slipcased. But still plenty for my cart:

African Folktales
A Brief History of Time
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind
Joseph Banks: A Life
The King Must Die
The Last White Rose
Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb
Rubicon
Small Gods

>187 Kieran_Cowan: That is what I love about a FADict. Release day for 18 editions and we're already looking at the next fix at Christmas time. But you're quite right, 3 of the notecards are for forthcoming editions. I mark them in bold below.

1. Illustration by Debra McFarlane from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.
2. Illustration by Alex Wells from I, Robot by Isaac Asimov.
3. Illustration by Keith Hau from African Folktales selected and retold by Roger D. Abrahams.
4. Illustration by Geoff Grandfield from The King Must Die by Mary Renault.
5. Illustration by Jonathan Burton from Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams.
6. Illustration by Anna C. Leplar from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery.

Titles that I can see myself getting some day, but only if/when they appear in a sale.

- Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb
- Crime and Punishment
- Small Gods
- The Greatest Benefit to Mankind

Now I'm considering getting the Dickinson and making a slipcase. My FAD is advancing...

Looks like I'll be sitting this one out, waiting for Asimov and Douglas Adams.

I'll likely add Emily Dickinson to that purchase, and perhaps Stephen Hawking and Crime and Punishment if they are ever in a sale.

Small Gods and African Folk Tales are must-have-nows for me. Joseph Banks (by Patrick O'Brian!), A Brief History of Time and Love Lies Bleeding are must-get-at-some-pointers. Rubicon looks amazing too. Oh dear oh dear!

>188 gmacaree: Absolutely agree. What a shame there's no slipcase for the Emily Dickinson volume; a mere dustjacket doesn't do it justice. >191 gmacaree: That does approach psychosis level FAD.

I popped in briefly to the dMR today but it was unfortunately before the new books had been put out and there were too many visitors for me to be able to request a discreet advance peek at any of them, except that I did catch sight of the shrinkwrapped African Folk Tales: the binding is spectacular, far more vivid than it appears on-line or in the catalogue which I nabbed. I'll have to think of an excuse to pop into town again later in the week to admire the illustrations up close.

>187 Kieran_Cowan: Well spotted!

I'm getting Russell (I'm way behind in reading the books I own, and this great tome will look fantastic on a shelf, even as something as a reference) and "Crime and Punishment" - I'm collecting Russian greats.

Two special offers, but does anyone know what they are? Not seeing them specifically on the site, but assume the "Winter" anthology is one of them.

A little easier on the budget, buying two rather than four, but, trust me, more will be purchased!

I collect The Library of America over here in the States, and will wait for Miss Emily to show up in that series, I assure you, slipcased, but uniformily unillustrated. Hopefully before I'm six feet under.

Hmm. Placed my order online, and the $40 discount wasn't honoured, after two tries. But who cares; I get to add to my pile of unused notecards.

>146 Pellias:
When I saw you mentioning A Brief History of Time, I got really enthusiastic at the idea of reading it in Folio edition, but it sounded unlikely because of the URL.
I've just seen the books, and it's a definite yes from me! :D

>194 TriKnighg: From the catalogue: buy any single title from the Sept 2016 collection and get a free pack of Folio notecards featuring six different illustrations, plus Winter Anthology free when you order two or more titles*

Offer ends Sun 9th Oct.

*see website for details it says!

Thanks, Cronshaw! A Ms Hyacinth Bucket (say "Bouquet") at Folio is pushing me to send out hand written thanks for teas, cocktails, coffees, and other assorted social treats!

>196 Jayked: Placed my order online, and the $40 discount wasn't honoured

Just a thought. The discount code is H25CM0. When I tried it at first it wasn't accepted but then I tried again with zero as the last digit instead of letter O. Worked for me, anyway.

I think I'm going to use my voucher for In Parenthesis. At first sight none of these new ones really tempt me - I was thinking of buying Small Gods to go with Mort, but - dare I say it - I was underwhelmed by Mort. Not the physical book, which I love, but the text itself, which didn't do anything for me. I must be insensitive to Pratchett's charms and genius.

I've just seen Manhattan '45 which I think is going to be another must-have-now. My partner and I are off to New York this weekend to attend a wedding and make a holiday of it while we're there, so this will be perfect reading for the trip. The images look great. The photo of the bloke getting a light for his cigarette perched atop the protruding eagle of the Chrysler Building sends an excruciating tingle through the soles of my feet. Won't be trying that.

Anyway, my order* is in: A Brief History of Time, Joseph Banks, Nursery Rhymes and Small Gods. On the back burner, aka Wish List, waiting for sales, special offers etc : African Folktales, Manhattan '45 and Love Lies Bleeding. As another Devotee noted, Emily Dickinson would have been included in my order if she'd been properly clothed.

And on my I'm-Bloody-Sick-of-Reprints list: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Crime and Punishment, and History of Western Philosophy ("bound in buckram"),

*My last-ever order as a Folio Society Member. Deep sigh ...

Oh, no! Interested in 11 titles! On to the rounds of sifting through. Disappointed that for 90 African folktales there are only 7 illustrations.

>204 elladan0891: 8 illustrations including frontispiece! But you're right, they could have treated us to more :)

A Brief History of Time is definitely one I'll be getting. Now where did I put that voucher?

>197 Kainzow: Hello friend. I have this copy: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-illustrated-a-brief-history-of-time-the-univ... i like it. But i will of course have a FS edition also :)

I will use my voucher, and i will get: Rubicon and Vita Nuova

Went to go place my order and found my cart empty and the new books list gone! Wassup, FS?

Mole! Your artist for Winter undergoes gender change at a click, from the website banner advertising the volume illustrated by Peter Börner, to the full page description of the title now illustrated by Petra. Is this a deliberate allusion to the shrivelling effect of winter cold?

> 200
Your thought is likely spot on. I'm used to seeing zeroes transfixed by diagonals. It'll keep until Christmas.

I am a bit disappointed, nothing screams "BUY ME!" at all.

Also I am tired of bloated "Erudite" histories of particular topics.....

most of these strike me as" The rights were cheap!"

A little disappointed in this collection. The only three that I'm likely to purchase are:

Crime and Punishment
The Last White Rose
History of Western Philosophy

Probably for the best. My wife is starting to notice...

>211 EclecticIndulgence: Well spotted. How disappointing! This seems to be part of an established trend of using cheaper material for some reprints. We've seen this recently with Icelandic Sagas and The Norse Myths but also historically with sets such as the 7-vol. Jane Austen and 6-vol. Mapp and Lucia boxed sets (individually coloured volumes replaced with more uniform colours).

Crime and Punishment is translated by one David McDuff. I have never heard of him and his translation on amazon has just a couple of reviews (neither concerning the translation--it was commissioned by Penguin). Given that there are much better known translations of this work out there, I am curious if anyone knows anything about this one.

