Half-price FS Bookshop Sale (2016)

http://www.foliosociety.com/pages/bookshop-sale

In January, The Folio Society will move to a new home. We’ll be swapping the leafy squares of Bloomsbury for the riverside setting of Maguire Street – close to the iconic Tower of London.
As we leave Eagle Street, we must also say goodbye to The Folio Bookshop. The Bookshop will close, for the foreseeable future, at 5pm on Friday 23 December.

To wish the Bookshop farewell, we’ll be hosting a half-price sale in-store. Join us between Monday 5 December and Friday 16 December 2016, between 10am and 5pm.

Save 50% on a wide range of titles*, including:
• Display copies (Limited editions and standard Folio editions).
• Pre-loved and end-of-stock books.
• Production and Editorial sample copies of recent titles.

New stock will be added each day, so if you’re keen to make the most of the sale you might even want to visit us more than once.

*Please note that some books may have slight imperfections or come without a slipcase. Sample copies may differ slightly from finished products in terms of colour, illustrations or binding design.

End of an era :(

Excited by the sale; upset by the reason it is being held. I shall miss the place. Many happy hours of browsing and perusing there. And always knowledgeable, helpful and friendly staff on the desk.

This is sad, having a chance to look at and touch many of the books moved them from not interested to must have's. At the same time some moved the other way, but overall it was a net win for the society.

My visits were infrequent (about once a year when in London) but it will be missed.

Gutted. The next step down the ever more slippery slope to oblivion. I'm used to wondering if they'll make it to their 75th anniversary. Now I have to seriously wonder about the 70th.

Terrible news.

Such a sad day :(. I just loved perusing in that shop and loved being in-between beautiful books.

When Joe Whitlock Blundell leaves--that's when you know the FS is done for. Hopefully, that will not happen for many years to come.

Having only been a member for a year (and having become totally obsessed with folio books) im very disappointed with this news. ive only visited the shop once, and loved the fact that unlike most bookshops, i wanted every book on show there.
its a sad reflection of todays society that such a quality shop cannot remain commercially viable and therefore open in a city/country that supposedly takes pride in its literary heritage

Aaargh! This makes my planned visit to London in March pointless!
And the sale favours those in London, not the far flung faddicts across the planet.
Why can't they at least have a customer's room at their new premises, even if it is upstairs and tucked into a spare broom closet.
Truly the end of an era.

>9 wcarter: And the sale favours those in London, not the far flung faddicts across the planet.

I'm in the UK, though not London, and I'll not be going. It'd be like picking through the bones of a recently deceased friend.

>5 folio_books: Gutted? I've already begun wearing black and booked therapy. I'm going to have to re-programme my bicycle. On the other hand, I'll be less likely to be killed by a TBR pile avalanche or catastrophic bookshelf failure at home.

>8 stumc: The members room/dismembered shop has always been a profitable part of the business, or so I've been told on several occasion by various staff members, and not merely because of the Tincture of Enablement they would serve at events. Perhaps the FS will simply need time to adjust to their new setting and review finances and potential options for a new shop in due course.

>9 wcarter: Apparently the new office is one floor within a block, where there's no practical space for a shop, unlike the spacious premises occupying many floors at 44 Eagle St which are being sold. If you like, you could always leave your kneeprints beside those of other dismembered and homeless Devotees at the bookshelf shrine which will by then have been erected on the railings of Red Lion square, next door to Eagle St, and pray with the other pilgrims. We could even get up an impromptu demonstration at the new office in Tower Bridge, depending on how bad your jet lag is.

This is so sad....
I understand that the bookshop at the current location or in the similarly hidden back alley that Maguire Street is might not be financially viable, but I truly believe that if placed in a high-foot-traffic shopping area it would bring them tons of new sales, especially now that the random passersby won't be scared off by a membership model. Hell, place it smack on Piccadilly, right between Waterstones and Hatchards!

Edited: Wrote that without seeing cronshaw's post. But I guess even if the shop was profitable, it wasn't profitable enough to recreate it. And it's understandable given the location.

>11 cronshaw: one can only hope that there will be a shop at some point, as on my one and (so far) only visit i went purely to pick up an online order and have a browse for future purchases, and came away with even more books! things could have been much worse (better?)if i had sampled any tincture of enablement!!
my one regret was not picking up a heavily discounted moonfleet, still in shrink wrap, from the naughty trolley, not long after it went out of print. getting it off ebay for the same price does not provide a comparable level of excitement

>11 cronshaw:
I'm usually a cup-half-full guy, but I'm not as optimistic as you now. If they were seriously thinking to recreate the shop in the future, I doubt they'd be selling off their display LEs.... I'd be very happy to be wrong though.

And I was hoping they'd expand and open a store in Manchester!

I'm sure it would do well and introduce a whole new audience to their high quality books.

>14 elladan0891: It was only the anti-depressants talking.

>12 elladan0891: Or Charing Cross Rd! No. 84 would be ideal.

Perhaps Hopkins could cut the ribbon? :)

>1 leemeadowcroft:

I'm thinking that at 10am on the 5/12/16, a line of cut-throat dealers will be there to buy and list within 24hrs, especially any LEs and FEs.

Looks like choosing 5th of Dec as the start of my Christmas leave will end up being perfect timing!

There were a couple of LEs I was intending to purchase at the FS Bookshop when I visit London next year in order to get the cheaper Sterling price, and save the exorbitant postage.
I guess I will have to look on the secondary market now.
Please FS, at least just let us buy books over the receptionist counter at the new address.

>21 wcarter: If you want I can purchase it for you and give it to you in London when you are here as I work at Liverpool street. I know how painful exchange rates and shipping is and let me know if I can ease your pain.

>12 elladan0891: I understand that the bookshop at the current location or in the similarly hidden back alley that Maguire Street is might not be financially viable, but I truly believe that if placed in a high-foot-traffic shopping area it would bring them tons of new sales, especially now that the random passersby won't be scared off by a membership model. Hell, place it smack on Piccadilly, right between Waterstones and Hatchards!

The problem with this is the stratospheric growth in London property prices in the last few years. I don't know whether the Folio Society owned the building on Eagle Street freehold or leasehold, but either way there would be a strong argument for them to move out of that part of London.

