1xrayman
Each time I browse the lovely 1994 edition of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', I'm distracted by my amusement at the FS choice of 'Albatross' wove paper. I now wonder if there are subtle jokes in the design of other FS books.
2housefulofpaper
The Sherlock Holmes stories tend to be set in Baskerville type.
4withawhy99
Mistress Masham's Repose is printed on Malplaquet paper. (Malplaquet is the estate where the book takes place, based on the real-life model of Stowe.)
5foliomusthave
A different kind of hidden joke, but if you look at one of the illustrations in The ABC Murders, you will see the ABC Guide resting open on the counter over which the policeman shines his torch. The back cover of the Guide features an advertisement for The Folio Society (you can see the FS logo).
6elenchus
Are any of the above papers named after the book, precisely because they were to be used for it, or were they so named and used well before that specific book was commissioned? That is, I'm wondering if it's not so much of a joke as that bespoke paper had to be given some name, and so a name from the book was used. If the paper is never used for any other book ....
7NYCFaddict
Good point. I was wondering the same.
8withawhy99
Hm, how to find out? A quick search delivers nothing.
9thorold
The Baskerville typeface is 18th century, so that one at least was not a nonce-invention. Conan Doyle is said to have taken the name from a house he visited in Wales, but Wikipedia doesn't say whether the house had any connection with the typographer.
10withawhy99
I think it's the paper we're wondering about more (Baskerville is a well-known classic typeface). In the case of Malplaquet, I sort of assumed it was a joke because the paper is light blue, not an obvious choice for that particular book. I thought they used it because of the name, but perhaps it was a new creation for the book.
11xrayman
The 'Albatross' paper is also light blue, which is largely why I looked to see what it was. I don't know if FS chose to use an appropriate existing paper, or simply commissioned/named it for the book. Either way I find it amusing that someone in FS chose it. I also wonder if it was officially done by the society, or someone with a sense of humour in the design department snuck these in.
13affle
Bestiary, the Presentation Volume for 1993, was printed on Unicorn Cream Cartridge. And in a twist which may or may not indicate a nonce usage, the colophon solemnly informs us that the paper was supplied by Robert Horne Ltd.
14wcarter
>13 affle:
Love it!
Love it!
15xrayman
>13 affle: Robert Horne does exist, the choice of supplier and paper indicates that someone at FS went to some thought and effort to have a laugh (in the 90s at least)
16drasvola
In some sort of sad irony, the current edition of The Drowned World is set in Utopia.
18NYCFaddict
Was Utopia set in Utopia? :)
19TabbyTom
>18 NYCFaddict:
My 1972 edition of Utopia is set in Poliphilus. It looks as if the Society missed a trick there.
My 1972 edition of Utopia is set in Poliphilus. It looks as if the Society missed a trick there.
20affle
Vita nuova is however set in Dante.
21xrayman
The current edition of 'Brave New World' is also set in Utopia, there may be a theme here. As a result of this thread I'm now spending time looking at the typeset and paper of my books, rather than reading them!
24InVitrio
Not an FS book, but in the OUP abridged version of The Golden Bough, the chapter The Crucifixion of Christ begins on page 666.
25xrayman
>24 InVitrio: That's a little creepy, whether by accident or design.
26terebinth
I couldn't but be reminded of this thread when I noticed that the Herefordshire Pomona is set in Bulmer type: in case their fame doesn't spread much beyond these shores, Bulmers are among the UK's leading producers of cider. Someone's behind these decisions, I'm (almost) sure of it.
29overthemoon
A Kestrel for a Knave set in Swift.
30LesMiserables
A Kestrel for a Knave set in Swift, sent Airmail.
31phoenixmemnon
>26 terebinth:
They should try this for the next FS edition of Hardy's novels! I'd enjoy reading FFTMC or TMOC set in a geographically appropriate typeface sponsored by, say, Dorchester's Piddle Cyder company (Piddle Italic being used to indicate folk falling over drunk). Hardy would have enjoyed it, too. As he said,
Sweet cyder is a great thing,
A great thing to me,
Spinning down to Weymouth town
By Ridgway thirstily,
And maid and mistress summoning
Who tend the hostelry:
O cyder is a great thing,
A great thing to me!