Probably :

The Joyce
The Dickinson
The African tales (love the illustrations)

The Winter anthology free

In Basket:

Folio Science Fiction Anthology
The Nursery Rhyme Book
Small Gods
Mort

In Wishlist:
Love Lies Bleeding
African Folktales

Hoping for Christmas
Next James Bond
Next Jane Austen

I suppose leather bindings are a thing of the past unless in Limited Editions, given the reissue of the History of Western Philosophy in buckram! Thank god I already have the goatskin edition and I will be hanging on tightly to it, thank you very much. At first I was underwhelmed, but then I compiled my wish list and realized there are actually six titles I will eventually purchase (and likely will buy at least 3 in the next few weeks to take advantage of the loyalty voucher and shipping cap):

In basket:

The Last White Rose (I already own the companion Wars of the Roses)
The Nursery Rhyme Book (I already own the 12 rainbow fairy books)
Small Gods (I own the LE version of Mort, but may need to acquire the standard edition now)

Added to wish list:

Mort (Standard edition)
The King Must Die (already own the 3-volume Renault set)
Rubicon (sucker for ancient history)
Memoirs from Beyond The Tomb (sucker for early modern European history)

I did come up with a couple of questions that I would like satisfied before turning the basket into a firm purchase:

Is The Nursery Rhyme Book exactly the same size and format as the Rainbow Fairy Books (i.e. can they be shelved together in unity?)

Just what color is The Last White Rose. It appears like badly faded black on my computer screen. Could it be burgundy? The Wars of the Roses is definitely a deep, dark black and I would have preferred them to be the same color, but I hope The Last White Rose appears more attractive in person! Anyone who gets a chance to preview it in the dMR, please report back!

Only incentive to order is getting some notecards and a seasonal anthology of poetry? Well i'll just take my time. Christmas collection should be more tempting. I'll likely add Crime and Punishment at some point along with King Must Die. Dickinson would have been chosen too but alas no slipcase, hating that plus more fiction in the Collectibles form..yuck.

In the basket: The King Must Die, Manhattan '45, Small Gods (also happy to have Winter to match Autumn, thanks FS!)

Sent to the wishlist: African Folktales, Joseph Banks, Rubicon, SciFi Anthology, The Last White Rose

Migrating back and forth between the basket and the wishlist: Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, A Brief History of Time

>218 UK_History_Fan:
The Last White Rose most definitely appears as burgundy on my screen.

Interesting that History of Western Philosophy is the only book that comes with the introductory 11% discount. Perhaps they feel bad for downgrading the binding? )

I used my voucher for two from the September offerings and one that I've been holding off on:

African Folktales
Small Gods
2001: A Space Odyssey

I'm not crazy about the changes to the Folio Society, but a $40 voucher goes a long way toward soothing my hurt feelings.

I am very happy with the range of books in the September Collection.
Out of all the ones I could have chosen, in my basket are:-
Memoirs from Beyond the Grave
African Folktales
Science Fiction Anthology
Small Gods
The King Must Die

>218 UK_History_Fan: The Lang Nursery Rhyme book measures 10" x 7.5" which are the same dimensions as the Lang Fairy Books according to the FS website.

Anyone have any thoughts as to why FS offered the Alexander trilogy as a complete set but is now only offering The King Must Die as a single book?

Two reprints here right?

History of Western Philosophy (published in 2004 with leather binding)
Crime and Punishment (published 1997?)

Phewph, nothing there that screams "Buy me now!"

I would be interested in Crime and Punishment but the illustrations don't tempt me at all.

The Sci-Fi anthology looks interesting. I'll have to look at what the stories included are like.

Probably the most tempting volume to purchase is A Brief History of Time.

History of Western Philosophy looks interesting too, but I know the author completely neglects to mention Kierkegaard, so that makes me wonder how judicious of a history on Western philosophy it really could be. (I believe it was Wittgenstein who called Kierkegaard the "most profound thinker" of the entire 19th century).

>224 wcarter:

I too like the range of books this time.

>189 foliomusthave:, where does one see the note cards? Very curious about I, Robot

>230 Betelgeuse:

http://www.foliosociety.com/book/N17/

>231 Neil77:, Thank you!! I, Robot was one of the first "grown-up" books I read circa age 12(?), so it holds a special place for me. I have the Easton Press version, will be curious to see the Folio edition!

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of the Sept collection all month, checking every day for hints and rumors, figuring out how many titles would fit in the budget,,,,,

And then,,,,not one single title I'm even remotely interested in. I thought I would get Crime and Punishment but it's the same translation, a re-release of the 1997 version!?! I love the Pevear -Volokhonsky translation and would have bought it in a second. Bummer.

Good Lord there were other titles more deserving of a re-release. THE MASTER AND MARGARITA would have sold out.

I am however happy to see so many people do appreciate the titles and plan to order. I want folio to do well and survive but it will be without my dollars until Christmas when I also will be excited to purchase I, Robot.

I believe I am the problem here, Folio clearly caters primarily to an English audience that knows and appreciates the authors and books offered.

Memoirs from beyond the grave is 416 pages according to the FS.

Does this look like an abridgement? How can 416 pages come anywhere close to the 700,000 words or so of the original?

I can see no comment from FS on this either on the website pictures or in the written text.

I would feel really conned if I bought something which was a selection rather than the real deal, if it had not been pointed out to me prior to making the purchase, so as I could make an informed decision.

>234 LesMiserables:
700,000 pages in the original?
If that is the case, I am most sincerely grateful that it is an abridgement. ;-)

>235 wcarter:

700,000 words.

well, French translated into English will shrink by at least 10 per cent, as the average number of letters in English words is less than same in French, and there would be fewer words in English as the language is more concise.

>236 LesMiserables:
I thought you might say that. :-)

>227 d-b: Two reprints here right?

If you count the uncollectables, also Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

tempted by:
Rubicon
King Must Die
A Brief History of Time
Small Gods

but I'm a bit miffed by the removal of member discounts etc and lack of any coupon or whatever to make up for it. Even with a 10% off coupon I'd probably buy -- but as it stands I dunno. There seems to be zero benefit to being a long term customer now.

The 2014 Penguin edition of Memoirs from beyond the Tomb is 432 pages long and is stated on the title page to be "Selected and translated by Robert Baldick". It also has an introduction by Philip Mansel. My guess is that the FS edition the same selection.

PS to the above. The third illustration of Memoirs from beyond the Tomb shows the title page and it does rather look to be as if this says "Selected and translated".

Hey, people, what's with this antipathy to the Collectables? I think they're great. I'm worried that if you're representaive then my collection is doomed. Only one this time is not a good sign. On the other hand a collection suffering an early death might later be collectable. Buy now, people, you never know.

>228 Diglot: I agree with your comment about Bertrand Russell. I got miffed when he revealed an astonishing level of arrogance in dismissing Hegel. Not one for me.

>242 pythagoras:
Well spotted. I think Folio have let us down quite badly here. This is not the first time where glaring omission has been found by members shoppers in Folio marketing.

I'm really quite pleasantly surprised - a collection that contains a number that, whilst they don't jump up and down and shout that they are 'must-buys', do quietly appeal and which I will almost certainly land up acquiring.