There are probably some parallels with the move of Maggs Antiquarian bookshop earlier this year. Maggs owned a building in one of the most expensive parts of London, but it was only leasehold, and they only had 21 years left to run on the lease. They could have waited until the lease ran out, but that would probably have destroyed the business, as they would not have been able to renew the lease. Instead, they cashed in the remaining 21 years (which in itself had significant financial value), and moved to smaller premises, with most of the books stored in a warehouse in a much cheaper area.

>22 venkysuniverse:
I have sent you a personal message, declining your very generous offer.

>24 wcarter: No worries, this community is all about helping one and another :)

>23 TheEconomist:
Oh, I don't doubt they're going to make some money selling their current premises and moving their office to a smaller place. And frankly speaking, I don't care where their office is. Bookshop, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. It doesn't have to be attached to the offices, quite the opposite - it better be in entirely different area - one even more expensive than the current Holborn back-alley, but one which would guarantee a constant stream of walk-ins.

>26 elladan0891:

I don't suppose I'm the only one to remember when the FS bookshop was in a corner of Henry Southeran's high end bookshop in Mayfair just off Piccadilly. Never saw a soul in there...

>27 affle:
Different times, different business model. Back then it wasn't a bookshop, but a members-only club. An entirely different animal.

Btw, Sackville Street wouldn't do it for the purpose even though it's just steps from Piccadilly, as all of the Piccadilly foot traffic happily passes it by. It would need to be on Piccadilly itself, or a similar major foot traffic street.

You know you've got it good and hard when, upon hearing a bookshop you've never visited is about to close, take a look at your frequent flier-card, shrug and tell your wife that you expect to go to London for a day sometime before Christmas. On a pilgrimage, of sorts.

Just need to find a day where none of the kids need to be ferried anywhere, we haven't got any other commitments, &c.

I knew that gazillion miles I'd accumulated over the years would be useful some day (I fly enough at work to be willing to put up with just about anything to NOT have to spend even more time in airplanes and airports on my leisure time - but, needs must, and getting to the UK by car or train is somewhat cumbersome.

Bookshops are dying all over the world because there isn't enough walk-in trade to sustain them. At the beginning of this year Slightly Foxed made a similar move because of rising costs. They publish quality books in a small way, much like early Folio, and have a memberhip model that ensures a steady income. After their first couple of years they opened a shop which sold other books in addition to their own small output, and accepted orders online. It lasted a couple of years before succumbing to economic reality.

>30 Jayked:
I have to respectfully disagree. I don't think you can generalise the closure of the Folio bookshop to the whole industry. In fact bookshops are actually on the increase since investors are starting to realise the ebook apocalypse is not all it seemed and bookshops are regaining profitability after the recession. I agree with TheEconomist: in that the shop closure is more likely due to the particulars of leasing arrangements. I do think the shop was poorly located and the membership model, albeit nice, anachronistic.

The quality of your average paperback book is at a historic low so I believe there is real demand for Folio's product once they have determined their strategy. Although it is inconvenient for me to have the bookshop closed down I hope it will mean better publications in the future. I also believe the book industry is in a healthy position in terms of literature.

Why do they need a shop in London? Could they not open one up in a city like Bristol where the rent is cheaper?

>31 Santas_Slave: "Why do they need a shop in London? Could they not open one up in a city like Bristol where the rent is cheaper?"

-Or, for that matter - would it be possible to cooperate with one of the bookshops at Heathrow? (Not that the rent would be any cheaper, but you'd definitely have lots and lots of people walking by, looking for a book!)

Much as I would love a dedicated FS bookshop (preferably with a club/library attached!), I would expect it to be a lot more viable to sell their books in commission at places where a lot of people pass by. (After all, to flourish, the FS needs to move books - not provide a dedicated place showcasing their books exclusively.)

>30 Jayked:
I think it's a bit of an exaggeration, and situation is drastically different in different countries/areas. The bookshop scene in the UK is nothing but the abundant Garden of Eden compared to one in the US, for example. Walk into Hatchards, nearby Waterstones flagship store (and other well-located Waterstones), Daunt Books, etc., and they will be full of people browsing AND buying any time of the day (or Topping &Co or Waterstones on Milsom St in Bath, or many other well-located bookshops in many other towns). Bookshops in Moscow and St. Petersburg are full of people and often open very late. And then there are regional variations too - while the bookstore scene in the US is generally very bleak, go to Kramer Books, Second Story Books, etc. in Washington, DC and you will see that the sentiments common in the US - bookstores are dying, people are not interested to walk in, you can't just sell books, you have to make money on selling stationary and running events, etc. - are happily proven wrong.

I don't think Slightly Foxed situation is directly comparable - they have just a handful of their own books, so for the most part their store was nothing but a tiny second-hand bookshop when I visited a few years ago. And second-hand bookshops tend to have lesser crowds, especially tiny ones. Also, I remember hearing or reading somewhere that Slightly Foxed closed down the Gloucester St shop because the lease came to an end and the landlord was asking for an extortionate amount to renew (probably had some other business lined up that could pay up more), not because nobody was walking in.

On the one hand, Heathrow would be an ideal location for an FS bookstore -- imagine the "captive" walk-through browsing traffic! But on the other hand hand, it would not be cost-effective because the duty-free arrangement would be pointless, there being no VAT on books (the rents would be high because the shops do well selling to those who want to avoid consumption tax).

>34 EclecticIndulgence: here is why the Folio Society is moving

Makes for a good excuse, if nothing else.

As part of Bob Gavron's estate, is the Folio Society for sale too?

There's one essential similarity between SF and FS. Both had desirable premises large enough to allow the luxury of a bookstore. Both have been forced to move to smaller premises where there can be no bookstore "for the foreseeable future." It's one thing to devote a portion of your building to bookselling as a sideline, quite another to run a store as a stand-alone business. The current Folio store looks impressive because it houses a large collection, but the last time I counted, FS had slightly less than 500 titles actually for sale -- about 3 bookcases worth, plus the LEs, one at least of which has languished for 8 years. I can't see Londoners flocking to such a store, particularly as one of the constant refrains on this site is affordability. I can't see sales covering the (London) wages of dedicated staff and services either. I wouldn't invest in such a business, and neither, I fear, will FS.

To demonstrate why I am so keen to buy several LEs direct from the FS Bookshop whenever I visit London (every two or three years) I will give the following example:-

One Thousand and One Nights
A$1770 Australian price
A$200 Postage
A$80 Customs handling fee
A$177 Goods & Service Tax
A$2227 TOTAL
£1313 Sterling equivalent

£885 Cost purchased over the counter from FS
£428 SAVING

I do not expect anyone in the London to buy for me and I have declined the very kind offer from >22 venkysuniverse:, but it would be appreciated by visitors (and probably some UK Faddicts) if we could visit the new FS office and purchase books from their receptionist. It virtually pays for the trip if you buy three LEs.

