Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Charles Vess

Explore the realm of English magic with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in this Folio Society edition of Susanna Clarke’s masterpiece. Introduced by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess.
Order here: www.foliosociety.com/uk/jonat...
The Folio Society produces beautifully crafted collector’s editions of the world’s greatest books, each with unique illustrations or specially researched photographs throughout. Find books you love at www.foliosociety.com

[@warlockofwordschannel7901]

Brilliant illustrator!

[@ThaKid14]

Vess' work on Sandman will forever be some of the best art I've ever seen in (comic) book form. The Tempest is one of my favourite issues ever. Also, his art in the third issue of The Books Of Magic "The Land of Summer's Twilight" is a masterpiece.

[@Sari97H]

Thank you for this little interview! So many gorgeous ilustrations!

[@lulufortytwo3884]

thank you for sharing! it's so nice to see his art studio. It's amusing to me that Charles Vess is exactly how I imagined him when I was ten, even though that was twenty years ago. I do have a copy of JS&MN, but it's been years since I read it and I don't remember a thing. I still might purchase a copy of this though; it looks gorgeous

[@nathanielmerchant3286]

Why is it three volumes for one novel?

[@mumei178]

The novel is originally divided internally into three volumes (Mr Norrell, Jonathan Strange, and John Uskglass). There was actually a slipcase collectors edition for the paperback release back in 2005 that had separate books for each volume, one black, one white, and one red. As for why they did it here, someone from FS explained it in an interview with Collectible Book Vault:
"When the hefty 1024-page paperback arrived in the office, we firstly considered using a larger format and thinner paper than usual, to ensure the maximum number of words per page and to prevent a book that might be extremely heavy and potentially detract from an enjoyable reading experience. We then considered a two-book set to overcome these issues, but a novel that is composed of three volumes doesn’t lend itself very well to splitting in half and each book, if the text was split equally, would still be over 500 pages in length. The final decision was to take a much more sympathetic approach to the text and create a three-volume set."
Hope that helps

[@nathanielmerchant3286]

@@mumei178 thank you so much! It makes this new version even more appealing, although I have the original novel, deplorably unread. What to do, what to do….

[@mumei178]

@@nathanielmerchant3286 Read it before the August reprint to decide if you want it ❤️

[@paulleverton9569]

This illustrator seems nice enough but JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL is a book authored by an Englishwoman and mostly based in England.
I'm not so sure that an ageing hippy in West Virginia, drawing pictures in between smoking Jimson Weed and licking the bellies of the local hallucinogenic toads is appropriate.
Has Charles Vess ever even visited York? It's not possible to 'know' the place without actually spending time physically walking the streets.
York Minster cannot be understood from pictures and films. It is so much more than any one dimensional images could ever impart - even if you are tripping balls.

[@lulufortytwo3884]

I'm not sure you're appropriate. There's a lot of presumption in your statements and unkindness in your words. I pray that the evil's grip on your soul will loosen, and you gain the inner peace you lack.

[@madphilosophist]

Seeing that according to the product description the illustrator inspired the author, I can't really think of a more appropriate illustrator...
"When conceiving ‘the gentleman with the thistle-down hair’, the novel’s most unsettling antagonist, Clarke found inspiration in Charles Vess’s illustrations for The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman."

[@nathanielmerchant3286]

^JFC what a troll

[@thesynthphonist]

I have been a fan of Charles Vess' work for years and, as an Englishman, I can think of no better illustrator for this book.