These include:
Joseph Banks
Manhattan 45
Brief History of Time

To think about:
I'm tempted by Crime and Punishment, as I never bought it first time round, but am mildly irritated that whilst the earlier edition was nicely in series with other Russian publications, like War and Peace, Brothers Karamazov, Doctor Zhivag etc, this doesn't quite fit. I might wait for a second-hand copy.
Rubicon is appealing, but I've already got a fistful of FS Roman histories to read.
Porter, but £75 for a book (even a 2-volume book) is on the steep side (!).

I would have been interested in the Dickinson, but am not interested in non-slip cased editions.

Yet another witty crime caper (at least it's not Tey), yet another Seward (but then others could say the same of Morris, and whilst I like her books, there's so many other travel writers....).

I'm waiting on the Nielsen LE before ordering ... which is fortunate as the website doesn't work correctly right now and I can't see the new collection if I'm logged in. Good to see that some things haven't changed about collection release day whether there's membership or not :-)

In the hypothetical basket for me:

The Folio Science Fiction Anthology
African Folktales
Crime and Punishment
A Brief History of Time
Small Gods
Mort (I have the LE but predictably am now going to buy the SE as well)

Disappointments:

Emily Dickinson would have been a purchase but I don't even look at non-slipcased editions.

History of Western Philosophy: I'd have purchased this at a higher price point with a leather or goatskin binding but buckram is not for me on this one, I'm afraid. I still rue the failure to purchase the original edition but I was an impoverished grad student at the time so I had to restrict my Folio buys.

Not so much of interest for me, I already own "History of Western Philosophy" and a non english translation of "Crime and Punishment" but I might pick up the latter later, however for now I will let it be.

My voucher I will keep until christmas or one of the sales next year I think, unless there are some nice suprises before that time.

Predictably, nobody is interested in the two volume medical history book. Why does FS waste their time on such things?

>249 waffle_xz: It's one of those book that I will probably pick up on ebay one day, just to read a few pages here and there. New and without discount? No way!

>249 waffle_xz: Couldn't agree more.

>242 pythagoras:

In defense of FS, this appears to be the standard Penguin edition (and, as far as I can tell, at least based on amazon, there are no other editions).

The Morris edition is nice, but have just read this in paperback and although I very much like her stuff I don't think it warrants a FS, sorry, Folio upgrade.

Pity Joyce is only a collectable....

Rubicon is the only one that really grabs me - Brief History looks like a lovely edition as well but still have my Feynman volumes to get through.

E Dickenson, yes, if slipcased.

>249 waffle_xz: I think it would be in my top three releases this month, with the O'Brian and the Renault. It's an excellent book, one I'm looking forward to exploring again. Medical history fascinates me*, and I'm really glad Folio's taken the plunge here.

*I did study biological engineering so perhaps I'm weird.

There are a few books that interest me, above all Small Gods, but last year I was pretty miffed when I found out that the Folio magazine - which you only got if you bought something in September - contained a 20% voucher. You could use that voucher for the September collection, but not for the books published in October. This basically meant that everyone who bought from the September collection lost out on the 20% discount for those books because they only received that after their purchase. Not particularly nice...

Does anybody know if this year's magazine also contains such a voucher and if so, do you have the code? Especially with the way international shipping is calculated now, I'd wait with my order depending on the voucher / magazine situation.

I'm a little glad to be underwhelmed this time. The May collection was a big spend for me.

I thought A Brief History of Time of would be an immediate must buy, but I'm not so sure of the design. It's too bad that it's in series with Chaos - I don't find the design of the spine very appealing. Paper sides are generally a turn off. I will wait and see with this one.

I'm giving serious thought to using my voucher on testing the Collectable-waters. Joyce would be a safe testing ground, I think.

To add to the blasphemy, I am leaning towards throwing Dickinson in the cart. Gently, of course, given the lack of protection. The price is right on this volume.

What madness has taken hold?

I only have one collectible (Down and Out...) but I really like it, the format, the weight... I would buy more if I didn't already own FS slipcased editions of the other titles that interest me.

>228 Diglot:

Don't people read Russell more for his style than his content? That was my motivation for purchasing a fine goatskin copy off the secondary market a few weeks ago. If only I had waited so that I could have gotten it in buckram!

>218 UK_History_Fan: "Is The Nursery Rhyme Book exactly the same size and format as the Rainbow Fairy Books (i.e. can they be shelved together in unity?)"

>225 cronshaw: "The Lang Nursery Rhyme book measures 10" x 7.5" which are the same dimensions as the Lang Fairy Books according to the FS website."

I checked it today in the dMR and it is the same size. It doesn't have as many pages, so the spine is slightly narrower, but it definitely forms part of a unified set.

>218 UK_History_Fan: "Just what color is The Last White Rose. It appears like badly faded black on my computer screen. Could it be burgundy? The Wars of the Roses is definitely a deep, dark black and I would have preferred them to be the same color, but I hope The Last White Rose appears more attractive in person! Anyone who gets a chance to preview it in the dMR, please report back!"

>221 elladan0891: "The Last White Rose most definitely appears as burgundy on my screen."

It is burgundy. I think it looks rather nice, both on its own and next to The Wars of the Roses.

>260 PeterFitzGerald: >218 UK_History_Fan: UK_History_Fan: "Is The Nursery Rhyme Book exactly the same size and format as the Rainbow Fairy Books (i.e. can they be shelved together in unity?)"

>225 cronshaw: cronshaw: "The Lang Nursery Rhyme book measures 10" x 7.5" which are the same dimensions as the Lang Fairy Books according to the FS website."

I checked it today in the dMR and it is the same size. It doesn't have as many pages, so the spine is slightly narrower, but it definitely forms part of a unified set.

There's a feature on their Facebook page today,

>249 waffle_xz: I'm interested but it's not going in my first basket purchase because I'm waiting on the LE release but it's definitely going in sometime.

Must be something wrong with me -- I bought the medical history too. Does anyone else find the selection of SF stories stodgy? I can't imagine the Dune Pratchett crowd rushing to buy it.

>249 waffle_xz:
Actually, I thought it one of the more attractive propositions. The price is a bit of a sticking point though.

>249 waffle_xz:
Speak for yourself. Medical history is a fascinating subject, and you don't have to be in medical industry to appreciate it; I'm not in it and I don't have medical background. Even if you go by posts here, judging by a quick look, it seems to be about as popular as all other books except Small Gods, A Brief History of Time, and African Tales which are clearly in the lead, and is certainly not the least popular.

This is why I love Folio - they publish books on a whole range of different subjects, so while I'm not interested in every single book, there is always something for me. I certainly hope that Folio stays true to itself and keeps printing books on different subjects and doesn't turn into a boring blockbuster publisher.

I also went in for the medical history, along with Crime and Punishment and Love lies Bleeding. It looks like a very handsome book to me.

>249 waffle_xz: I agree with elladan in that I think it great Folio takes a risk with less mainstream subjects for general publication and although this may not be an imminent purchase for me it certainly looks an intriguing and appealing work, handsomely presented.

>267 cronshaw:

I will buy it! It was a pleasant surprise!

I placed my order today and hope it went through as the website as been rather wonky lately. I ordered..

