New to FS - The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci

I have Easton Press books, and wanted to branch out, so I joined FS recently.

I took The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci/Oxford Compact Dictionary/The World's Heritage joining offer. I love art and science, after all... I already ordered my four books and selected:
Aesop's Fables
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Just So Stories
Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales
I have 3 kids that I love to read to :)

So, two questions...

1. How nice are The Notebooks and these Fairy Tale books (toward any of those who've seen them)?
and
2. Any newbie suggestions for Folio Society?

I can't answer your first question except in general terms, since I do not own the volumes you chose... with the exception of the Oxford Compact Dictionary and The World's Heritage. Every FS edition I've gotten my hands on is very nice. Holding the FS books is a satisfying feeling that I don't seem to get with ordinary mass-produced books, whether hardcover or not. The other day, it occurred to me that, when I was a child, holding library books felt like holding an FS book does now. In general, a Folio Society book is well constructed and should last to pass on to your grandchildren and their grandchildren.

The answer to your second question would be to wait for the sales. You just missed the winter sale, where books were marked down as much as much as 86% in some cases. Those who purchased books during the sale also received two decks of Folio Society playing cards with each order.

Ordering from London does seem to be faster than going through the FS offices in other countries, but you will get an international conversion charge on your Credit Card if you are outside of the UK... which adds a few dollars to your cost.

Aesop's Fables is wonderful--a facsimile of the famous Detmold illustrated editon from the Golden Age of book illustration; Just So Stories is very nice and the complete Hans Christian Andersen set is the best version in print. I don't have the Grimm's Tales.

If your kids love to read, I strongly suggest the Perrault fairy tales volume--another gem from the Society, and if you can stand the frustration of them selling out without warning, the Rainbow Fairy Books are highly desired.

I think the Rainbow Fairy Books are fantastic!
I personally would skip Perrault's Fairy Tales. Although the illustrations are nice (Dulac), all the stories are contained in the Fairy Books. In fact the Fairy Books are the reason I originally joined the FS :)

Other FS gems include: the Folio Poets (if you are a poetry fan), the Master and Commander series, and a beautiful and often overlooked kid's book is At the Back of the North Wind.

cheers,

-astropi

>1 weareafteryou: If you haven't seen a copy, then seek out The Wind in the Willows. It is an example of everything that the Folio Society does well in their 'standard' books.

Well, I own The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. One word: awesome! They are beautiful editions of the works of the genius of the Renaissance, however, I think your little children won't like them so much as they are profoundly scientific and philosophic. You can still read them for your entertainment, though. The other fairy tales books, though I don't own them personally, I've heard and seen other editions. They are just wonderful and I'm sure your kids will love the stories within these masterpieces, not to mention the illustrations! So, have fun you and your kids!