Your Folio Predictions for 2021

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Your Folio Predictions for 2021

1Waystation
nov 12, 2020, 1:12 am

What's in the pipeline? Based on tantalising titbits on social media, responses to emails to customer services, rumours, website indications, inside information etc...

2NLNils
Bewerkt: nov 12, 2020, 5:00 am

~A Feast for Crows.
~You Only Live Twice
~Sharpe's Triumph

Reprint:

~A Scanner Darkly/Do Androids Dream

3sekhmet0108
nov 12, 2020, 5:13 am

Maybe...

• Little Women (reprint)
• Foundation Trilogy (reprint)
• Agatha Christies (reprint)

4Waystation
nov 13, 2020, 12:59 am

They said they're intending to release both of the remaining ASOIAF volumes in 2021, so we'll get A Dance With Dragons too.

The standard version of The Book of the New Sun set has been well flagged as being on it's way, so I expect that'll show up in 2021.

I predict another major fantasy release at some point. Farseer is not going to be a one-off: at least one such edition per year seems feasible.

5Willoyd
Bewerkt: nov 13, 2020, 2:22 am

Dit bericht is door zijn auteur gewist.

6sekhmet0108
nov 13, 2020, 4:59 am

I had totally forgotten about The Book of the New Sun. I am really looking forward to that one!

7RRCBS
nov 13, 2020, 5:05 am

I predict (and hope for) more from Toni Morrison, based on the fact that they post a lot about her on their social media.

8bookish_elf
nov 13, 2020, 5:42 am

>7 RRCBS: They might reprint Beloved.

9NLNils
nov 13, 2020, 8:13 am

>8 bookish_elf: It went through many a Sale. I picked up the book in one of them. The new BLM upsurge might help. That just made me remember, Noughts and Crosses is coming in 2021.

10English-bookseller
nov 13, 2020, 11:16 am

My Folio Society prediction for 2021 - which I am sure will be all too true - is that I will spend far too much money with the Society on both my personal account and on stock.

Past form counts heavily here in my confidence level.

11CantileverStout
jan 16, 2021, 9:02 pm

I would love to see Ian Toll's "Six Frigates" in a Folio edition--or his WWII Pacific Trilogy.

12DMulvee
jan 17, 2021, 2:14 am

Fewer classics/modern classics and an increase in fantasy/sci-fi.

13boldface
jan 17, 2021, 11:06 am

A decrease in fantasy/sci-fi and more classics/modern classics.

14cronshaw
jan 17, 2021, 11:16 am

I predict fewer titles I want and more I can't afford.

15-Ophidian-
jan 17, 2021, 11:52 am

I would really love to see a continuation of Gene Wolfe's Sun series with the same illustrator (Sam Weber). Apart from the single-volume Urth of the New Sun, they can do the 4-volume Book of the Long Sun and 3-volume Book of the Short Sun. The original offering sold quite quickly (I imagine they rather regret the 750-limitation), so they know there's certainly an appetite for it. Sam's a big fan of the BotNS (him specially requesting it is the only reason FS published it at all) and he's been quite quiet about his next project so I wouldn't at all be surprised if, given the success of the original LE, FS is moving ahead with the rest of the series.

The entire 16-book series all from FS and all illustrated by Sam Weber would be a dream.

16katielouise
jan 17, 2021, 2:08 pm

I am really looking forward to the standard Book of the New Sun. I have been wanting to reread it but am patiently waiting until I can do so with a Folio Society version. I don't know that I would have shelled out for the LE even if I hadn't been completely not checking FS at the time - I have several books signed by Wolfe and Gaiman already so the signatures weren't a huge draw.

17bookfair_e
jan 17, 2021, 4:27 pm


My predictions for 2021:

"editions of the world's great literature, in a format worthy of the contents, at a price within the reach of everyman."

Or,

More of the same and more expensive.

18Jeremy53
jan 17, 2021, 5:33 pm

Definitely more 'popular' / 'modern' works, featuring highly visual/attractive cover art. They seem to have hit on a winner with the market of younger professionals who are book obsessed. Not sure where their history publication fit in all that - they still seem to be publishing quite a few, so must be popular.