Could you have them delivered to a London hotel? As we are all customers these days, you would no longer need a "UK membership."

>39 wcarter:
Hmmm - Interesting idea!

Obviously, if you were buying "core editions" you could "control" the delivery by selecting next day -- so you could take personal possession straight after the box arrives at reception. But what about ordering the LEs ahead of arrival in London so that they get to the hotel before you end your stay?

>40 NYCFaddict: >41 wcarter:
I second the suggestion.
When I used to travel to Germany on business, I ordered many a delivery to my hotels. Not books, but things that either were much cheaper in Germany (mainly epee and foil blades and other fencing equipment) or could be ordered only in Germany.

The FS tweeted someone earlier to say they're still looking for a new location for the bookshop.

Andrew Wagstaff replied to my email to the FS about the bookshop closure with the following:-

"Please believe me when I say that those of us who've manned the desk in the shop for more years than I care to think about (since I was a boy and dinosaurs walked the Earth!) are absolutely devastated about this too.
Unfortunately, the new offices (and receptionist) will be shared with several other businesses and for security reasons we won't be able to sell books over the reception counter (nor have the room to stock all the books awaiting collection). The business is looking at trying to find a suitable (and affordable) location for a new facility, but at the moment I'm afraid we'll be without a shop."

Knowing my luck, the new shop will open the day after I leave London next year!

>45 wcarter: Andrew Wagstaff replied to my email

That was nice of Andrew to respond to questions about the shop. That's all it takes, openness. Perhaps it's a new policy.

>45 wcarter: thanks for the update. at least they are looking for a new shop so hopefully they will find something in 2017.

i still have to decide whether to visit within the sale fortnight or on the 23rd!

Why does the public not support greatness? Only cheap clothes and accessories sold in malls now days.

>49 cu29640:
You just haven't earned it yet baby!
You must suffer and cry for a longer time

>50 Santas_Slave: - Hah, I see what you did there! (Fun thing is, I was actually listening to The Smiths as I read this - though not that particular song. :))

I had a sneak peek at the list of LEs at half price from Monday and nearly all the current ones are up for sale, incl the Mort LE for £49. For those interested it might be worthwhile to visit the shop on Monday morning as it is first-come first-served for LEs.

I'm sad I'm missing out, but my wallet is glad of it.

>52 venkysuniverse: I popped into the dMR this afternoon and they confirmed that that LE list is incorrect. Mort and The Poetic Edda will not be available in the sale. They will certainly have a selection of other LEs which have been returned for one reason or another, some of which have blemishes or production faults, for example, there'll be a copy of the LE Johnson's Dictionary with the magnificent half calf skin, spine titling and full marbled edges, but it will have no text: in other words it's the world's most sumptuous notebook or DIY Diary.

Only a certain number of standard and limited sales volumes will be put out at intervals each day, to deliberately stagger the supply and make sure there's a festive selection every day until the 23rd.

No, I have no longer power to endure. O God! what are they going to do with me? Why do they torture me? What do they want from one so wretched as myself? What can I give them [in exchange for all the wonderful LEs on sale]? I possess nothing. I cannot bear all their tortures; my head aches as though everything were turning round in a circle. Save me! Carry me away! Give me three steeds swift as the wind! Mount your seat, coachman, ring bells, gallop horses, and carry me straight out of this world. Farther, ever farther, till nothing more is to be seen!
Ah! the heaven bends over me already; a star glimmers in the distance; the forest with its dark trees in the moonlight rushes past; a bluish mist floats under my feet; music sounds in the cloud; on the one side is the sea, on the other, Italy; beyond I also see Eagle Street houses. Is not no. 44 there in the distance? Does not my mother sit by the window? O mother, mother, save your unhappy son! Let a tear fall on his aching head! See how they torture him! Press the poor orphan to your bosom! He has no rest in this world; they hunt him from place to place. Mother, mother, have pity on your sick child! And do you know that the Bey of Algiers has a wart under his nose?

>54 cronshaw:
And my cunning plan is thwarted... I enlisted a friend to be at 44 Eagle Street first thing Monday morning with instructions to get the South Polar Times or die. What to do about this infernally sly daily sale scheme now? I guess my friend will just have to camp there every morning...
Just kidding. No LE for me...

>54 cronshaw: Oh ok :(. Thanks for the information.

This way dealers can't swoop in on Day One and have a field day.

>58 NYCFaddict: Agreed and everyone will get a fair chance.

If you live on UK maybe

I'm beyond sad that the dMR is closing and now I'll never get to visit! The sale sounds great though and there are a couple of LEs that I'd love to get my hands on so if anyone is planning on going and wouldn't mind purchasing as a proxy for this Californian, PM me! I'd be happy to return the favor, although I'm not sure what we have here that isn't better than what you have in the U.K. ... your chocolate is better (Cadbury!), your books are better (FS)... I guess California weather is great but I can't bottle it so no luck there! :-)

>61 ChampagneSVP:
I too am sad, and am also unable to visit from Australia.
You do have the Book Club of California and Arion press, both of whom produce nice (but in the latter case, very pricey) books.

Guess I wont be heading to the sale after all, being semi bed-ridden with a chest infection, or cold, or whatever it is. Not sure if I feel disappointed for not going, on the one hand I'm not usually a window-browser, I have book hit-list and I get them regardless of price, on the other hand a sale is a sale.

Some info about the sale:

Currently the only books on sale are on the naughty trolly and they are constantly being restocked. Prices are £10 per volume, £5 for other publishers and 1/2 price for LEs. Display copies are still not for sale because they are needed for exhibitions and the like - only trolly items are on sale. Whilst I was there any popular book disappeared into a clammy hand as soon as the trolly was replenished; so it may be best to wait until the trolley is restocked. People were buying up much faster than expected and it was voiced that the sale may have to end sooner than the 16th.

I had to kick an old lady to the floor but I managed to pick up: Dune, The Brothers Karamazov, The Radetzky March, The Black Sea, In Patagonia and In Praise of Folly for £10 each. Slight cosmetic issues on two of them but as fine as any mischievous eBay seller would have you believe.

Happy hunting!

