Six beautiful books to give this Christmas
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Pride and Prejudice
By Jane Austen (Thornwillow Press, $985 for half-leather edition)
Clothbound hardbacks of Jane Austen novels are easy to come by. Not so this edition of Pride and Prejudice – the novel Austen described as her “own darling child” – which has been made using early Victorian techniques. From the historically accurate moss-green colour to the leather and cloth bindings, this is as close as possible to the book that might have sat on Austen’s own shelf. (Available only for US readers for delivery in time for Christmas.) thornwillow.com
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
By Maya Angelou (Folio Society, £39.95). Illustrated by Shabazz Larkin, with an introduction by Tayari Jones
Maya Angelou’s groundbreaking 1969 memoir I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is given the full Folio Society treatment in this edition. Think vivid, full-of-life illustrations by the American artist Shabazz Larkin, an introduction by award-winning writer Tayari Jones (of the much celebrated novel An American Marriage), and a cloth-bound pink cover. On illustrating this edition, Larkin said: “It was important for me not to ignore the devastation, but also to show the beauty of what it looks like to overcome it.” foliosociety.com
My Name Is Red
By Orhan Pamuk (Faber, £100)
Murder mystery mavens will get a thrill out of this illustrated, signed and limited edition of My Name is Red, a philosophical tale of intrigue set in Istanbul under the Ottoman Empire by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk. This edition from Faber’s “Members” line (which you can sign up to for free) is bound by hand, and features printed panels, foil-blocking, matte lamination and nine full-colour plates of contemporary paintings. faber.co.uk
Barack Obama: Speeches
By Barack Obama (Simon & Schuster, £18.99)
Few could doubt that Barack Obama is a master speech-giver of our time. This Canterbury Classics collection of the former president’s speeches of hope and change – from the pre-presidential oratory to his farewell address – allows admirers to pore over his rhetorical flourishes in gilt edged, leather-bound style. simonandschuster.co.uk
A Christmas Catastrophe in the Enchanted Audley End Woods
By Amanda Neville and Emma Neville (£13.99)
From the family who run the Audley End Miniature Railway in Essex comes this enchanting illustrated children’s book, which tells the story of a naughty elf, Elvin, who accidentally gets Father Christmas’s sleigh stuck under the railway track. The book comes complete with original illustrations from British artist Philip Shaw, and a trinket from the story: a golden bell hidden in a red velvet pouch. audley-end-railway.co.uk
Jurassic Park
By Michael Crichton, illustrated by Vector That Fox (Folio Society, £39.95)
It is 30 years since Michael Crichton’s sci-fi adventure Jurassic Park was first published, and became an instant bestseller. This edition marks the occasion with a fully illustrated tome by the artist Vector That Fox, complete with retro recreations of period computer graphics and a scaly “dinosaur skin” slipcase. foliosociety.com
And finally....
Virus Classics
By Jolyon Fenwick (from £200 to £3,500)
No, these aren’t actual books, but a collection of 21 sculptures and prints of canonical titles: Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Far From the Madding Crowd, An Inspector Calls, Waiting for Godot – although not as you know them. Artist Jolyon Fenwick has reimagined the titles, giving them topical twists: Covid’s Metamorphoses, At Least 2 Metres From the Madding Crowd, A Quarantine Inspector Calls, Waiting for Ocado… the list goes on. Sculptures take the form of spoof volumes mimicking the size and style of the Penguin English Library editions. jolyonfenwick.com
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