Crime and Punishment
Nursery Rhyme Book

for free getting...

Winter Anthology
Folio Notecards

I am excited about both books, but wish there had been a few more traditional fiction choices to add to my collection. I am still waiting for Persuasion and Phantom of the Opera and a bunch of others on my wishlist. I was also hoping we would see Warhorse and Life of Pi. Let's hope the Christmas collection blows us away, though quite frankly, I can afford more now than later! Slim pickings IMO. I've never read Crime and Punishment and love Russian Lit, so this will go nicely with my Dr. Zhivago, Anna Karenina, War & Peace and Eugene Onegin. I also can't wait for the Nursery Rhymes book. Not just because it will go beautifully with my Rainbow Fairytale Set by FS, but because as a child we had a nice set of fairytales and nursery rhyme books and my sister claimed them decades ago. I read them more than her, so now I can have my own collection, finally, at age 53!

It will be strange not getting a huge box of books in the mail. Something I have cherished for decades now. Looks like I will be hitting B&N for more fresh reads. Oh, the horror!!

Just went to place a large order (14 titles), and no option was given to pay in instalments. Am I having technical problems or has someone else had this problem? The amount was definitely over the threshold for instalments.

>270 wwfield:
I was assured by email last week that instalments have not been affected by membership changes. So hopefully just site blip

I just made an order but didn't get the installments option. However I only ordered two books and used my £25 voucher so the amount wasn't huge. There are other books I would like but I suspect we'll have to make a Christmas order to get a free diary, so I'm keeping them in reserve.

>268 gatxito: Let us know what you think of it! I'm having to learn restraint (an unnatural behaviour) as I come to realise I need to live to approximately 110 if I'm to read all the Folios and other books I already have at home, let alone re-read a few favourites, allocating a little time for putting the kettle on, eating, washing, sleeping and other irritating non-reading life intrusions.

>270 wwfield:

It's C$400 for 4 instalments and C$11,000 for 10 instalments.

At least for Europe, instalments seem to have been affected. Until a few days ago, it said on the website's FAQ and Terms and conditions that instalments were only available on much more expensive orders than before (200 and 5000 Pounds, and there were fewer instalment 'steps', not the original 3, 5 and 10) for people buying before a date in August. And now there's no mention of instalments at all. On the one hand, they have my sympathy for what seem to be financial problems, on the other I think that this will make people less likely to make more expensive purchases like limited editions.

And a question on my part: Does anyone have the new Folio magazine? (People in the UK might.) I was told there's a 10% voucher for some books in the September collection in it, but then you don't get the catalogue until you have bought books from the September collection. With the way international shipping is calculated, that's a pretty unpleasant way of doing things since it just doesn't pay to buy one book for the catalogue, but if you buy more books to save on combined shipping, the voucher becomes useless. So if anyone has that catalogue, it would be great if you could let us know the voucher code. I must say that I find this method really unpleasant. In the past, the magazine was sent out whether you bought something at that time or not, but they started this last year so it's not just a consequence of there being no membership anymore.

> 263Jayked

I love the illustrations you can see on the website, but don't find the choice of SF stories that appealing either. So I haven't decided yet whether or not I'll buy it.

I emailed yesterday as I wasn't getting the option in the UK, I was told that the options had been reduced to just a 4 month option for orders over £200. I've tried placing an order over those levels online and still not working.

>273 cronshaw:

I will let you know!

>221 elladan0891:
>225 cronshaw:
>260 PeterFitzGerald:
Many thanks for the reports and feedback!

I cast an Eagle St eye over some of the Sept. collection this morning. Small Gods was the only title not already present. It arrived just as I was leaving, by then late for an appointment, so I sadly didn't have time to ogle it, though I'll definitely be getting it.

Of those I looked at, Patrick O'Brian's Joseph Banks: A Life particularly impressed me as a physical volume. The dark green endpapers are satisfyingly botanical against the two-tone russet brown of the cloth binding, and the illustrations throughout are superb, two to a page. On the front board the title and author's name are in a slightly glossier black than the matt of the engraved cabinet of curiosities, very handsome.

African Folk Tales has ornamental 'separators' running across the page between every short tale, each of a distinct design, that add considerably to the overall visual impact of the volume . You see just one example of them on the FS website, in the second image for the volume. The endpapers are printed in two tones of yellow in a repeating motif. The binding is gorgeously vivid. I do wonder, though, why for this volume and for Folktales of the Native American Folio didn't choose an African and a Native American artist respectively, for a little more authenticity.

The two-volume medical history set probably has the most impressive illustrations overall, some slightly gruesome, others aesthetically beautiful such as one page illustrated in quite intense colour taken from a work of Avicenna/Ibn Sina. The boards (clinic white) are extremely smooth and feel very resilient despite being paper, they have an almost rubbery feel that invites you to think you could wash them down with disinfectant. Unless I'm mistaken it's the same paper that was (rather oddly) chosen for the front board of the recent Agincourt volume. This is one for the if-only-I-had-more-space-and-time wish-list.

A similar very smooth paper covers Manhattan 45 which is finished off with appealing glittery dark grey endpapers. It's certainly an eye-catching binding design. I enjoyed having a quick read of Walt Whitman's poem 'Mannahatta' that begins the book, also a quick read-through of the prologue which was at times very moving yet which also left me with the indelible image of a pair of black lace knickers being waved from a porthole of the Queen Mary.

I was very taken by the Rubicon volume (apparently the best selling of the Sept collection so far via the members' room shop, though Small Gods had yet to be delivered), happy that its illustrations are more varied than merely busts and coins, and include drawings, mural paintings and relief sculptures for example, with integrated maps in addition to the colour plates. Definitely one for the wish-list.

The cloth binding for the Folio Science Fiction Anthology is very striking with its intricate design that for some reason makes me think of steam-punk, though the illustrations with their rather dark and restrained palette don't grab me. As I know nothing about the selected stories and Sci-Fi isn't my usual mug of char, this is one I'm happy to keep off the wish-list.

I love the colourful binding and illustrations for Love Lies Bleeding which exactly matches The Moving Toyshop. However I know nothing of Crispin's work so don't know whether I'll be adding these to a future wish-list.

Though I gave my Autumn volume from last September to a friend (lacking a slipcase makes a Folio easier to gift), I have to say that Winter is charming, with some lovely poems and prose extracts taken from an impressively wide range of sources. Petra Börner's illustrations are delightful too. Such a shame these volumes aren't deemed worthy of slipcases, which goes too for the otherwise charming Emily Dickinson volume: the numerous small engravings throughout are delightful, beautifully executed, but why o why the flimsy translucent dustjacket that obscures the binding design and which isn't going to survive many readings unless given protection of its own? Fortunately, I'm not tempted as I already have the Folio Fine Press Woman in White selection of Dickinson's poems. I know that didn't have a slipcase either, but it was part of a distinct series of tall, thin fine volumes that managed their nakedness as a sort of dignified Pagan group and they were at least all clad in comparably durable mylar-type jackets.