While the prices are still somewhat affordable for what they are, with the reduced number of sales and discounts, overall the cost of regularly buying their books is continuing to increase.

I also wonder whether those of us who have been Folio members/bought books for a decade or more, are also a bit less inclined to continue buying, or buying and swapping. I've pretty much restricted my Folio buying to second hand market, and even that relies on finding bargains akin to the earlier sales, which were awesome. For example, last year on eBay I bought the first 5 of Aubrey-Maturin for AU$110, two collections of Wodehouse for AU$180, and 5 Nonesuch Dickens for AU$110 - I love those maroon editions, gorgeous (all prices including postage). Compared to the full prices, I'm getting 4 or 5 books for the price of one.

To be honest, I think a big reason I'm doing this is because I have quite a few Folio editions now - probably enough...yes, I'll swap editions in and out depending on how much I like the editions and the reading experience itself, but my library is looking pretty good and I'm definitely better at appreciating what I have rather than needing the next shiny thing. Just some vague philosophising...it may just be me...

19CJR93
jan 17, 2021, 8:02 pm

I’d love to see their take on
“The Cather in the Rye”.

Although, now that I think of it, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a fine print edition...

20katielouise
jan 17, 2021, 8:08 pm

>18 Jeremy53: I agree the price rises are making buying secondhand more attractive... In the past year, I've picked up I think 7 FS LEs, as well as several Arion Press books and several Thornwillow Press books, because by the time that I have the FS books I want all in my cart, I realize what else I could buy for the same price and sometimes go do that instead. If I can get ten Folio Society books for the price of one letterpress book or nice limited edition, that's a much better balance than if I can only get four or five Folio Society books for that same price.

Of course, Arion Press's Don Quixote still looks pricey to me... but I assume that in several years more of Folio price increases, it will probably seem reasonable! XD

21bookish_elf
jan 17, 2021, 10:31 pm

Any idea when the spring collection will be out?

22Lady19thC
Bewerkt: jan 17, 2021, 10:50 pm

Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury (they talked like this was in the works not too long ago...)

The last few GoT books

Stardust, Neverwhere, Good Omens or The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

A classic like My Antonia, Grapes of Wrath or The Awakening....something American that stands alone. No series or trilogies.

Another children's classic. Something that stands alone, or the first of a series they won't finish. Like The Black Stallion.

Lots of stuff I won't be interested in. A few unexpected surprises that will please us just enough to stick around a bit longer....

23warehouseisbare
jan 17, 2021, 11:09 pm

Think I said it in another thread. Outside of obvious ones like GOT or reprints I’m going with The Lost World or another Crichton book. Something new from Stephen King (would love to see It or Misery). Doubt others would like it but I’d love to see Silence of the Lambs/Red Dragon. Maybe a combo style like A Scanner Darkly/Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Dune Messiah would make sense.

24katielouise
jan 18, 2021, 12:13 am

>22 Lady19thC: "or the first of a series they won't finish"

crying WHY do publishers do this!?!? I usually don't buy books if the series isn't finished because I don't want a mismatched set.

25wcarter
jan 18, 2021, 12:35 am

>21 bookish_elf:
Usually a week after the sale ends.

26AnnieMod
jan 18, 2021, 1:59 am

>24 katielouise: Lack of sales? If they cannot make the math work after they publish the first few volumes, publishing the rest will usually be throwing more good money away...

27Sorion
Bewerkt: jan 18, 2021, 2:15 am

>22 Lady19thC: I sincerely hope they publish Neverwhere. It’s my personal favorite Gaiman book and my introduction to him lo those many years ago. I would love to have a FS edition in the library.

28SF-72
jan 18, 2021, 5:14 am

>26 AnnieMod:

Dune hardly sold badly, so it would be really interesting to know why they didn't go ahead with at least the next two books in the series. Maybe a rights issue?