.
.
>28 OOP:
"Utopia is set in Scala"
Sounds like there's an audio buff in the FS production department. The Scala V2 Utopia is a high-end floor-standing loudspeaker made by French company Focal-JMLab. About $22,500 a pair (payable in six interest-free monthly instalments just like old-style FS days).
They should try this for the next FS edition of Hardy's novels! I'd enjoy reading FFTMC or TMOC set in a geographically appropriate typeface sponsored by, say, Dorchester's Piddle Cyder company (Piddle Italic being used to indicate folk falling over drunk). Hardy would have enjoyed it, too. As he said,
Sweet cyder is a great thing,
A great thing to me,
Spinning down to Weymouth town
By Ridgway thirstily,
And maid and mistress summoning
Who tend the hostelry:
O cyder is a great thing,
A great thing to me!
.
.
>28 OOP:
"Utopia is set in Scala"
Sounds like there's an audio buff in the FS production department. The Scala V2 Utopia is a high-end floor-standing loudspeaker made by French company Focal-JMLab. About $22,500 a pair (payable in six interest-free monthly instalments just like old-style FS days).
32BuzzBuzzard
I am not sure if these qualify as jokes but I will give it a shot:
The Limited Editions Club House of The Seven Gables was printed at Hawthorn House, Connecticut.
The Limited Editions Club Golden Ass has ass hide binding.
The Limited Editions Club House of The Seven Gables was printed at Hawthorn House, Connecticut.
The Limited Editions Club Golden Ass has ass hide binding.
33EclecticIndulgence
Ce message a été supprimé par son auteur
34folio_books
Haven't seen this mentioned before - The Hundred and One Dalmatians is, I quote: "Printed on Abbey Lynx Ruff paper".
35harvestRoad
God bless them if that was intentional
36HuxleyTheCat
>34 folio_books: I had a little chuckle at that last evening when I read the book; which in delightful btw and which I thoroughly enjoyed. My only criticism of the production is that I wish the slipcase was shaped to match Pinocchio and Oz, as the books make a very nice matching set.
37folio_books
>36 HuxleyTheCat: I wish the slipcase was shaped to match Pinocchio and Oz, as the books make a very nice matching set.
That's a nice observation. I hadn't thought of shelving them together but it does seem natural when you see them next to each other. But what you lose in slipcase shape you gain in extra spots :)
That's a nice observation. I hadn't thought of shelving them together but it does seem natural when you see them next to each other. But what you lose in slipcase shape you gain in extra spots :)
38Scarpered
Last night I noticed that my copy of Bleak House (Dickens III) is "Printed on Chancery Wove Paper." I hope it doesn't spontaneously combust.
39skullduggery
I love this thread :) Not really a joke, but the Commentary volume of The Little Prince has a hidden surprise - there is a flipbook illustration on the bottom of the pages which you can see if you flick quickly through the pages (I did a 30 sec video of it here if you don’t happen to have it yet: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0sAU1_30m8M).
40elenchus
>39 skullduggery:
As you noted in the video, that attention to detail and whimsical tone is great design.
As you noted in the video, that attention to detail and whimsical tone is great design.
41harvestRoad
I have no idea WHAT this could mean, but looking through my copy of Catch-22, it says the text is printed on "Gorgeous Wove paper."
Is "Gorgeous" somehow connected to Catch-22?
Though i will not dispute that the paper is indeed gorgeous, I googled 'Gorgeous Wove paper', found nada, and so i am now very intrigued!
Is "Gorgeous" somehow connected to Catch-22?
Though i will not dispute that the paper is indeed gorgeous, I googled 'Gorgeous Wove paper', found nada, and so i am now very intrigued!