I can no longer bear to read this thread :)

Well done!

>66 NYCFaddict: - But, if you're anything like me, you still will. I envy the deals that people on the other side of the pond will manage to get.

>62 wcarter:
Arion Press is way out of my range but I'm not familiar with Book Club of CA. I'll have to check them out ... after I recover from the grief of not being able to visit the amazing FS shop sale right now.

I am fortunate to work five minutes away from the bookshop. I am doubly fortunate that this is a quiet week in the office and I have been able to make several journeys to the sale. I have picked up some bargains, all in fine, unread condition and in their slipcases:

The Spanish Civil War (two volumes) - £20
The Asimov Trilogy - £20
Elizabethan Age (four volumes) - £40
The Fall of Constantinople - £10
Just So Stories - £10
Enigma: Battle for the Code - £10
The Age of Gold - £10
Fifty Days That Changed The World - £10
The Victorians - £10
Brief Lives - £10
Eleanor of Acquitane - £10
The Great Plague - £10
Manhattan '45 - £10
Diary of a Country Parson - £10
The Red House Mystery - £10
The Lives of the Engineers - £10

>69 LondonLawyer: Awesome wins.

>69 LondonLawyer:
Quite a library, and all for petty cash.
My envy streak is a dark green :-(
Then again, I don't have to cope with a London Winter or traffic.

>69 LondonLawyer:

Did you carry all that back to work in one haul?

No, that's the output of four separate visits since yesterday morning. The shelves are re-stocked throughout the day (and picked clean pretty quickly). I'm sure I'll be popping by a few more times before the end of the sale!

Sigh. What does the Metropolitan Police make of people sleeping in tents in the town's parks? And which park is closest to 44, Eagle Street?

Would anybody mind giving me a ride from LHR to said park, say, tomorrow?

Thanks,

Hope you gals and guys get some great deals. I`m going to the new location + british library (if time lets me) etc, at least in July 2017, whatever it is by then, and take it for what it is

Happy hunting FS books!

I`am looking forward to the NeWyEaRs sale though

>74 odderi:
Eagle Street is actually very well located for such surprise viking raids. You can get there from LHR on the very cheap via public transport - Piccadilly line goes from Heathrow straight to Holborn station, just steps away from The Shop, no connections whatsoever. Then I recommend a bench in the tiny park of the Red Lion Square right behind Eagle St. I can't recall if it's a private square or not, so you might have to scale a short metal fence.

I arrived at the bookshop this lunchtime, just after the trolley had been thoroughly picked over. Still, I managed to grab these volumes, for a total of £30:

Gods, Graves and Scholars
God's Englishman (no slip-case)
Crusader Castles (no slip-case, some discolouration to the pages - the book's evidently been exposed to sunlight for a while).

And that's it, my last ever visit to the bookshop...

>65 EclecticIndulgence: & >66 NYCFaddict:
Thanks! I'm more than happy to be your cynosure. I really could not believe it, fine editions of both Dune & The Brothers for such a price - all slipcased mind you.

But I shall mourn their closure - even if I have grossly profited off of it.

O. M. G.

Am most definitely not sane. The Surgeon of Crowthorne was merely neurotic compared to this Folio addict. But it's inevitable, isn't it? One is only human, and this is not just a Book Shop Sale, it's The Last Ever Book Shop Sale and the last ever month any mortal of mind sound or unsound may experience the Holy of Holies in Eagle St.

Voices angelic continually implore you to keep going to no.44. They won't stop. No sooner have you pedalled your biblio-panniers home than their honeyed tones return in waves, 'Lo, more tomes of unearthly beauty will have been placed upon the Trolley of Delight'. And, oh, what tomes! How to resist, how? Knowing that The End Is Nigh? Already three limited editions; ten times as many non-limiteds. Behaviour not remotely rational when you have two-decade reading mountains pressing in on the narrow valley of your small London flat. Already the floorboards creak, the cycle groans at the joints, the chain curses the pedals.

However, the nurses do tell me I'm not the most insane: others have been attending the Sale of All Sales with still greater fervour and frequency. Greater madness than mine! Some sick souls have been going several times a day. One man religiously on the hour, every hour. One woman slapped a man who demonstrated the temerity of touching a book freshly placed on the Trolley that was hers. This is reassuring. It's all relative. We're all relatives in one barking mad, frenzied family, accelerating through stages accurately described by one Ms. Kubler-Ross, as we ponder the loss of our home, our Temple.

Did you see the slap? Wow ...

>80 cronshaw:
Bravo cronshaw! Three cheers for the batty, the non compos mentis and the fatuous! We are wandering souls ruthlessly severed from our convent and the Trolley o' Delights is our expiation. So onwards, we must pick the carcass if it is only to construct our own shrines. The pages whistle, the nurse faints and our lacerations, albeit extensive, bleed ink. I encourage all to fill your lacuna and suck one last time at the tit of knowledge!

>81 EclecticIndulgence: I cracked like the hinge of a cheap trade hardback. Or like an amphetamine-injected squirrel given the run of the nut silo on the eve of an ice-age. In a state of what felt like slow-motion disbelief but probably looked like acute mania, I nabbed the LEs Toilers of the Sea, Tales from the 1001 Nights - Dalí, and Japan . All had been returned, like all the LEs on offer, but with no gross flaw that I could spot in half a millisecond of hypomanic scanning. I could have kicked myself for missing out on Toilers before it went OOP a little over a year ago; and while I've repeatedly eye-caressed the other two in the dMR, they were never serious hopes as both were well beyond my budget, so I'm positively dumbfounded that I've been fortunate enough to actually acquire all three of them. Other Half is a huge fan of Japanese aesthetics, so I'm hoping that the inclusion of the Japan LE will lubricate acceptance of the other two. Toilers is a reasonable size, already deftly concealed. 1001 Nights on the other hand is huge, and trying to hide behind my Temple of Flora, though only as convincingly as a fat man behind a curtain.

The standard Folios (actually 25 volumes, not 30 as I had guessed above, so quite restrained, really) were all-sorts, but included Totman's History of Japan that I'd been keeping an eye out for for ages (also strategically very good with respect to O.H.), Baburnama (for £10 am perfectly able to cope with the paper sides, in fact I now officially love them), Paradise Lost (the one with the John Martin mezzotints and separate commentary volume), Sowing the Wind, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, The War of the End of the World, The World Turned Upside Down, Love and War in the Apennines, a boxed set of four Agatha Christie novels, Love Lies Bleeding, The Great Gatsby, Ring of Bright Water, Seven Gothic Tales, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, Poems of Anna Akhmatova, and - unlike Folio Society Shop Closing Down Sales - Mostly Harmless. None of the volumes I got were new and shrinkwrapped, like the LEs they were all returns, but all seemed fine enough to my eye, and all had slipcases, a couple with the odd minor scuff or bump.