>22 Lady19thC:
>27 Sorion:

I'd like to second anything by Neil Gaiman, but Neverwhere in particular. While there are already beautiful editions of many of his books, the only illustrated Neverwhere is very unappealing to me (and someone else I discussed it with). I really don't think this illustrator suited the book. I'd love to see what FS do with it - they did an excellent job with American Gods and Anansi Boys.

29AnnieMod
jan 18, 2021, 5:43 am

>28 SF-72: Dune is somewhat special though - even if it is technically a start of a series, it is the first novel that actually is the popular one.

I don’t think they planned on doing the whole series with Dune - so maybe there are rights issues. Plus the further you go down the series, the less interest and acclaim is there. So maybe they just cannot make the math work or prefer not to risk it. I’d love for them to add a few more but I doubt it.

30Jobasha
jan 18, 2021, 5:50 am

>29 AnnieMod:

Dune also works fine as a standalone novel.

31dfmorgan
jan 18, 2021, 5:53 am

I have no idea what has been chosen for 2021 and beyond but I think that a number of people will be pleased with the selections, a number of people will be disappointed with the selections and that a number of people will have mixed emotions with the selections.

32SF-72
jan 18, 2021, 6:30 am

>29 AnnieMod:

They said around the time they published Dune that they were planning more or wanted to do more of the series. I can't remember which of those, but it definitely wasn't the original plan to do only the first novel. Which is why I'd love to know what went wrong there. Maybe the rights got more expensive with the film ahead?

And I agree, the first novel was the only one I myself truly enjoyed. I found the two books that followed directly problematic and the later ones increasingly uninteresting and outright boring. I know that others enjoy them, but it seems that later volumes generally sell less well than the earlier ones. Still, I'm pretty sure that at least the next two in the series would have sold well enough for FS, but who knows.

33Willoyd
Bewerkt: jan 18, 2021, 7:31 am

Interesting how a thread on predictions can turn into a thread on what people would like.....(just saying :-) !).

My prediction: FS will continue down their 'popular' route, with more fantasy and more sci-fi. In the meantime, the only new classic books they publish will either be LEs or luxury editions.

All in the hope that, at least for the second half, I'm completely wrong!

34folio_books
jan 18, 2021, 7:51 am

>22 Lady19thC: A classic like My Antonia, Grapes of Wrath or The Awakening

They published Grapes of Wrath in 1998.

>33 Willoyd: Interesting how a thread on predictions can turn into a thread on what people would like.

But of course. I suppose it's nice to dream.

35affle
Bewerkt: jan 18, 2021, 9:52 am

>33 Willoyd:

A very tentative prediction. The FS has never published anything by George Bernard Shaw; GBS died in 1950, and in my limited understanding of these things, is now out of copyright; it's a long while since the FS published any plays by any playwright (the reprint of Hassan is the last I can think of); the FS has been inclined to echo the LEC across much familiar literature, and the LEC did two or three books of GBS plays (actually four). Maybe a books of GBS plays, then.

George Orwell also died that year, but there are no obvious gaps in the FS's Orwell backlist.

edited to add that The Greek Tragedies weren't too far back...

36Jason461
jan 18, 2021, 10:08 am

I don't know how East of Eden is doing other than that it hasn't been in a sale yet, but Grapes of Wrath seems to be very rare on the secondary market. Especially in good condition.

37katielouise
jan 18, 2021, 10:51 am

>26 AnnieMod: I think they would sell more if they published the whole set though, since I'm sure I'm not the only one who refrains from buying incomplete sets.

>27 Sorion: Agree on Neverwhere. It's my favorite Gaiman book too and while I have the signed EP version I'd probably also pick up a Folio version because I love the book and wouldn't mind having another copy. I also wouldn't be surprised if some time this year - whether in this release or a later one - they publish another Neil Gaiman book, since the previous two are doing well.

I don't know what they'll publish in the way of nonfiction but I can't wait to see. I don't usually seek out much nonfiction aside from political stuff on my own, but Folio always publishes interesting things I want to buy.