(edited to add forgotten detail)

Order placed:

Emily Dickinson - Selected Poems

This volume looks lovely. No slipcase, but for $40 Canadian I'm willing to make an exception.

I also took this 'opportunity' to spoil myself by knocking two from my wishlist:

Beowulf
In Parenthesis

Turned out to be an expensive month after all.

>270 wwfield:

I made a large order similar to yours and was given the single installment option of four payments (exactly as has been the case since the other installment alternatives were abolished).

>281 ohrus:

Thank you very much for another excellent report!

Just received the catalogue and it's so good I'm going to buy everything (even the stuff I've already got).

>280 cronshaw: Thank you, as ever, for your fulsome impressions of the September collection.
You are helping to nudge me towards the Manhattan 45, but I will have to wait for my next visit to the shop to view the Dickinson, which I am tempted by.
Small Gods and Rubicon are already in my shopping cart.

>280 cronshaw:

We missed each other it seems!

I was there around 1 pm this afternoon; leaving at 1.30 pm. My first visit to Eagle St. I almost could not find the place, and had to use Google Maps but then saw the Folio 44 sign. I ventured in excited - dreaming of this exact moment for the last 7 years since becoming a member back in 2009 and hearing all those wonderful stories of eccentric gentlemen and booklover folk strategically positioning themselves in all Folio War to grab a bargain off the trolly while sipping white wine, but then it dawned upon me that I was there on a Friday and the fun always was on a Saturday. Alas, it was quite and I was the only one there and was at first a bit underwhelmed by the smallness. I think I was expecting a bit more.

Nevertheless, I browsed some of the September collection and agree with your observation and comments about them. I too was drawn by the two-volume medical history but will pick that up at some later stage. I was surprised by the size of the 1001 tales; it was humongous and I'm happy that I didn't go for it personally. There is no room I could have displayed it properly in all its magnificence. For future reference, I will see the books physically before deciding to purchase or wait for your informative account. It just gives another perspective.

I would've liked to have seen the naughty trolley but didn't enquire of its existence. The gentlemen at the counter seemed quite occupied but welcoming and helpful but I thought that with my fake American accent that I can't get rid off for some reason unbeknownst to me, I rather not engage too much in conversation.

However, it was wonderful to finally have had visited the place - the all known pilgrim that every Folio (member) customer has to do - and I was pleased with having had a look at some of the limited editions. I decided to pick up Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time and California University Press' The Principia by Isaac Newton that was offered for a discount, so with the £25 voucher and these two books coming at £57 incl. the free Winter Anthology, I believe it was not a bad purchase. The Principia was almost retail £75 I think but folio was offering it at a much lower discount for around the £50s. So for Principia fans, get hold of this asap, this version is the expensive one with the guide and mostly unavailable or at a premium of over £100.

>286 ironjaw:

There are now two trolleys, either side of the armchairs in the middle of the room. The one closer to the entrance has the non-FS titles currently available (which do not warrant placement in the hallowed bookshelves lining two sides of the room, reserved as they are for FS titles), and the one further away is the naughty trolley (now, alas, itself more stocked with non-FS than FS titles, though there are sometimes still some gems to be found). There is also a naughty trolley annex the far side of it, which contains the larger books which won't fit on the naughty trolley proper.

>286 ironjaw: Thanks for reminding me to add the Principia to my cart :)

You're welcome, was not aware that they had it on their website:

http://www.foliosociety.com/book/PRI/the-principia

>289 ironjaw: Is it slipcased? I'm guessing not but would be good to know either way.

Nope, it's a California University Press edition published in 2016 and bound in faux leather with dust jacket. This edition includes the Guide and runs around to ca. 900 pp.

>280 cronshaw: I cast an Eagle St eye over some of the Sept. collection this morning.

Thanks for yet another comprehensive, informative report from ddmr (definitely dismembered). I received the paper catalogue today so, taken in tandem, it's almost as though I was there. I'd already ordered Hawking, Joseph Banks, Nursery Rhymes and, of course, Small Gods so your comments were very welcome. Banks is a very interesting character and the biography by O'Brian was always going to find its way into my basket. But your description and the pictures in the catalogue make me extra-glad it's on its way to me. The cover design, in particular, is exceptional.

Lined up for my next order are African Folktales, Manhattan '45 and, probably, Love Lies Bleeding. I bought The Moving Toyshop last year and still haven't made up my mind about it. It has the ingredients of a good golden age mystery but .. I haven't been able to define the "but". I think it has something to do with him straying into the over-clever, stylised, quietly pretentious zone more often than I like. Worth a read, for sure, but I don't know if I want to collect a series.

Strangely enough I did wonder if the cover of the medical tome was going to be the same material as Agincourt. It seems somehow appropriate. The SF anthology leaves me cold and Rubicon is not much more warming right now - "What? More Rome?" I'll leave it a while and see if it can capture my imagination. I'll definitely be sticking with the Folio Press Dickinson. The new one looks like it's waiting to fall apart.

I just received an email from the Folio Society which includes access to the September Folio Magazine. Inside is a code for 10% off 'selected titles', which appear to be as follows:

2001: A Space Odyssey
20,000 Leagues Under the Seas
Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb
The Dam Busters
The Alexander Trilogy
The King Must Die
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind

The code for the discount is HMAG10; valid until November 30.

Also in the magazine is confirmation of the new LE Hansel and Gretel (available Sep. 13), plus Anna of Avonlea (Christmas 2016), Anne of Green Gables (reissue 'coming soon') and The Great Escape (Christmas 2016). I don't think we've heard any mention of the last until now.

>286 ironjaw: My first visit to Eagle St.

What a pleasure to see you posting on FSD again - welcome to the UK! I've lived here all my life and within your first few weeks you get to Eagle Street before me! That one's been top of my bucket list for a long time. I'm hoping to get there this year. It was going to be the summer but no, unfortunately. I'm now fixing my gaze on the Christmas "party" if such fripperies haven't been banished under the new regime ...

>291 ironjaw: Nope, it's a California University Press edition published in 2016 and bound in faux leather with dust jacket. This edition includes the Guide and runs around to ca. 900 pp.

I suppose this means they don't intend re-issuing their own Principia (2008)? That'll disappoint a few hopeful people.

>293 gmacaree: Inside is a code for 10% off 'selected titles'

Oh, this just gets worse. 10% is bad enough (probably not enough to cover postage) but then limited to a handful of (presumably dodgy) titles.
Way to look after your loyal "customers", Folio.

>293 gmacaree: The Great Escape (Christmas 2016). I don't think we've heard any mention of the last until now.

Not from Folio but someone on FSD was speculating as to the possibility a while back, as a follow-up to the excellent Dam Busters, also by Paul Brickhill.

>296 folio_books: I'm not too upset about this, since it saves me $24 off the cost of King Must Die, Chateaubriand and The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, all of which are sitting in my cart waiting for me to press the button. :)

>295 folio_books:

I'm not sure. This is obviously a non-folio publication advertised by Folio. I think Folio's Principia was published in two volumes with the Guide separate and is based on University of California Press' edition from 1999. I haven't researched this new 2016 edition and what makes it different from the 1999 edition.