Needless to say, I'm not going anywhere on holiday for a while. But then what does a bibliophile want with holidays when they take you away from all your books?

>82 NYCFaddict: I didn't! The scene was related to me by the nurses. She apparently slapped him sharply on the wrist (in case you were imagining the poor biblio-blighter with a dislocated jaw) after having complained volubly that she hadn't found a single book in the Sale she'd wanted. I wish I'd seen it in person, it's good to witness things that make yourself feel normal. I imagine the volume she coveted was either Little Women or On War.

>83 Santas_Slave: My fatheaded and fatuous sentiments entirely.

By the way, a large selection of Letterpress Shakespeares was put out this afternoon: £120 each, and interestingly, all slipcased rather than sarcophaged. They look so much more elegant in slipcases, but I didn't touch them: that whole series is strictly off-limits to me.

Wow, what a haul! I will keep a look out for the newspaper headline "Londoner buried alive under TBR pile."

>76 elladan0891: Thank you for the information; if I can only manage to find the better part of a day off, I'll probably go (Though I will sadly have to leave the exploration of Red Lion Square sleeping facilities for a later visit - it'll have to be a day trip).

My wife (understandably, I have to admit) thinks this is a somewhat hare-brained scheme, but what can I say - it would be fun, and those frequent flier miles hardly does any good just sitting there in a database...

>87 odderi: Surely there's no better possible use for frequent flyer miles? Fine editions are flying from 44 Eagle St, and history is shortly to close the runway.

>84 cronshaw: I cracked like the hinge of a cheap trade hardback.

Great job, Mr C! That's the kind of thing Folio addicts dream about, a treasure trove of Folios. Lesser men (and women) might have hesitated but you went straight for it. Once you get over the buyer's remorse you'll have ample cause to feel damn proud of yourself, and your acquisitions. All those bargains .... quite amazing.

Your story very nearly persuaded me to jump on a train, but no. I cannot bring myself to do it. Besides, what can be left after your epic raid?

Well done, sincerely.

>84 cronshaw:

In assessing your bargains, I wonder if you have counted the cost of a buckled bike frame?

>89 folio_books: Thank you, very kind. But do jump on a train! One man came down on the train from Birmingham, especially for the Folio Sale. Odderi is all set to fly over from Norway! And different volumes are being put out every day, so you're bound to find something that interests you.

>90 affle: That's far too rational.

>84 cronshaw: The Baburnama at £10!? I was happy to pay ten times as much. A spectacular haul.

>91 cronshaw: But do jump on a train! One man came down on the train from Birmingham, especially for the Folio Sale.

Yes, I'm sure. As it happens I had planned, for a long time, to make my pilgrimage this Christmas. Train from Newcastle, overnight in hotel, a full day to spend in the bookshop, hopefully making the acquaintance of some Devotees. But what is happening now is a wake, and I just cannot bring myself to pick over the bones. The thought of the bargains to be had makes me wish I could, but no.

I pedalled back to Eagle St. today to pick up Japan that I'd had to leave yesterday as I'd not taken the necessary backpack to carry it. I impressed myself by not making any further purchases, nor hanging around to wait for further feeding frenzies, though I could see some attractive tidbits being scattered around the Trolley: Citizens, Nineveh and Babylon, War and Peace (2-vols non-slipcased), Gilbert's First World War, Ford Maddox Ford's Parade's End (which I was amazed to see didn't seem to interest anyone) among others. I've clearly reached satiety and can do more no gluttony-grief therapy for now. One must digest.

An enormously elaborate LE Duc du Berry had appeared on the LE Sale Altar, but was still the price of a small car even with 50% off. There was no sign of any Moby Dick or The Sound and The Fury LEs and indeed I was told there aren't any of these to be had - sorry, Eclectic. In addition to there being no Poetic Edda or Mort LEs available in the sale, I am told there are to be no Special Binding versions (i.e. full leather with full marbled edges) of The Duke's Children either.

I forgot to mention one of my happiest buys yesterday, perhaps as it's a non-Folio and so slightly OT: the slipcased 2-vol. 2nd edition Oxford Latin Dictionary, considerably more comprehensive than my current Collins paperback Latin Dictionary, and a snip at £10 (non-Folios are all £5 a volume). It appeared to have been sitting on the Therapy Trolley for quite some time, an unloved non-Folio ignored by frenetic Faddict fingers that sought the more glamorous genuine articles.

>95 EclecticIndulgence: Oh no, I didn't buy the one I saw today. I've already got three W&Ps, I'm just as sick as you.

I have picked up an embarrassing number of the half-price LEs; I can't even bear to list them. I've also made several very nice finds on the Naughty Trolley: Troy and Its Remains, Agincourt, On the Psychology of Military Incompetence, Vita Nuova and The Last White Rose. All are returns and not shrink-wrapped, but still in fine condition. The Parade's End that Russell mentions above was picked up by someone else while I was there today (my third visit of the sale).

The dMR (what will we have to call it when it ceases to exist?) feels like it's on Oxford Street - I've never seen it even a quarter as busy, and I understand it's been like that pretty much constantly since Monday. Even with two nurses on duty dispensing medication to the desperate patients they're both being kept very busy. No one appears to be leaving with anything less than an armful of books. If anyone here is planning on making a trip, I would make it soon, as I suspect that the planned two-week running time didn't anticipate the demand for what's on offer.

The one consolation for the dreadful loss of the shrine that is the dMR (all the money I saved on the LEs will be eaten up post-haste in counselling fees in the new year) is that it's undeniably going out with a bang.

I took the morning off work to make my first and last trip to the DMR. Picked up the Leo Tolstoy Collection, Age of Gold, Sense and Sensibilities, Huckleberry Finn Collectable and Trafalgar. Was tempting to pick up more, but that was about the most I could decently carry back out to Hertfordshire on the train.

>99 hugofount:

Judging by the collective success of those who've already raided the trolley and the sheer quantity of their respective hauls, I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to hire a van and do the thing properly. Or perhaps a few of us could club together on a pantechnicon?