38RRCBS
jan 18, 2021, 11:05 am

I think I’m the only one who cares, but a while back the FS told me they were planning to publish something by Sir Walter Scott this year! Hoping for The Heart of Midlothian rather than one of his works for which nicely bound volumes already exist!

39santiamen
jan 18, 2021, 11:39 am

Since someone is predicting Stephen King, do you think there is any chance for it to ever be The Stand?

40-Ophidian-
jan 18, 2021, 1:09 pm

I agree on Neverwhere as well. It's his second-best book after Stardust IMO, with The Ocean at the End of the Lane up there as well, and I've heard good things about the Graveyard Book.

41santiamen
jan 18, 2021, 3:31 pm

>40 -Ophidian-: So pretty much all of them... :) I'd love Neverwhere too, ideally a cheaper edition than his other two books though.

42SF-72
jan 18, 2021, 6:24 pm

>41 santiamen:

I wouldn't give that a chance at all. They've been selling his other two titles very well at this price, so I can't see them going lower, especially since the book isn't much shorter or anything of that sort. The price is more likely to go up in time, like these went from 75 to 80 Pounds, if I remember it correctly. That's not good, but what can you do. It was clear this would happen when the equally prices Dune sold extremely well and quickly, too.

43ChampagneSVP
jan 18, 2021, 6:30 pm

Has FS stopped sending their future publication surveys? I haven’t received one in years despite frequent orders of standard editions and LEs. Those were always a nice hint of what might be to come. Perhaps this year they’ll do Pippi Longstocking since the children’s lit has proved popular recently and it was on a survey at one point.

44adriano77
jan 18, 2021, 7:33 pm

Give me Snowcrash and/or Neuromancer already. Ideally they would have done it last month to jump on the Cyberpunk hype but it's not too late...!

45warehouseisbare
jan 18, 2021, 7:40 pm

>39 santiamen:

I’m guessing it won’t be The Stand for a few reasons. One being that they recently released the Barnes and Noble leatherbound classics version and in my mind I can’t see him allowing them to publish that and then just handing the title off to someone else to publish another edition. Just wouldn’t be very nice to do that to Barnes and Noble who I’m sure sell a ton of his books.

46const-char-star
Bewerkt: jan 19, 2021, 12:23 am

>44 adriano77: If you have your heart set on Neuromancer, I imagine Suntup’s version of the book will be out and on the secondary market between Spring/Summer. Pricing is steep, but it has good commissioned illustrations and it’s signed by William Gibson (if that matters to you)

47JacobHolt
Bewerkt: jan 19, 2021, 12:10 am

>15 -Ophidian-: Yes, I would love to see what Sam Weber could do with The Book of the Short Sun. (Although I'm afraid this is much more of a "wish" than a "prediction"!)

48Mr.Fox
jan 19, 2021, 1:42 am

I’m hoping to get two more Bond novels in March and October. We’re getting close to finishing that series.

49Willoyd
jan 19, 2021, 1:45 am

>38 RRCBS:
You're certainly not!
(And Les Miserables has long hankered after the FS tackling Walter Scott properly too).

50adriano77
jan 19, 2021, 2:17 am

>46 const-char-star:

I actually found out about that particular edition on the day it sold out. In a thread on this forum that I had ignored for whatever reason. Would have ordered new but surely won't pay whatever secondary price insanity will appear.

51bookish_elf
jan 19, 2021, 6:54 am

>25 wcarter: Thanks for the info. Sale ends next Thursday. So lets see what the Spring collection holds.

52katielouise
jan 19, 2021, 3:25 pm

>43 ChampagneSVP: I haven't received one in years either. I think the last one I filled out was for LEs and it was the one that had the Kama Sutra as an option.

53vmb443
jan 20, 2021, 8:04 am

I wonder how many LE's are planned this year and if the late unpleasantness in the world will lower the number of those over the course of the year?

54hotgandalf
jan 21, 2021, 2:57 pm

LE Fifty Shades of Grey

Jk imagine your reactions lol
I predict the following:
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Childhood’s End
The Pearl
Neverwhere
Norwegian Wood

55SF-72
jan 21, 2021, 5:35 pm

>48 Mr.Fox:

Have they ever mentioned whether or not they'll also publish the James Bond story collections? Otherwise the series might well be complete this year. But I hope they'll go for everything, stories included, instead of leaving out what would probably be two books.

