The Folio Society goes cyberpunk
The Folio Society has just released a new edition of a classic science fiction novel: William Gibson's Neuromancer. (Update: As of 8/15, it's completely sold out.)
The publisher says that this is one of their most requested books, and they're starting out with a limited edition that costs $600. For that price, it comes with some bells and whistles: it's illustrated by Anna Mill, a designer, artist and author from London (who also designed the clamshell box), has printed endpapers and book edges, ribbon marker, and comes with a limitation label signed by William Gibson and Anna Mill.
Mill's artwork looks spectacular: bold green-and-blue images that evoke a retro-futuristic look, and the entire package is very enticing. I've generally been impressed with the Folio Society's selection of artists, and I feel like they really knocked this one out of the park.
This edition comes right as the novel celebrated its 40th anniversary in July. While it wasn't the first work of cyberpunk out there, it was a work that certainly cemented the look and feel of the genre as we know it today. Folio's edition looks like it captures the look and feel of the genre nicely.
That said, I'm not sure that it's a copy that I'll be rushing out to get: the Folio Society seems to have been headed in the direction of limited editions in recent years: it's recently put out such limited editions as Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Walter Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Lebowitz, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's Roadside Picnic (here's my look at the regular edition), George Orwell's 1984, and Frank Herbert's Dune, all well outside of my price range.
I get it: book collecting can be a lucrative market, but I'm hoping that they'll go on to release some regular editions for those collectors who aren't able or interested at dropping hundreds and hundreds on an book.
Additional reading: