The Folio Society has unveiled its new Summer 2025 Collection, which will be on sale from 6 May at 4pm UK Time, exclusively from foliosociety.com.
The Summer Collection includes: Animal Farm, featuring previously unseen illustrations by Quentin Blake; Arctic: The North Pole and the North-West Passage, a new book by adventure writer Fergus Fleming; Madeline Miller’s Circe, illustrated by Julie Dillon, which follows the stand-out success of Folio’s illustrated edition of The Song of Achilles; Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, with a new afterword by the author, and illustrated by Julian De Narvaez; Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, with artworks by Violeta Encarnación; The Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by one of the world’s foremost Viking experts, Neil Price and illustrated by tattoo artist Sean Parry; and James Baldwin’s seminal work, Giovanni’s Room, with a new introduction by Pulitzer Prize winner Hilton Als.
Tom Walker, Publishing Director at The Folio Society said:
“Books can give us the purest adventures, and Folio’s Summer Collection of new titles contains some extreme escapism. How else but in the space of two books could we be stranded in the Pacific Ocean with only a Bengal tiger for company, in Life of Pi; to being transported to a dangerous Hellenic world of myth and romance in Madeline Miller’s Circe?”
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Reissue)
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £49.95
Animal Farm is one of the greatest and most enduring novels of the 20th century. 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of its initial publication and the text remains a sharp, timeless parable of the modern world. Reissued in a gilded slipcase with a new, colourful frontispiece and illustrations by the renowned Quentin Blake, this enhanced Folio edition, featuring previously unseen illustrations, is a must-have for any bookshelf.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Illustrated by Julie Dillon
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £65
Julie Dillon, the brilliant artist behind the Folio edition of The Song of Achilles, has designed a book worthy of a goddess, with a slipcase inspired by Greek black-figure pottery and six gorgeous illustrations featuring Circe in all her glory.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Introduced by Yann Martel, Illustrated by Violeta Encarnación
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £65
Adapted into an acclaimed film and an award-winning play, this beloved novel is truly a contemporary classic. This Folio edition, with a brand-new introduction by the author, is bursting with awe-inspiring illustrations by artist Violeta Encarnación. Pi and Richard Parker’s Pacific odyssey unfolds in a palette of inky blues, electric greens and deep oranges.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Illustrated by Julian De Narvaez
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £65
Bound in deep blues and gleaming golds, this Folio edition is as beautiful and enigmatic as its contents. The artist Julian De Narvaez has distilled the mystery and majesty of the House into six gorgeous illustrations, while a brand-new afterword by the author offers a glimpse into the sparks of inspiration that led to Piranesi’s creation.
Arctic: The North Pole and the North-West Passage by Fergus Fleming
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £140
Exclusively for The Folio Society, Arctic historian Fergus Fleming has selected 28 first-hand expedition accounts and over 100 images to tell the great adventure of Arctic exploration, from Buchan, Franklin and Ross’s 1818 exploits with walrus and Inuit to American Robert Peary’s 1909 (now doubtful) conquest of the Pole. And all via the greatest Arctic story of all, the mysterious disappearance of John Franklin and the entire crew of the Erebus and Terror.
These fabulous true tales are illustrated with paintings, photographs, artefacts, made-on-the-spot drawings and watercolours, with narrative captions and expedition introductions by Fleming.
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
Illustrated by Dániel Taylor
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £100
Following the release of the Folio editions of Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games, Use of Weapons is the third release in the Culture series: considered to be the pinnacle of science fiction and space opera.
A soldier, a shadow, a weapon with no master. Cheradenine Zakalwe is the Culture’s go-to operative for waging wars and toppling empires. But behind the ruthless efficiency lies a haunted past, riddled with betrayals and ghosts he can never outrun. Told in fractured timelines, Banks’s masterpiece is a puzzle box of memory and consequence, where every battle fought conceals a deeper, more terrible truth.
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
Illustrated by Alison Bryant
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £49.95
Magic, mischief and mayhem abound in this latest ‘Chrestomanci’ instalment. We meet Christopher Chant, an adolescent enchanter with nine lives, destined to become the powerful Chrestomanci. Christopher’s capering adventures – during which he encounters a powerful young goddess and a fearsome ginger cat named Throgmorten – are charmingly illustrated by series artist Alison Bryant.
This wonderful edition of the children’s classic is chockful of colourful artwork and decorative motifs. It is a delightful gift for nostalgic adults and the perfect book to hand down to keen young readers craving their next magical fix.
The Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price
Illustrated by Sean Parry
Publication Date: 6 May 2025 | £85
From Tolkien’s Middle-earth to Thor in the Marvel universe, the Vikings are everywhere. They speak of an idea of freedom and abandon, of setting out for the horizon. Neil Price’s refreshingly different history tells the story from their own perspective – what was it like to share the world with a multitude of ‘Others’: the magical beings of Odin and Freyja, Valkyries, giants and nature spirits?
The Folio Society has included a multitude of illustrations from tattoo artist and craftsman Sean Parry, selected and captioned by the author, many obtained directly from Scandinavian museums, of silver amulets, ritual objects, sites and landscapes, reconstructions of burials (including a sorceress from Birka), rune stones, and the carved funeral wagon from the famous Oseberg ship burial, one of the most strange and spectacular burials of the Viking age.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Introduced by Hilton Als, Illustrated by Lela Harris
Publication Date: 3 June 2025 | £55
Published nearly 70 years ago, Giovanni’s Room is a seminal work of modern literature, considered to be a literary masterpiece and one of the great American novels. In this Folio edition, an introduction by the erudite writer and critic Hilton Als sheds light on the novel’s themes and its characters, its flaws and its beauty – and the life and mind of the author behind it.
The story of David and Giovanni is rendered in intimate and expressive charcoal illustrations by the artist Lela Harris. A study of Paris by night, tender portraits, and a dining room still life – newspapers, wine bottles and all – capture the essence of this modern classic.
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