The Folio Society

The Folio Society: illustrated hardcover editions since 1947

The Folio Society is an employee-owned independent publisher that produces illustrated hardcover books. The company states it has been active since 1947 and describes its catalogue as a selection of beautifully illustrated books, with titles spanning fiction, non-fiction, children's and young adult literature, and limited editions.

A catalogue organised by genres and collections

The publisher's website structures its offering into sections such as fiction, science fiction and fantasy, crime and thriller, non-fiction, and children's and young adult books. Within fiction, it distinguishes subcategories such as classics, comics and graphic novels, gothic and horror, humour, modern fiction, myths and fairy tales, poetry and drama, and romance. In non-fiction, the catalogue includes ancient history, art, language and essays, biography and memoir, reportage, medieval and Renaissance history, military history, modern history, philosophy and religion, science and natural history, and travel and exploration. The children's and young adult section is divided by age: baby and toddler (0+), early readers (5+), independent readers (9+) and young adult.

Featured authors, series and artists

The site allows users to browse the catalogue by author, series and artist. Among the prominently featured authors are Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter, Frank Herbert, George Orwell, George R. R. Martin, Ian Fleming, J. R. R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Philip K. Dick, Philip Pullman and Roald Dahl. Series and complete sets include Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Dune, Howl's Moving Castle, James Bond, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Marvel and DC. In the artists section, names such as Charles Van Sandwyk, Dave McKean, David Lupton, Gérard DuBois, Jonathan Burton, Julie Dillon, Lela Harris, Marie-Alice Harel, Neil Packer, Quentin Blake and Yuko Shimizu are mentioned.

New releases and recent launches

The publisher has announced new releases for autumn 2026, including Jane Austen: The Complete Novels, a complete edition of Jane Austen's novels. Titles also include Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe (in signed and standard editions), Carrie by Stephen King, Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy, End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland by Haruki Murakami, Heidi by Johanna Spyri and Selected Short Stories by Agatha Christie. A limited edition of The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks is announced, with illustrations by Darren Hopes, of which fewer than 75 copies remained according to the site's information. Upcoming releases are also listed: Grimms' Fairy Tales (limited edition) on 6 October and The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments (limited edition) on 3 November.

Limited and signed editions

The catalogue includes a dedicated section for limited editions and signed copies, with titles such as The Wasp Factory and a collection of short stories by Agatha Christie selected by thriller writer Lucy Foley. The publisher describes these editions as carefully designed and produced, with illustrations by renowned artists.

Editorial and craft process

The website devotes space to explaining the publisher's internal work. A team of editors, designers and craftspeople takes part in creating each title, from selecting texts to physical production. Editor Tom Walker explains how a book enters the Folio catalogue, the editorial team describes the illustration process and production director Kate Grimwade details the craftsmanship behind the books. The publisher describes itself as independent and employee-owned.

Community and additional services

The company sells electronic gift cards (Folio eGift Card) and offers luxury gift sections for book lovers, with categories for fiction, non-fiction and children's. It also maintains a last chance section and The Folio Vault. The website includes a blog with news and articles, such as an interview with illustrator Owen Gent about his work for an Agatha Christie edition. The publisher states it has a community of more than 500,000 book lovers across its social media.

Location and contact

Phone: 020 7400 4200 · Email: customerservice@foliosociety.com