Gift A Book For Christmas 5 – The Superb Heron Books Collections

Heron Books / Edito-Service were responsible throughout the 1960s, 70s and early 80s for publishing ‘Collectors Editions’ of famous authors (illustrated, with introductions, decorated leatherette covers, silk bookmark, rarely dated, with some leather Special Editions). The books were sold directly through newspaper advertisements on a monthly, something like a book club, basis. The books were sold on a Free Approval basis with never any commitment to buy either the volume sent or any further volumes. Heron Books were phenomenally successful in their time and claimed that they sold approaching 100 million volumes world wide.

As well as substantial Author Specific collections they also produced a variety of sets such as; The Literary Heritage Collection, a collection of 50 books by some of the world’s best authors; Masters of Espionage, a terrific collection of 20 top spy novels; Books That Changed Man’s Thinking, a 29 volume collection of some of the most significant and powerful books ever written; Poets Of The English Language, a 5 volume anthology spanning 600 years; Women Who Made History, a 20 volume collection of women of note; and Men of Destiny, no details for this collection as yet.

And lets not forget the superb 39 Volume Agatha Christie Thriller Collection.

Currently Selling – Several Complete Agatha Christie collections, Joseph Conrad, Hammond Innes, Alistair Maclean, Somerset Maugham etc.

Gift Suggestion – Why not put your own collection together? If you are interested in more than one book as a gift then please email me with your selections and I will confirm availability and give you a Special Price

Browse More at Heron Books

Gift A Book For Christmas 4 – Brand New Folio Society Books

We always have a fine selection of brand new unopened Folio society books that are still in their original unopened cellphane wraps, you can view them at Brand New Folio Society

Good reasons why books make great Christmas Gifts

Books are better than many other gifts; they don’t make you fat, they don’t wilt, one-size-fits-all, and they are a lot more interesting than socks!

Books make great gifts because they can be thoughtful, and sometimes also thought-provoking. People can be amused and entertained by humorous, quirky, witty titles. Good books can prompt ideas that change the way we think and can make a difference… helping to make life better and more interesting.

Books are important in various unexpected ways, books allow readers to travel without using their feet, books give wings to our imagination, books are full of knowledge, joy, happiness, wisdom and so much more, books are more than enjoyment, books have the capability to transform your life, books can help you in your hardest time, books can make you realize that you are not alone in this world if you are struggling, books gives a solution and gives you a new way and a new perspective to look at different things and situations.

The right book can be an answer to the motive behind what drives a gift buyer’s choices: to express love; to show sentiment & affection; to convey sympathy; to say sorry; as a little token of appreciation; a special keepsake; to honour a special occasion such as Christmas with a lovely affordable present; a seemingly random act of kindness, to raise a smile; and, sometimes, just to make someone laugh-out-loud.

Books are such fabulous value for money, and can last a lifetime. The recipient of a gift book may treasure it forever; that’s why books make great Christmas Gifts.

We always have a fine selection of brand new unopened Folio society books that are still in their original unopened cellphane wraps, you can view them at Brand New Folio Society

Gift A Book For Christmas 3 – Folio Society Fairy Tales

My Fascination with Fairy Tales

The Folio Society has a long standing tradition of publishing Fairy Tales with the highly collectable Andrew Lang Fairy Books and most of the popular collections superbly illustrated by the finest illustrators. It is probable that Fairy Tales were originally written mainly for adults with some for children and over time these have been diluted to primarily a younger audience although who doesn’t enjoy reading one to the children.

I once read a fascinating article by Allison Parkinson where she wrote “A good story deserves a great introduction and, for me, there can be no better beginning than: ‘Once upon a time…’
It’s magical, it’s exciting – it’s a password that will grant you entry to ancient lands inhabited by heroes and villains, wicked witches, dragons, giants and genies. Extraordinary scenarios will unfold before you as you witness the characters’ experiences and adventures. And all of this is certain because of those four simple words.” Folk and fairy tales are found in all cultures across the globe and they all seem to start and end with very particular phrases. Many introductions refer to an ancient, unspecified time, for example, ‘on an old day, in the old times’, ‘at the beginning of time’ or ‘at a time already long past’. Others refer to distant, dream-like locations such as ‘behind seven lands and seas’ or ‘beyond seven mountains and seven forests.’

Selected Fairy Tales

The Brothers Grimm are among the best-known storytellers of folk tales, and popularized stories such as “Cinderella”, “The Frog Prince”, “The Goose-Girl”, “Hansel and Gretel”, “Rapunzel”, “Rumpelstiltskin”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “Snow White”. This superb Folio Society edition is beautifully illustrated by Arthur Rackham.

This facsimile of the 1913 edition contains 17 of his most famous tales, including ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The Snow Queen’ and ‘The Ugly Duckling’. The original illustrations by William Heath Robinson capture all the magic of the text making this the perfect way to enjoy this master storyteller.

A superb collection of fairy tales first published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1910, with additional tales from earlier translations. Contains the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Puss in Boots and more together with the superb illustrations by Edmund Dulac.

Some familiar favourites, such as Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rumpelstiltskin are believed to date back thousands of years to a time before many modern languages even existed. And different versions of the same root story can be found all over the world.

Albert Einstein was certainly a fan of the fairy tale. He once said: “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a moral that needed to be taught, or a child that needed putting to bed, or a traveler who needed to be entertained. As long as humans have existed, we have crafted stories to tell to ourselves and to others; we are perpetually surrounded by them. When we are awake, we read, we watch, we listen. When we are asleep, we dream.

You can purchase them at Folio Society Fairy Books

You can also purchase them at Folio Society Fairy Tales

Read More at The Enduring Fascination of Fairy Tales
Why Fairy Tales Matter at Read Here

Gift A Book For Christmas – 2 Limited Edition Folio Society Books

All titles chosen to become Folio books are the finest in their genre and all are treated to extremely high production standards, but those selected for their Limited Editions Collections are, quite simply, exceptional. Great works of literature or history become great works of art.

For Limited Editions their production teams have leave to indulge their passion for exquisite materials and fine binding techniques which simply cannot be considered for longer book runs. Exceptional craftsmanship creates these highly collectable books – from and content perfectly married to produce a lasting legacy for generations to come.

During the 1930s, artist sculptor and typographer Eric Gill collaborated with the Golden Cockerel Press on a number of projects. The Folio Society has published in facsimile the three crowning works of this association: Troilus and Creseyde, The Canterbury Tales and The Four Gospels. They are among the most admired books of the 20th century, a sublime marriage of type and illustration.

My favourite Limited Editions include Spenser’s Faerie Queene; Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury; and Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Browse These Folio Society at Limited Editions

 

Gift A Book For Christmas – 1 – The Beauty of Folio Society Books

These titles and many more beautiful Folio Society books for Christmas are currently available at Folio Society Books

‘Would you like a book for Christmas?’ one of P. G. Wodehouse’s plump, tilt-nosed, sporty heroines asks her boyfriend from the Drones Club, to which he replies: ‘No thanks, I’ve got a book.’ A life with one book is unthinkable, and while Folio Society books are not the only ones, nor should they be, they will, with luck, have a role to play in enriching the lives of book-lovers for years to come.

Folio Society books come in many different formats, whether it’s an early individual book with a dust jacket or one of the later ones in slipcases

The Folio Society has also published numerous superb Boxed Sets, here’s the superb Swallows and Amazons collection published for Jonathan Cape

Arthur Ransome’s classic children’s series Click To View

And some of the finest Author Collections

Anthony Trollope Collection 48 Volumes Series Bound Folio Society 1989-99 Click To View

Folio Society books are set above the rest in almost every aspect – exceptional typography, illustration, paper, printing, and binding.

These titles and many more beautiful Folio Society books for Christmas are currently available at Folio Society Books