I popped down to borough before heading back out of London, did feel tempted to swing back by to see what had been re-stocked. I think just someone live-tweeting and taking orders is in order.

I stayed away from 44 Eagle St today and have developed a tremor and palpitations.

>98 EclecticIndulgence:

The Bible, The Duke's Children, Japan and The Pearl Manuscript. The sale is all relatively recent returns, so nothing long OOP has come out.

As of this afternoon there were still a lot of Letterpress Shakespeares in slipcases and a few other assorted joys. I'm on the lookout for a Plants of the Americas, but I suspect that if there were any available they've all gone.

I think the Shakespeares were £120 each, but could be mistaken.

>105 EclecticIndulgence:

Oh, that's hard!

I think if I'd only been able to go for one it would have been Japan. Even just sitting there (obviously I have no space for any of them on actual shelves...), it's just so extravagant and colourful - the photos on the website really don't do it justice.

I understand that there aren't likely to be any more LEs coming out, so what's out there at the moment (principally several Pearl Manuscripts - seven I think - a single Music for King Henry (or The Royal Choirbook, as it now seems to be called) and the slipcased Letterpress Shakespeares, alongside a few astronomically priced non-FS LEs) is all there will be.

I have managed to pick up a few more from the Naughty Trolley, though, including a set of The Mycenaeans and The Minoans (books fine but with a slight nick in the slipcase) and The Tale of Genji.

All these finds sounds absolutely wonderful ... I am green .Wish I could be in London . But one hates to see a bookshop close . We are forced to rely more and more on the internet suppliers,and this is not the same as seeing in person .

For the benefit of interested Devotees unable to make it to 44 Eagle St this Sale fortnight, I thought I would upload a few images I took of the Folio Book Shop Closing Down Sale on Friday afternoon, at an unusually quiet moment when the Naughty Trolley had become considerably depleted and attendees earlier in the day were presumably wending their way home with heavy loads or awaiting A&E triage.

(1) The Naughty Trolley(s) at the far end of the disMembered Room. The taller, main trolley in front, considerably depleted at this point (the lowest shelf is completely empty) with all Folio volumes at £10 and non-Folios at £5. Behind it is a lower trolley with outsized volumes, mostly non-Folios (£20 each), almost emptied. On Monday and Tuesday the pressing mass of Faddicts occupying the same space made the trolley invisible from the same viewpoint. The tall dark green wall bookshelves hold regular new Folio stock which is not part of the Sale. The LE Altar is to the right of the image frame:



(2) 'Trump Specials' Sale Offer at the nurses' front desk:



(3) Selection of remaining Sale LE volumes, as of Friday 9th December, 2016: centre: the facsimile Les Grandes Heures du Duc du Berry, by Patrimonio Ediciones, £2,975 (that's the sale price), above: an assortment of slipcased Letterpress Shakespeares, £120 per volume:

(edited to correct the sale price of the Patrimonio Ediciones LE Les Grandes Heures du Duc du Berry)



(4) Further selection of remaining Sale LE volumes. Centre, a (non-FS) huge full leather bound facsimile of Galliae Tabule Geographicae, £500; right - FS Liber Bestiarum; top left - Goya's Disasters of War; top right - FS Book Shop Closing Down Sale LE price list (all half the original price):

...as close as I ever have gotten... may thanks for these.

Matching the decor, I'm green with envy!

Wow thank you for the pics . I would love to have been there. And of course falling for all those lovely volumes .

Trump Special - brilliant!

>109 cronshaw:
Thank you for raising my envy level to an impenetrably dark jungle green.
But seriously, thank you for the photos.

>109 cronshaw:
>113 NYCFaddict:

If it were a true Trump Special, he would have advertised this sale aggressively in the major London newspapers, waited until a crowd of several dozen folk had gathered in the FS Bookshop, and then held a book burning.

>115 dlphcoracl: No, the sale would only have been announced by tweet.

Trump does of course have another meaning in parts of the U.K. A Trump special should include a book on the (in)famous Joseph Pujol.

I called in on a farewell visit at Eagle Street this morning and despite the Viking war band scale pillaging recorded on this thread still managed to pick up some very decent books for £10 each. I do hope all the wonderful staff who are so helpful in selling us FS books are given the choice of staying on with the Society, if that is what they wish to do. I did meet the admirable Andrew at long last and he was charming and very helpful.

After leaving Eagle Street, I slowly walked to Holborn tube station, where I sat on a bench while waiting for a train surveying my shopping bags full of purchases. An American tourist sat next to me and commented on my luggage thinking that I was going to Heathrow. I said no just that The Folio Society was having a sale and I could not miss the opportunity. This American seemed an intelligent traveller but he had never heard of The Folio Society. When I described it, he seemed really interested. Maybe the Society's marketing in the USA needs some investment?

>119 Chawton: The Folio Society is not a household name over here. Neither though is Easton Press. Both are niche companies that you sort of have to "stumble upon" elsewhere in order to learn of their respective existences.

I discovered EP at a used bookstore back in 2000. I subscribed the following year, and probably via the sale of my personal info, started getting flyers for FS a year or so later.

>119 Chawton:
Can't speak for the US, but it's extraordinarily difficult to reach potential customers in Canada using traditional print advertising methods, simply because of the size of the place. You could lose the UK in one of the lakes. There is a couple of hours time difference between East and West. Just about every newspaper in Britain is national, with different subsets in Scotland, so you can easily target an interest group. There is no national newspaper in Canada. The National Post briefly claimed to be, but was always Toronto centred and is quickly going under. Ontarians outside Toronto can have (usually late) delivery of 2 Toronto papers which contain no local news, so a local paper has to be bought as well. The Book pages of the TO papers aren't up to Observer or ST standards. My local paper in a University city has one (1) book reviewed most weeks by a retired schoolteacher; I have never seen a publisher advertise there.

>119 Chawton:

Agree with >121 Jayked:.

I live in the States and Canada is E-E-E-normous. Geographic area nearly 50% larger than the continental U.S. (the 48 states) with only 10% of its population. Near impossible to target this population with print advertising.

I was able to pop in on Wednesday to say goodbye, I don't live or work in London but work does take me there sometimes. Walked out with a few bargains (Akhmatova, Freud, Schliemann and one or two others), and ummed and ahhed over The Mapmakers before declining.

Such is my Faddiction that I note I already have The Mapmakers...I am that far behind with my reading list.

