As Christmas races towards us, The Folio Society’s new releases couldn’t have come at a better time, with five new editions that are simply perfect for the film-lover in your life. What’s more, even if your favouite film isn’t on over Christmas, the Folio’s choices hit all the Christmas movie bases—from Bond to Agatha Christie, from Sharpe to Jack Reacher. However undoubtedly the crown in their release schedule is their spectacular new edition of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Above: © John Burningham 1964 from The Folio Society 2020 edition of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Loved by kids and kidults alike, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was Ian Fleming’s only children’s book but somehow, the man who had already created one iconic character in James Bond, managed to do it again. This time with the antics of a decrepit ex-racing car saved from the wrecker’s yard and restored into a beautiful automobile with magical powers.
The Folio’s new edition pays illustrative homage to Fleming’s brilliant creation with a volume that includes every one of John Burningham’s unforgettable illustrations from the very first edition.
Above: © John Burningham 1964 from The Folio Society 2020 edition of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Burningham’s unique style, which belnded realism, charm, and wit—along with his brilliant interpretations of Fleming’s fantastical adventures—became so closely associated with the text that his is the only artwork that The Folio Society considered using in this unique collector’s edition. And fans are in for a treat: every original illustration has been beautifully reproduced, in full colour wherever possible, and they are integrated into the text to create a truly immersive reading experience. Burningham’s drawings also appear on the endpapers, while the binding features his portrait of the flying car.
Above: © John Burningham 1964 from The Folio Society 2020 edition of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang began long before the publication of the book, and Fergus Fleming brilliantly describes how it came together. The Afterword is illustrated with black-and-white photographs, previously unpublished Burningham sketches, and the original designs for Chitty, produced by the automotive engineer Amherst Villiers. All of which makes this luxury edition a must-have.
The Folio Society Edition Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- By Ian Flemming, with illustrations byJohn Burningham and featuring a new Afterword by Fergus Fleming.
- Printed and blocked cloth, and set in Albertina with Sunbeat as display. 184 pages. 33 black & white and 36 colour integrated illustrations. Printed endpapers. Plain slipcase. 10˝ x 7.˝
- Price: £39.95.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is available exclusively from www.foliosociety.com by following this link: https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/chitty-chitty-bang-bang.html
Also available are the following gift editions.
Sharpe’s Tiger: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam, 1799
- By Bernard Cornwell, with a new introduction by the author and with illustrations by Douglas Smith.
- Bound in blocked cloth. Set in Janson with Gainsborough Serif as display. 392 pages. Colour frontispiece plus 3 integrated b&w scratchboard illustrations. 2 maps. Blocked slipcase. 9” x 5¾”.
- Price: UK £39.95 US $59.95 Can $74.95 Aus $94.95.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
- By Ian Fleming, with illustrations by Fay Dalton.
- Bound in blocked cloth. Set in Miller Text with Folio Bold Condensed as display. 272 pages. 7 colour illustrations. Pictorial slipcase. 9˝x 6.˝
- Price: £37.95.
Five Little Pigs
- By Agatha Christie, with illustrations by Andrew Davidson.
- Bound in blocked buckram. Set in Monotype Bell with Kabel Heavy as display. 224 pages. 7 full page colour illustrations. Plain slipcase. 9˝ x 53/4˝.
- Price: £39.95.
Killing Floor
- By Lee Child, with illustrations by Oliver Barrett and an Introduction by Malcolm Gladwell.
- Bound in screen-printed cloth. Set in Sabon with Bureau Grot as display. 400 pages. Integrated black & white title page spread. 7 full page colour illustrations 10˝ x 6¾˝.
- Price: £49.95.