SIGNED BY GENE WOLFE

Introduced by Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by Sam Weber

Copy # 82 of 750

Complete in 4 Volumes:

1 - The Shadow of the Torturer

2 - The Claw of the Conciliator

3 - The Sword of the Lictor

4 - The Citadel of the Autarch

The strictly limited 750 hand numbered sets feature an exclusive limitation page signed by Gene Wolfe, Neil Gaiman and Sam Weber.

Sadly, Gene Wolfe died before the final publication. Shortly before his death, he signed the limitation labels for each of the 750 hand-numbered copies. These have also been signed by Neil Gaiman and Sam Weber.

A work that subverts, elevates and transcends its genre, this exclusive edition of Gene Wolfe’s epic features a powerful new introduction by Neil Gaiman as well as striking binding designs, decorative initials and haunting illustrations by Sam Weber. 

‘A masterpiece. Gene Wolfe is a wizard, a torturer, frightening, delightful. Beware! This is magic stuff!’

Ursula K. Le Guin

Edition details:

Limited to 750 hand-numbered copies

Limitation page signed by Gene Wolfe, Sam Weber and Neil Gaiman

The four volumes are presented together in a handmade cloth-bound slipcase blocked on two sides in pale gold foil with designs by the illustrator and lined with silver mirrored paper. 

Each volume is three-quarter bound in black buckram with spines blocked in red foil and cloth front boards printed with designs by the illustrator

Set in Jenson with Priori Serif display with decorative initial letters designed by the illustrator

Printed on Abbey Pure Rough paper

1,196 pages of text in total

Color frontispiece and double-page illustration in each volume

Three black and white full-page plates in each volume

Printed in two colors throughout

Black page edges

Each book measures 10 x 6 inches

Each volume features a striking Sam Weber binding design, printed on a fine cloth to ensure that the details and colors are reproduced to perfection, and the colors employed build as the series progresses. 

Red foil diamonds have been blocked on the spines to denote the order of the books and the page numbers too are bordered by tiny red diamonds replicating this device. 

There are 20 different decorative initials, hand-drawn by Sam Weber and printed in red at the start of the chapters, each references an incident or character from the books for the reader to puzzle over.

 

The head and tail bands, end papers and page edges are all in deepest black befitting the tale of a torturer in contrast to the blood red of the limitation label. 

The limitation labels, each numbered by hand, bear the signatures of Gene Wolfe, Sam Weber and Neil Gaiman and are placed at the front of the first volume in each set.

Each of the four volumes, in a single handmade slipcase, features a striking binding design by award-winning illustrator Sam Weber, who has also created an extraordinary sequence of haunting artworks, including double-page spreads and hand-drawn decorative initial letters at the start of each chapter. 

This edition includes a new introduction by modern master of fantasy and life-long fan of Gene Wolfe, Neil Gaiman. For this special limited edition, Gaiman has written an exclusive introduction that examines what makes The Book of the New Sun such a unique work: the layers of meaning, the seductive power of an Earth changed almost beyond recognition. He delves into how the book rewards those who choose to revisit it, challenging them to glean every meaning from each delicious puzzle, and, like a kindly knight sending the hero off on his quest, he also provides a series of guidelines on how to read the book, advising that, with Wolfe, ‘every word matters’.

Gene Wolfe’s epic series The Book of the New Sun is widely regarded as one of the great literary masterpieces of speculative fiction. A remarkable and multi-faceted work, once described as ‘the Ulysses of fantasy’, it deserved The Folio Society’s most lavish treatment as a fully illustrated limited edition. The Folio Society art director and editorial team worked with the author, prior to his passing, who approved each stage of illustration and production.

Regarded as a masterpiece of speculative fiction, the series The Book of the New Sun tells the story of Severian, a young torturer just learning his trade, who makes the mistake of falling in love with one of his victims. Unable to bear the sight of her pain, he offers his love the mercy of a sharp blade, and for this crime he is exiled from his home.

He is ordered to travel to the distant city of Thrax, there to take up the position of Executioner, but the journey will be longer and stranger than he can imagine. On the road Severian finds new friends and enemies, and discovers a strange jewel that seems to command power over life and death – a power that others will kill to obtain…

Award-winning illustrator Sam Weber was the driving force behind this production of The Book of the New Sun. He had already secured a place in Folio history with his fantastic images for Frank Herbert’s Dune, which became one of the most sought-after titles Folio has ever published. 

Describing the Book of the New Sun project as ‘a dream come true’, he seized the opportunity to work with writing that was ‘so nuanced, rich and mysterious’. Weber’s enthusiasm is evident in the detail and intimacy of his work, where every component – from the decorative initials to the colour scheme – nods to the complexity of the novel. 

WHAT MAKES THIS LIMITED EDITION SO SPECIAL

This remarkable work, often described as ‘the Ulysses of fantasy’, demanded Folio’s most lavish treatment: a fully illustrated limited edition.

Sam Weber’s illustrations are fabulous. In 2017 Folio Publishing Director Tom Walker travelled to New York to discuss the project with the illustrator. Weber had suggested The Book of the New Sun as the work he wanted to illustrate and his dedication to the project has been extraordinary. He made models of some of the items in the illustrations so that he could establish how the light would fall on them and employed people to sit for the characters featured. Each volume includes a color frontispiece and double-page illustration with a further three mono illustrations. All are printed on FSC certified Natural Evolution Ivory paper ensuring that the muted palette and extraordinary detail reproduce perfectly.

The slipcase in which all four volumes are presented is bound in Imperial black cloth and there is a pleasing curve to the top and bottom lips. The sides are blocked with motifs from the work – a rose and the sword Terminus Est – in the palest gold and the box is lined with stunning silver mirrored paper. 

For this limited edition our editors and designers really have thought of everything and we believe it to be a fitting testament to the work of one of the very greatest writers of science fiction. - The Folio Society