As yesterday was the last day of the dMR Closing Down Sale, Yours Folioly pedalled over to witness the ending of a golden era, to meet a few old FS patients who I knew would be attending, and perhaps snaffle a last bargain, for good form's sake. It was an atmosphere redolent of the old salon days, with old Nurse A, Andrew Walker of Tincture of Enablement fame, in attendance; and devotees Dundee G, whose Folio spreadsheets are not to be surpassed; and Bishop J, a fellow OU student with a predilection for scandalous gossip (the only person I've seen make Folio part-time nurse Pat blush), among others. Having last Friday already caught up with fellow Folio cyclist Iain and St. J (he who so graciously taxied home an inebriated emotionally overwrought Cronshaw tightly hugging the newly acquired Dr. Johnson in his open-topped sports car so many years and Folio collections ago), I was thrilled to be able to see these other fellow-terminal addicts one last time before the Great Clinic Closure thrusts us all on to the lap of Care in the Community. To be among those who make one feel normal is an experience to be ever cherished.

The trolley was comparatively denuded, as the sale had attracted greater numbers than anticipated over the preceding fortnight and the supply of returns and seconds become quickly exhausted, but that didn't stop patients from all over the London area piling into the clinic one last time for at least an eye-fondle of the Naughty Trolley, if not a frenetic last grasp at bargain medicine. Appropriately, several copies of Freud had been in the last batch to be added; though from the point of view of Yours Insanely, who had already stockpiled sufficient pharmaceuticals to cope with the looming threats of Brexit and The Donald, as well as Clinic Withdrawal, for once the Naughty Trolley was somewhat secondary to deeply inhaling the atmosphere of shared affliction, and to partaking in an afternoon of gossip of things Folio past and present, of comparing symptoms and stigmata. One piece of good news that emerged through the withdrawal anxiety is that the newfangled slipcover (the cheap, plasticky VHS video cover facsimile that masquerades as a 'lightweight slipcase') experiment has been deemed a failure, and is to be discontinued. Tidings of Joy. There are still a couple of publications in the forthcoming New Year collection which will humbly wear them, as these things are chosen in some advance, but they are to be the last of a mutant breed that evolved in the wrong direction. Indeed, we are reassured, somewhat cryptically, that Folio slipcases are to move 'in the opposite direction'. What this means is anyone's guess, but more substantial, not less, would be the reasonable inference.

I took a couple more photos to share with those in our worldwide family unable to make the final pilgrimage.

(1) A view along the length of the DMR taken yesterday afternoon, taken from the nurses' front desk looking towards the Naughty Trolley(s) obscured by patients at the far end. The trolley partly visible in the centre, (behind old Nurse A wearing the black 'unmutual' Tshirt) is The Trolley of Disappointment, non-sale shelves laden only with buy-ins and ignored by most hardcore Devotees. On the right is that holy of holies, the LE Altar. A sale Faerie Queene can be seen at the near end, and keenly sick eyes might make out solander boxes containing The Pearl Manuscript, Plants of the Americas, The Getty Apocalypse, and The Winchester Psalter towards the rear. The decorative slipcase standing vertically in the middle of the altar is actually a non-Folio French LE edition of David Roberts' Egypt, Nubia and the Holy Lands, which FS presumably used for research while preparing their own LE.



(2) The three carers, past and present. Behind the nurses' desk by the front door, from left to right: (a) Roy Felix, Security Guard, shortly to retire, and proud possessor of several LEs including his favourite Odes of Horace; (b) Andrew Walker, the much missed Former Nurse A and Apothecary of Enablement, still avid collector of Folios, especially Gothic and Sci-Fi; (c) Charge Nurse Ian, the charming and ever-helpful current Chief Dispenser and Consoler, six-week old father, and very sadly, shortly to leave Folio as a result of the loss of the dismembered room, despite sterling service. All three are complete gentlemen and will be sorely missed by many Devotees, including this one.



For good form's sake of course, I obliged myself to make one final purchase from the NT. Heretically, it was a non-Folio. Everyone else had seemingly ignored The History of Florence in Painting on the bottom tray of the lower rear trolley but it was the very one of the series I've been missing. A dark cloud may indeed have a sliver of silver lining.

(edited for several grammatical errors I blame on a hangover caused by subsequent festive revelry elsewhere and which also led me to eat an entire advent calendar's worth of chocolate in one sitting earlier this afternoon)

>124 cronshaw:

As always, a wonderful, apt description. Funny, sensitive, nostalgic... I could add many adjectives but I'll limit myself to a very heartfelt thank-you.

>124 cronshaw: As yesterday was the last day of the dMR Closing Down Sale

As ever, a marvellous report, Russell. I couldn't be there (indeed, didn't want to be) but your description is more than adequate compensation. Thank you, especially for the photos.

>124 cronshaw: To be among those who make one feel normal is an experience to be ever cherished.

A sad but fitting epitaph for the dMR, and an appropriate description of my attachment to FSD. Mostly.

>124 cronshaw: A sale Faerie Queene can be seen at the near end,

My gob is smacked. That's my favourite Folio LE. How can it not be snapped up? Or, in other words, what was wrong with it?

>124 cronshaw: Behind the nurses' desk by the front door, from left to right: (a) Roy Felix, Security Guard, due to retire next week, and proud possessor of several LEs including his favourite Odes of Horace; (b) Andrew Walker, the much missed Former Nurse A and Apothecary of Enablement, still avid collector of Folios, especially Gothic and Sci-Fi; (c) Ian , the charming and ever-helpful current Charge Nurse and very sadly, shortly to leave Folio as a result of the loss of the dismembered room, despite sterling service. All three are complete gentlemen and will be sorely missed by many Devotees, including this one.

I've never encountered Nurse A though, of course, his reputation is legendary. He doesn't look remotely like I imagined him. The loss of all three, voluntary or otherwise, is sad news for Folio. In the case of the redundant Ian, a family man on the brink of Christmas, it is a tragedy. I truly hope he finds a new job quickly.

>124 cronshaw: One piece of good news that emerged through the withdrawal anxiety is that the newfangled slipcover (the cheap, plasticky VHS video cover facsimile that masquerades as a 'lightweight slipcase') experiment has been deemed a failure, and is to be discontinued. Tidings of Joy.

Fantastic news!

>124 cronshaw: There are still a couple of publications in the forthcoming New Year collection which will humbly wear them, as these things are chosen in some advance, but they are to be the last of a mutant breed that evolved in the wrong direction.