>54 hotgandalf:

There seems to be a fair chance for The Moon is a Harsh Mistress since it's mentioned rather intensely in the preface to Stranger in a Strange Land. This year would certainly be very nice.

56HarpsichordKnight
jan 21, 2021, 8:37 pm

>54 hotgandalf: I do hope you are right about Childhood's End - such a classic.

57English-bookseller
jan 22, 2021, 4:30 am

>54 hotgandalf:

Fifty Shades of Grey sounds ... like my autobiography as a boring accountant. It would deservedly not be a best -seller. The only references to double-entry would be about debits and credit. A sad waste of a life!

Reading, collecting and dealing in books is so much more interesting and fun ... than mere bookkeeping.

59LesMiserables
jan 22, 2021, 5:24 am

>49 Willoyd:

Indeed. Way back in 2009, almost 12 years ago I wrote to them.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/68477

Alas. It seems to have fallen upon commercial ears.

60SolerSystem
jan 22, 2021, 5:35 am

I hope they do The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as well. I think the Folio Heinlein's are way nicer than what Suntup put out recently.

61St._Troy
jan 23, 2021, 10:02 am

>45 warehouseisbare: Perhaps more relevant is that Cemetery Dance also has an upcoming edition of The Stand (looooong in the works and possibly to be published this year or next); I suspect B&N has a firm grip on the “ordinary human being” (one who doesn't want to spend $100+ on a single book) market.

But don’t lose hope: King hasn’t been strict about prohibiting multiples; Carries, Salem’s Lots and Shinings sprang up like mushrooms among various publishers over the past 10-15 years.

62SimB
jan 23, 2021, 10:29 am

I'd like to see the FS do "Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance"

63Mr.Fox
jan 23, 2021, 11:38 am

>55 SF-72: I’m hoping to get the short stories, as well. The collection won’t feel complete without them.

64SF-72
jan 23, 2021, 3:33 pm

>63 Mr.Fox:

Exactly.

65bookish_elf
jan 24, 2021, 7:18 pm

I hope they reprint "The Brothers Karamazov". I have been waiting for that one like forever.

66Zaninovich
jan 28, 2021, 1:05 pm

Love this site!

My first post is more a desire, rather than a prediction, but here goes:

Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov in a limited edition
Hugo - The Man Who Laughs
Bradbury - Dandelion Wine
Gogol - Dead Souls
Fleming - You Only Live Twice
Verne - Around the World in 80 Days in a new edition
A re-release of Zamyatin - We

67folio_books
jan 28, 2021, 2:57 pm

>66 Zaninovich: My first post is more a desire, rather than a prediction

Let me assure you so are 90% of the "predictions" in this thread. Wishful thinking, mostly.

Anyway, welcome to FSD. I'm glad you're liking what you see so far. I strongly recommend you bookmark our Wiki pages:

https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:Folio_Society_Devotees

which should answer any questions you may have about the Folio Society, its books and Folio Society Devotees. You'll also find a complete list of all the books published by the Folio Society since its foundation in 1947 here:

https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:BOOKS_PUBLISHED_BY_THE_FOLIO_SOCI...

And of course you're welcome to pose any further questions right here.

68Willoyd
jan 28, 2021, 6:38 pm

>35 affle:
edited to add that The Greek Tragedies weren't too far back...

10 years ago.

69Inceptic
jan 28, 2021, 8:10 pm

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress -Robert Heinlein
Siddhartha -Herman Hesse
Snow Crash -Neal Stephenson

70ChampagneSVP
feb 6, 2021, 3:04 pm

Well, Netflix will be doing Chronicles of Narnia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Sandman, so perhaps rereleases of the Narnia and Dahl box sets that are always in demand and maybe the Gaiman as a new offering.