>298 ironjaw: I think Folio's Principia was published in two volumes with the Guide separate

Correct - that's the one I have.

>297 gmacaree: I'm not too upset about this, since it saves me $24 off the cost of King Must Die, Chateaubriand and The Greatest Benefit to Mankind

Excellent! It's fallen very well for you. Nothing there for me though except, perhaps the Chateaubriand, which I had filed under "wait for a sale".

>293 gmacaree:

Thanks for letting us know The Great Escape is coming in the Xmas collection. That will be an instant purchase for me (and it will no doubt look nice beside my 1950 first edition). Reading The Great Escape blew my mind as a young teenager. The movie adaptation was great too.

Christmas is starting to look expensive. The last two Hitchhiker books, Persuasion, The Great Escape...

>293 gmacaree:
Have you placed an order before receiving the magazine with the discount code?
It says "Discount HMAG10 is not valid on this order". First I tried it on a basket with 4 titles from the September Collection, 2 of which qualify for the discount (The King Must Die and The Greatest Benefit"), then removed the 2 titles that don't qualify, and it still gives me this error....

I haven't ordered anything yet because I was thinking whether to order The Great Benefit now or move it to the wishlist, and the introductory code is that little something that would help me making this decision )

>286 ironjaw:
Oh, that's exactly how I felt when I went there in June, during my last week in England before the holidays. I used Google Map to find my way and was a bit underwhelmed with the size of the bookshop; I always thought it would be a vast room with Folio books everywhere and people scattered here and there. However the sight of all Folio books on the shelves was blissful. I ended up buying Tender is the Night - normally I ship my books to my accommodation or to my home in Mauritius, but I had to buy something on my first visit. While I was checking out the books, a group of girls entered the bookshop and,from what they were saying to the young man at the counter, I understood it was their 3rd successive visit there! It was nice to see others sharing the same passion for these books!

I'll spend a day in London during fresher's week (I'm not a fresher anymore, so I'll just skip the activities) and while touring the bookshops I'll inevitably pop in the Folio Society 'salon' once more. I will buy, same as you, A Brief History of Time. I think it's incredible to have such a great book published in such a beautiful edition!

>303 elladan0891: I didn't place an order before getting the email with a link to the magazine. I'm waiting until next week until I place my September order, so I can't speak to how exactly the discount is working at present.

>286 ironjaw: >304 Kainzow:
Paris syndrome? )
I actually prefer cozy over vast. For example, I like Hatchards loads more than the huge Waterstones flagship store down the street (better curated selection helps, of course ;) ).

> 303
I had the exact same problem. I cleared my basket, added a handful of books that are "covered" by the HMAG10 code, and received the same disappointing message of invalidation! I will call them on Monday and see if we can just do a workaround on the phone.

If anyone gets it to work before then, please let us know. I am very glad I paid closer attention to the Folio email I just got this afternoon with its link to the magazine and the discount code as Chateaubriand and Renault were already on my list from the September collection (but thankfully not ordered yet) and Twenty Thousand Leagues has been on my list for a while but I keep passing due to the high price and my ownership of a couple other editions. I am adding all three of these "code" purchases to my birthday and Christmas wish lists. It turns out I am difficult to buy for unless it is books (according to my mother). Then I am difficult to buy for in the sense that I do not wait for holidays but purchase at will. It is wonderful to receive "wish list" books but frustrating that once I communicate said list I am "locked out" from purchasing anything on it until I see what surprises are in store for me via gift.

>305 gmacaree: I hope the magazine isn't printed like that because the title on p. 17 is disastrous. Please tell me they have not split Chateaubri- and and spread out g r e a t across the page.

Later: and looking at it again, I hope there is a glitch in the pdf because there are several occurrences of words spread over a whole line, e.g. p. 33.

Can someone please help-how do you access the magazine via the FS website? I'm struggling to find it.

Thanks

>309 gmurphy: The link in comment #305 above should take you to the magazine. If not I'm not sure what the matter might be.

>310 gmacaree:

Thanks. I hadn't spotted the link in comment #305 which does indeed take me to the magazine (although I still can't seem to find my own way there from the website).

I caved and decided to take advantage of my $40 voucher.

- Small Gods
- Tender is the Night

Did consider Chateaubriand, but 10% isn't enough to make me bite, especially as the voucher paid for 2/3s of Tender is the Night.

>313 EclecticIndulgence: Tender is the Night is slipcased and gorgeous

I'll wait for the Christmas sale, save on shipping, bulk buy and use my $40 voucher.

If you buy right away you get no discount. If you wait until you get Folio you do get a discount. If you don't buy right away you don't get Folio. Anyone see a problem with that?

Ordered four books:

Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb
African Folktales
Joseph Banks: A Life
Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems

Emily Dickinson is a must have, slipcase or not. Wish FS publish more poetry books.

I see it as a reward with purchase.

>305 gmacaree:

I received a September 2016 catalogue in post today featurng new books and also older ones. Is the September magazine this link shows, a completely different publication and will it be sent in post as well as accessed on website

>319 frostymaxim:

Yes, completely different: and according to the end-of-membership announcement at the website "The magazine will be available with any order placed throughout September and October". Near the end of the online magazine it says "Printed by the Westdale Press", which seems confirmation enough should any be needed that there will be physical copies rather than just the digital version.

I can't get the HMAG10 code to work either (I am wanting to buy Dam Busters by Brickhill, in anticipation of his The Great Escape being published at Xmas)

>313 EclecticIndulgence:

Yes, it's slipcased. I admit I'm taking a flier on this one, as I'm not normally a fan of Fitzgerald, but I quite enjoyed Gatsby every time I read it, so I'll give this one a go. If the Dickinson volume were slipcased, that'd have been my choice!

>315 LesMiserables:

Fair enough. I have the oddest feeling that I, Robot will be more expensive than Small Gods, so I decided I might as well just use it now. I have the sense that I'll be buying I, Robot at the same time I buy Chateaubriand, i.e. in a sale down the road. I can wait. And if I can't, win some, lose some!

Western philosophy ordered with the £25 voucher so at £29.90 I'm more than happy

I was intending to remain silent on the subject of the Terry Pratchett releases but...

I'd thought that if Folio released Small Gods (one of my all-time favourite books) I might end up actually returning to buy from Folio, but looking at Mort and Small Gods on their website I really don't like the design at all. To me they just look like a horrendous corporate stereotype of fantasy books, especially Small Gods; ragged (yet fussy) images and precisely aligned, over-complex fonts on fake 'distressed' covers. The illustrations jar with the story too; Brutha isn't a small boy and the slipcase image of Om carrying the Citadel while floating above the desert is just weird. These books are too precious to me and I dislike seeing their tongue-in-cheek style reduced to stock fantasy. I'll be sticking to the originals with the Josh Kirby cover illustrations.