And good riddance. Folio have been guilty of several follies in recent times but that one won the prize.

>124 cronshaw: Indeed, we are reassured, somewhat cryptically, that Folio slipcases are to move 'in the opposite direction'. What this means is anyone's guess, but more substantial, not less, would be the reasonable inference.

Well now, is too much to hope that, if any of the scantily-clad are reprinted, they are given a decent set of clothes at the same time? There's a couple of current publications I'd snap up in a trice if they had proper slipcases. Did I mention I wrote to Michael Morpurgo pointing out he was losing royalties because of the ridiculous pseudo-"slipcase"? Unsurprisingly I have yet to receive a response ...

(Edited to protect the identities of the innocent)

>124 cronshaw:

Thank you so much, Russell, for your final report from the dMR. This is truly the end of an era, not only of the dMR but also of said reports by a master. If only all medical notes were like this. It's also very poignant to see the staff who made it what it was and who, over the years, must have increased sales exponentially, among those patients who were lucky enough to be referred, through their knowledge and enthusiasm. I was beguiled more than once by Nurse A's wink wink hints about forthcoming treatments still under secret testing.

In some ways I would love to have been there, but I fear I would probably have been stretchered out on seeing a denuded Naughty Trolley.

Maybe in better times the Folly Society will see the error of their ways and a new, bigger and better Customers' Room, with bar, tea room, and multiplex (showing a selection of FS YouTube videos), will live again, staffed by the still youthful Nurse A and the current Charge Nurse Ian, both of whom (I'm informed) are being cryogenically frozen this very afternoon in anticipation.

>124 cronshaw:
Thank you!
What more an I say, as tears drop onto my keyboard.

>124 cronshaw:
Do I see Nurse C sporting an unusually pimpin' attire in the first photo, or is it his look-alike?

Good to see Ian smiling - he was looking pretty frazzled towards the end of last week. Hopefully for him it will soon be the start of something bigger and better (although it is hard to imagine a more perfect job!).

A huge thinks to all the dMR staff who, down the years, have tolerated our foibles and calmly dealt with a surprising amount of abuse from the Great British public, from what I briefly witnessed.

My only consolation, beyond owning some mighty fine books, is the thought of the future owners of no. 44 being haunted by literary ghosts...

If I had been there I think I would have burst into tears.

My fondest memory is when I saw the Paddington set had sold out online (I was stupid enough not to buy one of the last warehouse copies in the sale), causing me to speed to Eagle St -- I got there all sweaty, but secured the last set on the shelves.

I am getting quite emotional as I type this. So sad.

>130 StevieBby: Ian has been a very competent salesperson and has always been very kind and helpful during my visits to the dMR. Hope that FS opens a shop in a year or two and invites him back to run the show.

Sigh. My plans for a swift, but devastating (to my wallet, at any rate) viking raid was laid in ruins by a bout of virological warfare; on Thursday my two-year-old was sent packing from kindergarten, vomiting in a most impressive manner.

So, it was pretty much just sit down and wait (nervously) for the symptoms to kick in; didn't seem like a good idea to jump on a plane first thing Friday morning! (Or late the night between Thursday and Friday by any reasonable definition of 'morning'...)

And, bingo. Early Friday afternoon, I got to show the kiddo that he didn't know the first thing about the violent ejection of stomach content. He had come around by this time and was his usual, energetic self - but banned from kindergarten until today and stuck with a father of a slightly less energetic disposition. We've had a couple of -ahem- interesting days.

So - I missed out on the DotDMR (Death of the Dismembered Room), but finally got around to reading a book which has been on my TBR shelf for an embarrassing amount of time, Dostoevsky's "Бесы" (Demons). If I was a nihilist, I'd be in a temper to find Dostoevsky's grave so I could relieve myself on it. However, I am not, and quite enjoyed it, dark humour, trashing of the concept of nihilism an'all.

Now, while the sale is over, there's still a couple of days left before the shop closes - however, there's this thing called Christmas coming up, and apparently there are a few details to tend to in the odderi household before that comes to pass, alas.

As for anyone harboring romantic illusions of a winter wonderland around these parts come Christmas time, oh puh-leeeezze. Today we saw temperatures hovering around the 15C mark (Which would make for a decent, if not impressive June day) - and now it is raining so hard Santa would need to don a scuba mask before visiting these parts, if it keeps up!

>124 cronshaw: Many thanks for the funeral oration and especially the photos.
Indeed the end of an era; my visits to the British Museum will never be the same.

>133 odderi:
I feel your pain, as me and my family were suffering through the same stomach flu apocalypse a couple of weeks ago. Unlike you, I didn't have any London trips planned. Sorry you missed out on it. (I guess there are a few, rare things that get us sturdy vikings down on our knees...)

I was happy to have my first visit to the Eagle Street store in September. Little did I know it would be my last.

>124 cronshaw:

Great post. It's great to see the human element.

>124 cronshaw:
Thank you for posting the pictures. I never got to see the inside of the Naughty Trolley. At least I got to see a few pictures of what it looked like.

visited the shop yesterday for the last time, and whilst sad at the closure, managed to pick up some great bargains from the naughty trolley (red house mystery/great escape/kim/manhattan 45) all in slipcases for £5 each!
at 12pm they had one copy of pretty much all the 2016 releases in slipcases, including popular titles like king must die, i robot, science fiction anthology, and the pratchett/HGTTG books also for £5, however i had to resist adding to my TBR pile, and also knew there would be other devotees who would enjoy these books more than I.

at 5pm when i returned to pick up my books the trolley was empty apart from a few "king of the middlemarch"

hopefully it wont be long before a new shop is open near the tower bridge location!

Sorry to bump an old thread, but does anyone happen to know what happened to Ian (pictured above), who used to run the bookshop up until it closed in 2016? He always provided first class service and I was very sorry to learn that he was being let go as a result of the closure. I hope he found something new in the bookselling world and is doing well.

>7 podaniel: When Joe Whitlock Blundell leaves--that's when you know the FS is done for.

Never a truer word spoken. And this is from 2016.

I wonder what other significant changes there have been in our lives since 2016? Just throwing it out there ...

I completely forgot I had written that prediction. Let's see if it works twice. I predict the FS within the next couple of years will publish comic book anthologies of Iron Man, Thor and Spider Man. Oh wait, that's just re-wording my first prediction.