I’d personally like to see an updated Grapes of Wrath and think it’s a fair possibility following East of Eden. American Pastoral was being considered a few years ago so maybe we’ll see that as well. Finally, I predict something nonfiction related to the Spanish Flu.

Not too long now and we’ll actually know what’s coming!

71affle
feb 6, 2021, 8:04 pm

>68 Willoyd:

So it is. So that's just the one play in ten years, or have I missed something? Two, if you count the leftovers Twelfth Night. I'm not even sure a six- or eight-volume set of Shakespeare has been in print in those ten years. I hasten to say I wasn't much wanting Shaw, only pointing out the copyright issue. If it comes to wishes for plays, I'd prefer Chekhov or Ibsen, neither of which has the FS ever done. I suppose we must infer that plays don't sell, which is a pity.

72Jayked
feb 6, 2021, 8:34 pm

Wasn't there a reprint of Hassan? FWIW.

73SF-72
feb 7, 2021, 5:47 am

>70 ChampagneSVP:

Sandman would be a difficult one since it's a pretty big series of comics. There are already deluxe editions as well as annotated editions of these on the regular market, and even in those collections it's rather expensive - about 500 Euros for a complete deluxe set.

74affle
feb 7, 2021, 6:48 am

>72 Jayked:

Yes, see >35 affle: - that Hassan is fairly disappointing underlines the the thinness of the publication of plays.

75abysswalker
feb 7, 2021, 11:44 am

>73 SF-72: the "deluxe" Vertigo hardcovers of The Sandman are poorly glue-bound (I remember checking once when in a used book store) and otherwise physically unimpressive. Some superficial bling to appeal to collectors, but rather gaudy. If Folio could work out the rights, I bet a quality edition would be a big seller.

Does Folio have much experience doing graphic novels? A quick web search reveals From Hell by Alan Moore, but I don't see much else.

76SF-72
feb 7, 2021, 11:51 am

>75 abysswalker:

The Sandman Deluxe editions have been colour corrected so the artwork is superior to other editions. There are also bonus materials that are quite interesting. Visually they look great and also come with solid slipcases. But I'm sure you're right about the binding being less than ideal. I should mention that I myself don't have them, though a friend does and she's quite happy with them and let me take a look, too. I just don't want to imagine what they would cost coming from Folio Society considering what these editions already cost.

FS did something with Marvel, but that's as much as I know and I never bought those. Did they actually publish From Hell or was that just planned and then fizzled out?

77abysswalker
feb 7, 2021, 12:52 pm

>76 SF-72: slightly more persistent searching leads me to believe Folio didn't follow through with the publication of From Hell. Some other more knowledgeable member here can correct the record if I am wrong.

78folio_books
feb 7, 2021, 3:25 pm

>77 abysswalker:

You're not wrong. I believe it was mentioned in one of their surveys but they didn't follow through with it.

79Cat_of_Ulthar
feb 13, 2021, 3:35 pm

>75 abysswalker:, >76 SF-72:

I have the first four Absolute Sandman volumes. I think I mentioned here that I took them out for a reread some time ago and found that the first two volumes were beginning to fall apart rather. The backing was coming away from the signatures which were separating from each other. The thread was still holding them together but it's a little disappointing. I don't know if that's a common finding or if I have just been unlucky.

Volumes III and IV seem to have held up better, on the other hand.

They are still probably a preferable option to digging out my individual back issues from whichever box they are interred in but I must admit the idea of a Folio edition with binding which will last, and maybe some actual leather as opposed to whatever DC used, gives me a nice little shiver down my spine.

After they've done Illuminatus!, of course :-)

80SF-72
feb 13, 2021, 4:10 pm

>79 Cat_of_Ulthar:

Thank you for that information. I do hope that my friend's copies will fare better than yours then. She bought them about half a year ago and is very happy with them, which means that they get quite a bit of use.

81bookish_elf
feb 13, 2021, 8:16 pm

All I can say is that I am thankful to have bought all George R R Martin's books, Thomas Hardy books before this price increase. I remember Lord of the Rings used to be 99 pounds in 2016, now it is a disastrous 135 pounds, 36% price increase in 5 years!