>286 ironjaw: What a shame we missed each other. Though who knows, since we don't know what each other looks like we could well have overlapped: I left around 1pm. If you spotted a man with a tall spine, bound in a grey cloth T-shirt, perhaps with a cycle helmet on by that time and carrying a red cycle pannier, intently perusing the new collection near the door, or looking wistfully at the shrinkwrapped Small Gods freshly delivered in boxes by the reception desk, that was moi. I don't recall overhearing any enquiries in a Danish-American accent, though it sounds as though you muted yourself unreasonably: you should have told them you were a Faddict from afar completing your first Faj and could they please direct you urgently to the Limited Editions Altar and the Naughty Trolley. You didn't actually miss much as regards the NT as it's relatively bare at the moment, half-full and stocked chiefly with old buy-ins. Congratulations on your acquisition of A Brief History of Time which I didn't get around to seeing myself, and the California University Press edition of Principia Mathematica!

I received an email newsletter this morning which directed me to the Prize Draw, but when I am on the site itself, I simply can't find the draw: which part of the menu is it hidden in?
(However, I have entered, going in via the newsletter, even though I have one of the books and have already ordered the second. If ever I win, they will make good presents)

>326 overthemoon:
Prize draw can be found in a thin grey bar on the left side below the scrolling book banner. You may have to refresh your screen to have it show up.

>312 scholasticus:
Oh, Tender is the Night is one of the most beautiful Folios for me. I especially like the little stars next to the page number and on the endpapers.
No wonder it was so rare to find on the secondhand market!

>327 wcarter: thanks, I'll have a look

Oh yes, and there is the quizz all of a sudden. (I couldn't see these before)

Thank you to those who gave us information about the Folio Magazine and the voucher. It doesn't work for me either, which is disappointing. Is there a general problem or did it work for some of you? If so, I expect there's a kind of block that makes it work only if you already made an order in September. I find this such unpleasant business practice considering their shipping fees which make smaller orders completely unattractive.

If so, I expect there's a kind of block that makes it work only if you already made an order in September. I find this such unpleasant business practice considering their shipping fees which make smaller orders completely unattractive.

I have to say, whilst I am very sorry to see pretty much all the incentives disappear, I don't see this that way at all. The FS are simply providing a reward to somebody who has already bought from them. It makes eminent sense to me that they make the discount only available to those who have already bought something from them - it's standard practice in many shops. Indeed, I've just returned from buying a pair of shoes and have a voucher for a discount on my next purchase.

Whether the discount is sufficiently attractive (not, in my case), or whether the structure of the offer is equally so (again, not in my case), is a different matter, but unpleasant business practice? I'd beg to differ.

At least you know which books to avoid buying in the first tranche!

Re the 10% discount voucher code: I think (hope) it must be a glitch in the Folio ordering system. The announcement in the magazine simply says - Save 10% on selected titles featured in this magazine - i.e. no preconditions, and the Ts&Cs do not mention that a previous or qualifying purchase is necessary in order to use the voucher. Folio sent me the magazine link and the voucher code without me yet placing an order from the September collection; I think they will honour the offer as it stands.

>324 Paulfozz: If I remember correctly, Brutah was described as a "big dumb ox" by the other novices. That doesn't mean he was a brutish giant. The cover illustration on the Folio edition depicts him as a slightly overweight, round faced boy. That alone can be enough to call him a "big dumb ox" if we assume that most novices are slightly less tall and also thin. Kids are like that.

>331 Willoyd: I think you're missing the point. In order to receive the magazine you have to buy books from the current offering. You then receive a discount on books from the current offering which you can't use because you've already bought them. You benefit only if you've placed a minimal order and decide to place a second order. The best customers get the least, or no, reward. It hardly assures brand loyalty.

>334 Jayked: the Folio Society has released the (digital) magazine to everyone whether or not they've ordered. Whether that was intentional or not is an open question...

>325 cronshaw:

I do think we just missed each other. I remember seeing a tall gentleman leave when I went past and came back. Hope we'll bump into each when there is pie and wine.

>334 Jayked:

Well, I've seen the magazine, and I haven't ordered.....

You don't benefit only if you've placed a minimal order - but you do benefit if the books you've ordered haven't included the few listed in the magazine. Of these, just three are in the September collection, the most likely books to be in anybody's order at the moment, most being older books or boxed sets. I'm surprised that the FS have included those three.

To be honest, I suspect that those people who put this together never really thought through the process - they simply put a 10% discount in the magazine on books highlighted in there, a fairly typical disjuncture when it comes to FS marketing.

>335 gmacaree:
I think it escaped rather than was released, since the system doesn't recognize it. I certainly had no access to it when I ordered. I'm not going to spill many tears over 10% when prices are reasonable anyway, but whoever at FS handled this launch at a delicate transition should be demoted to gofer.
P.S. Received the newsletter with access to Folio after posting the above. Too late.

Not blown away by the September collection as I am mostly a classic fiction / travel / nature writing reader. I have just ordered the nursery rhyme book (as I have all the Rainbow books) and Cider with Rosie (to try out collectables and get the Winter anthology) with the added incentive of a birthday month discount code for £7. I can't recall getting a birthday voucher in the past - is this a new perk for past members or am I just being forgetful? Saving my £25 voucher for now, although I am tempted by News from Nowhere which is running low in stock...

I have ordered, using my loyalty voucher:

N17 Folio illustrated notecards 1 Free
SLL Small Gods 1 £34.95
AYM A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1 £19.95
EMI Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems 1 £19.95
WFA Winter: A Folio Anthology 1 Free
Goods Value £74.85
Discount - £25.00
Postage £15.00

>339 J.Sealy: A birthday voucher? That seems something new.

Indeed, the birthday voucher appears to be new! I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to receive an email from the FS wishing me Happy Birthday for the coming week and including a GBP 7 voucher valid until end September. I joined the Society in 2011/12 and this is the first time they ever acknowledged my birthday, so I am thinking it is something new. Gratefully received, too!

Darn it my birthday was four weeks ago 😃

>341 groeng:

Phew! Just realised I've never filled in the birthday details on my profile. Now remedied in time for December. You've certainly got to keep your wits about you these days in order to take full advantage of non-membership. I must remember to change it to January after the new year.

>343 boldface:
You'll just age much faster that way ;-)

This birthday thing, is it date of birth or date of FS membership?

>345 scratchpad:
Date of birth.
Go to "My account" on the FS website and your details.

There's nowhere on "Your details" that asks for my date of birth. Maybe they already have it. I hope so - I was born the same year as the Folio Society so I'm expecting something momentous in 2017.

>347 overthemoon:

In "Things We'd Like to Know" section of your account page.

>348 drasvola: found it, thank you - and yes, it was already filled in.

>346 wcarter: OK. Not having filled it in mine was set for today's date by default. Does this mean I should get a birthday voucher every day?

>350 scratchpad:
Somehow I doubt it.

I would as the FS to consider Iain M. Banks for a British sci-fi author to publish in future. His work has a cult following, and is highly regarded.

Order made... and after much recent expenditure, held down to Small Gods and the SF Anthology — the inclusion of Voltaire's Micromégas made that a must for me; so with the loyalty discount a very manageable $84.40. I would love to have added the Emily Dickinson collection, particularly at the price, but I just refuse to offer any encouragement to this dire creeping abandonment of slipcases.

