FOLIO SOCIETY Gormenghast Trilogy LIMITED EDITION Signed # 399 of 750

  
AS NEW UNREAD condition in DECORATIVE SLIPCASE. Signed & Numbered # 399 of 750. Limited to 750 hand-numbered sets. Signed by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Lose yourself in the gothic majesty of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy presented in this truly visionary edition from Folio.

Introduced by master of modern fantasy Neil Gaiman, illustrated by the extraordinary Dave McKean and signed by both contributors, this is a startlingly original take on a cornerstone of speculative fiction. A crumbling castle the size of a city. A menagerie of sinister eccentrics. A labyrinth of ritual, mystery and conspiracy.

This is the world of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast, three masterpieces of the fantastic - Titus Groan (1946), Gormenghast (1950) and Titus Alone (1959) - collected by Folio in an edition as unprecedented as the books themselves. A new and innovative vision of these classic works, this monumental box-set collection is truly worthy of one of the wildest imaginations in literature.

An author, poet, playwright and artist, Peake wrote with a painter's eye, his peculiar flair for life and color perfectly captured in brand-new illustrations by World Fantasy Award-winning artist and designer Dave McKean. This landmark edition also comes with an exclusive original art print and is introduced by Neil Gaiman, another master of the modern fantastic. Limited to 750 hand-numbered sets, each collection has been personally signed by Gaiman and McKean on a beautifully illustrated limitation label.

One special quality is the open-spine bindings for which the books are printed, folded and gathered to create the title from small marks on the fold of each signature giving a uniquely hand-drawn effect - here in a shadow-black design by artist Dave McKean. With such craft processes, variances between sets are inevitable and add to the uniqueness of this stunning limited edition. Illustrated limitation label signed by Dave McKean? The label is tipped in by hand - secured to the page along one edge. Unique open-spine bindings of which loose threads are a feature.

Sides covered in Setalux cloth printed with designs by the artist. Set in Albertina and printed on Abbey Pure paper. 1,376 pages in total over three volumes.

142 color illustrations integrated throughout the three volumes. Hand-made, cloth-covered presentation case blocked in metallic red foil, lined and screen-printed in black ink. Case interior printed in silver with a design by the artist.

Books: 9¾ × 6¾ inches. Box: 11 × 6½" × 6¾"? Separate print presented in a black Burano paper folder printed in silver.

Every set in The Folio Society limited edition of The Gormenghast Trilogy has been carefully crafted at Graphicom in Vicenza. Every glorious sentence, every obscure word pulled from obscurity and out into the light, every fragment of poem is waiting here for you. Neil Gaiman from his introduction.

The Gormenghast trilogy is a mesmerizing dynastic saga, often surreal and darkly comic, in which the eccentric House of Groan rules over a world of crumbling stone and meaningless ritual. This royal household soon find themselves threatened not only by the ill-omened birth of Titus - the seventy-seventh Earl of Groan - but also the rapid ascent of a Machiavellian kitchen boy named Steerpike, a character long recognized as one of the most compelling and complex villains in English literature. The trilogy quickly outgrew its cult reputation, its popularity skyrocketing following the author's death in 1968. Forty years later, The Times recognized Peake as one of the Fifty Greatest British Writers since 1945.

The Gormenghast novels themselves remain truly without precedent. They echo the grotesquery of Dickens, the cruel fabulism of Lewis Carroll, and the wonder and scope of Tolkien, yet Gormenghast continues to defy categorization. The trilogy has cast its singular spell over generations of readers, writers, illustrators and musicians including Chris Riddell, Michael Moorcock, Sebastian Faulks, Joanne Harris, Sting and The Cure frontman Robert Smith. Award-winning fantasist Neil Gaiman - yet another Peake devotee - examines the trilogy's appeal in his expert introduction to this unique Folio edition. Encased within a suitably majestic presentation box, this spellbinding set is as much a feat of imaginative design as the novels themselves. Award-winning illustrator Dave McKean provides the collection's 142 original hand-drawn illustrations, as well as startling cover designs for each book and an exclusive art print of iconic villain Steerpike. Eschewing the traditionally gloomy and gothic, McKean's concept has been inspired by the Gormenghast trilogy's often overlooked sense of passion and color.

His renditions of Peake's cast - from the enigmatic Countess Groan to the spidery manservant Flay - seethe with life and feeling, capturing the often stark surrealism of each book. With vibrant bird motifs flitting and swooping through each volume, the novels themselves are boldly presented with open spines, stitched with turquoise, pink and blue thread, and shadow-black hand-lettered titles. Each book could be an artifact exhumed from the sprawling library of Gormenghast itself.

Dave McKean has also created the hypnotic maze design that envelops the hinged collection case, bound in stone-grey Dubletta cloth and blocked in crimson metallic foil with the title screen-printed in black ink. Opening the case itself releases a burst of corvids silhouetted against the sky in silver ink. Strictly limited to 750 numbered editions, with each set signed by McKean and Gaiman, this extraordinary collection has been developed with the full approval of the Mervyn Peake Estate at every stage. A grand and gothic dream come true, this lavish limited edition of The Gormenghast Trilogy offers a modern testament to Peake's timeless creative genius. Mandy Kirkby, The Folio Society's Project Editor says: I don't think you could ask for a more brilliant and inspired visual interpretation, or a more exciting example of the art of book-making. Joining the Royal Artillery in 1940, Peake received a special dispensation to continue writing his first novel, Titus Groan. Having served as a war artist for the Ministry of Information, he moved to the island of Sark and lived in an artist's colony with his family. A prolific and well-regarded illustrator, Peake provided extraordinary images for all his own works, including the children's book Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor (1939), and his novels Titus Groan (1946), Gormenghast (1950), Mr Pye (1953) and Titus Alone (1959). He also illustrated several classics including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Treasure Island, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Dr. Hyde, as well as publishing several of his own plays and volumes of poetry. Regarded as one of Britain's greatest literary fabulists, Peake continues to influence generations of authors and filmmakers including Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman and Terry Gilliam. This set will be bubble wrapped and carefully packed in a sturdy box with packing material surrounding it. I will be listing these as time permits so please check back often for new listings.

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