43harvestRoad
Strange. Mine is from the second printing of 2005
44N11284
Not sure if this is a subtle joke on FS behalf but:
I bought The Outsider in the recent sale because of the price. I had read it years ago as The Stranger but re read it again today. The spine contains the title and author as you would expect. However the title is embossed or raised on the spine while the authors name is simply printed.
Outside?
I bought The Outsider in the recent sale because of the price. I had read it years ago as The Stranger but re read it again today. The spine contains the title and author as you would expect. However the title is embossed or raised on the spine while the authors name is simply printed.
Outside?
45Jayked
>43 harvestRoad:
According to CPI, who had bought it, and were to close it in 2007, Bath Press was making huge losses at the time. Perhaps there were economic reasons for the change.
According to CPI, who had bought it, and were to close it in 2007, Bath Press was making huge losses at the time. Perhaps there were economic reasons for the change.
46drasvola
>44 N11284:
John: One very nice aspect of this FS edition is the afterword added by Camus himself (a short text that was originally published as a preface to the American University edition, 1955?).
John: One very nice aspect of this FS edition is the afterword added by Camus himself (a short text that was originally published as a preface to the American University edition, 1955?).
48elladan0891
Ten Days That Shook The World is set in Utopia.
51elladan0891
>50 Edmund_Fitzgerald:
Sorry Edmund, we're too old skool here. I had to google Scala to get your joke. Apparently I graduated with my computer science degree the year Scala was first released. And I considered myself fairly young before :(
Sorry Edmund, we're too old skool here. I had to google Scala to get your joke. Apparently I graduated with my computer science degree the year Scala was first released. And I considered myself fairly young before :(
52boldface
Clarendon's The History of the Great Rebellion (1967), about the English Civil War in the 1640s, is set in Van Dijck.
54CLWggg
>16 drasvola:
One nice little 'Easter Egg' I spotted on the spine of The Drowned World is that the FS logo is in the shape of a compass (as pocketed by Kerans in the novel), with the "F" at north and the "S" at south.
One nice little 'Easter Egg' I spotted on the spine of The Drowned World is that the FS logo is in the shape of a compass (as pocketed by Kerans in the novel), with the "F" at north and the "S" at south.
55InVitrio
Something that just came to mind when opening my sale package.
Revelations of Divine Love, by Julian of Norwich.
Green and yellow.
Norwich City's colours.
Revelations of Divine Love, by Julian of Norwich.
Green and yellow.
Norwich City's colours.
56red_guy
>53 sdawson: Ubik! Probably best not to look for it until you've read the book, though ...
57Cat_of_Ulthar
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet but A Man on the Moon is set in Apollo with, perhaps ironically, Futura as display. :-)
59InVitrio
And the Philip K Dick boxset also has display in Futura. (The regular text in Mentor might also be an in-joke, given PKD's reputation as a spec fic writer, but that's a bit more of a stretch.)
61Caput_Lupinum
Mythical Beasts is set in Centaur.
63ironjaw
These are not coincidental but active choices by Folio. Hence, I’m feeling far more proud of my collection.
64cwl
>47 shelob: Eco named his characters explicitly after typefaces throughout his novels by choice, as he told us himself just months before he died.
66BionicJim
>64 cwl: I always thought William of Baskerville was an unusual name for a monk in the 12th century. Besides Baskerville in The Name of the Rose, were there other characters named after typefaces? I don't recall a Courier or Times New Roman...
67snottlebocket
It's not much of a joke but the Jurassic Park and Lost World covers have a textured surface but only for the skin of the dinosaurs in the cover illustrations, the rest of the cover is smooth.
68Betelgeuse
>66 BionicJim:, >64 cwl: Not that I ever gave it much thought, but I had always supposed that William of Baskerville had been a reference to Conan Doyle's "Hound of the Baskervilles" and to Sherlock Holmes himself.
69HamburgerHelper
I recently read Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar' and it's set in Verdigris mentioned on her poem Death & Co.