>353 davidjbrown10:
"...dire creeping abandonment of slipcases." Very well said!

Happy to report that the 10% off magazine code now works on the website. Can be combined with the voucher. Placed an order for

The King Must Die
Manhattan '45
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind
Small Gods
free Winter Anthology

The combined discounts gave me free shipping to the US and free Manhattan '45. Not bad.

>355 elladan0891:
Which voucher did you combine it with? The website does not allow me to use two codes.

>356 withawhy99:
The $40 Dismemberment Appreciation voucher, code GTFO H25CM0.
Do they work for you separately? Then I guess I got lucky and placed the order before they tweaked the website logic.
Otherwise, keep in mind that the HMAG10 code can be used only with certain titles, some from September collection and some older titles. Only 2 books from my order, The King Must Die and the Greatest Benefit to Mankind were eligible for it, but it was enough to cover the $17.50 shipping + a few more cents.

Ordered Western Philosophy on Saturday and received today, excellent service, already being read

>357 elladan0891:
Yes, they seem to work separately but not together. I was trying to order The King Must Die so that would have been eligible. Oh well!

>358 frostymaxim:
A good choice, let me know how you get on with it my copy is still waiting to be read.

Just made my order (had to call to get installments; using my phone as a phone was an odd experience for me).

Hansel and Gretel
Pride and Prejudice
A Shilling for Candles
Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems
Joseph Banks: A Life
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind
Small Gods
A Brief History of Time
African Folktales
Rubicon
Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb
The King Must Die
Manhattan '45

I still use mine as a phone - only when I have to, which is very rarely, but it plugs into the wall and wouldn't be of any use at all for anything else.

Well pleased with my modest September order of Small Gods and the Emily Dickinson selection, with the bonus of Winter and the notecards. I'd have abstained from Miss Dickinson if I'd thought that slipcases were under threat for the main body of Folio publications, but I very much doubt they are and a little added variety at the budget end of things is welcome enough to me.

>333 susanne-27: If I recall correctly in one part when riding a donkey Brutha was described as being able to stand and the donkey able walk on between his legs. He wasn't a short boy.

Many of the books in the September Collection I already have in earlier FS editions, so "slim pickings" for me. That said, the collection of Emily Dickinson poetry is beautifully done and the illustrations are integrated nicely - an easy choice. The lack of a slipcase is a non-issue for me.

I used this choice as an impetus to order a book of FS poetry released earlier this year, the Selected Poems by Anna Akhmatova. (NOTE: I am not an avid poetry reader and reluctantly try to expand my horizons in this regard). Beautiful book, well priced, and a major 20th century poet who is not nearly as well known in the West as she should be.

The two that really spoke to me, and were ordered were the Emily Dickinson, lack of slipcase was no big deal and the Science Fiction Anthology.

>366 kpfeifle:

If you were attracted to the FS Science Fiction Anthology I think I have another book that may be of interest to you.

I have not been interested in science fiction but recently decided to begin reading a few of the classic works since it has become an increasingly important genre. I stumbled upon an exceptional collection of science fiction short stories , 52 in all, selected by the editors of the journal Science Fiction Studies. The collection is intended for college level courses and there is a free online teacher's guide to this anthology. The 52 stories are classics spanning 140 years and a variety of different subsets within science fiction. Link is given below:

https://www.amazon.com/Wesleyan-Anthology-Science-Fiction/dp/0819569550/ref=sr_1...

I ordered Crime and Punishment and Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems (the horror!). I'd much prefer that Emily Dickinson came slip-cased, but I was willing to still go for it at its low price point and it does look so pretty. Truthfully (and I'm not sure I should confess this to this crowd), the impetus for me to buy now versus later was that I really wanted a copy of Winter: A Folio Anthology; I really enjoyed Autumn and wish to acquire the series.

>368 FranklyMyDarling: I really wanted a copy of Winter: A Folio Anthology; I really enjoyed Autumn and wish to acquire the series.

"Winter" is a really lovely little book. Sue Bradbury has done a splendid job of putting it together.

Folio are offering a package deal on the two Edmund Crispin books -- 15% off before Sep. 23. link

I ordered:

Small Gods

The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity from Antiquity to the Present

Love Lies Bleeding

The Folio Science Fiction Anthology

I thoroughly enjoyed last year's Autumn Anthology, so made sure to order early in case FS runs short of copies of Winter.

These anthologies are quite wonderful. I'm enjoying mine - reading a passage every night. Folio's done a great job

Swung by Eagle Street on my way home and bought:

1. Selected Poems (Emily Dickinson)
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
3. Winter: A Folio Anthology (freebie)

1. This reminded me of the early Folios
2. The third of these Folio 'paperbacks' I've bought, and I really like them.
3. Like this series too.

I asked if there was any news about the shop closing, but they said they didn't know.

>373 Caroline_McElwee: Hurrah to see you speaking up for the Collectables. We've got to stick together. Onward and upward!

>375 EclecticIndulgence:
haha

>374 scratchpad:
I have to admit that while I was very skeptical inititially, when I checked them out in person in the dMR I actually liked them. Lovely books. Still haven't purchased any, but that is probably just a matter of time.
Also, I think Folio blundered calling them "softcovers" (or whatever term they used). They're most definitely NOT paperbacks, and are not soft.

Received my order today: Emily Dickinson, The King Must Die, and Winter. Love them all.

Maybe they should have thrown in a free Collectable versus the Anthology and maybe it would help generate interest. Currently I have no desire for them but doesn't mean I can't be convinced. Then move the Anthology to Christmas collection and screw the diary. ;)

>374 scratchpad:

I really like the collectables. I think they're great and so is the price, in my opinion. But then of course I'm not too fussed about a slipcase :)

>379 kannekills: I have 3 collectables, the third was a gift, the first two obtained in lieu of the offer volumes relevant when they first appeared, negotiated in the dMR. I , too, like the style, but not the price ; £20 is way to much in view of the competition. 10-15, they would sell many more

>380 tarangurgi: The Collectables are wonderful substitutions for the free offers if you can negotiate it. I'd much rather have a free choice from the growing collection than a paper diary. They are perfect to take with you when travelling.

I like the collectables; they would make good gifts. I've only bought one so far because I already own hardbacks of all the other titles that interest me.

>380 tarangurgi:
>381 sir.david:
I suggested a Collectable instead of one of the freebies that I had already (I think it was the dictionary of words that no one uses and no one understands - a really useful gift). FS replied that the Collectable was worth more, so no deal. What was there to negotiate?

If the Collectables were $10 cheaper and included titles I actually want, I'd happily collect them.

I am also in the team collectible camp. Nice productions at a good price.

I too like the collectables. I can live with the absence of a slipcase. The books are well produced, attractive and very handy. Although I won't be collecting them, they make excellent duplicates for light, frequent reading.

Purchased the FS Limited Edition of 'Gulliver's Travels' on eBay at a nice discount. For me, this is one of their most appealing limited editions and I have been looking for an excuse to revisit and reread this splendid work.