Non-Fiction

Commemorating the centenary of Ernest Shackleton’s death, The Folio Society brings together The Heart of the Antarctic and South – thrilling accounts of his greatest polar expeditions in his own words.

A Bright Shining Lie is Neil Sheehan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Vietnam War told through lieutenant colonel John Paul Vann, with a new introduction by George Packer for The Folio Society.

With a fully revised introduction by Robert Macfarlane and paintings by landscape artist Rose Strang, this Folio edition of Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain celebrates her timeless ode to nature.  

Richly illustrated and newly revised for The Folio Society, In Search of the Dark Ages is Michael Wood’s thrilling account of the age of Beowulf, Sutton Hoo and the Vikings.

The book that launched the environmental movement, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring arrives in a beautiful new illustrated Folio Society edition with pertinent essays by Margaret Atwood and Edward O. Wilson, and stunning photography from the Documerica archive.

Covering 3,000 years, John Keay’s China: A History chronicles one of the world’s great civilisations, from Confucius to Mao, in an exclusively updated Folio Society edition with lavish colour illustrations and a new introduction by the author.

A story of tremendous courage and endurance, related first-hand by Frank Worsley, this stunning Folio Society edition of Shackleton's Boat Journey includes photographs by Frank Hurley, maps and introduction by explorer Ranulph Fiennes. 

Stephen Hawking’s landmark scientific work, A Brief History of Time, is presented as a striking Folio Society illustrated edition, exclusively introduced by Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees.

Howard Carter’s thrilling account of discovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb, in a superb two-volume Folio edition including a book of colour photographs by Sandro Vannini and the original text and exploration photographs.

Spanning 700 years, Creators, Conquerors & Citizens is classical scholar Robin Waterfield’s complete, commanding history of Ancient Greece, augmented with vibrant colour illustrations in this large-format Folio Society edition.

Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year depicts London in a deadly pandemic. This Folio Society edition, with beautiful woodcuts by Chris Wormell, is introduced by editor-in-chief of The Lancet, Richard Horton.

Andrew Chaikin selects stunning new photography for The Folio Society edition of A Man on the Moon – his commanding history of the Apollo missions, with an introduction by Tom Hanks. 

In Dynasty, classical historian Tom Holland chronicles the murderous, decadent reigns of the first five emperors of Rome – a sensational narrative presented in a lavishly illustrated Folio edition.

Signed by introducer Robert Macfarlane and artist Rose Strang, this beautiful new Folio edition of Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain celebrates her timeless ode to nature.

The international best-selling autobiography of the first black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom is published by Folio as a striking collector’s edition featuring 41 pages of photographs and an evocative new binding.

Compiled, written and edited by Peter Gillman for The Folio Society, Everest: From Reconnaissance to Summit is an exclusive record of five key expeditions, introduced by Wade Davis and Jan Morris with superlative photography from the Royal Geographical Society archives.

The history of one of the world’s most fascinating civilisations, a people both dynamic and feared, is newly presented in a stunning two-volume Folio edition.

Gwyn Jones dispels the myths of an empire built on terror and tyranny, in The Vikings; now in its seventh Folio Society printing.

A fascinating history of the creatures that populate myths and folklore, John Cherry’s Mythical Beasts is beautifully reimagined as a Folio edition illustrated with archive images and Neil Packer’s striking new motifs and binding design.

A captivating edition of the classic survey of the rise and spread of the Celts, with new colour photography.

An illustrated Folio Society edition of Christopher Clark’s magisterial history of Prussia from 1600 to the aftermath of the Second World War – winner of awards including the Wolfson History Prize.

Waterloo by Alan Forrest launches a major Folio series on history’s greatest battles, providing a vivid account of Napoleon’s defeat by Wellington and its legacy throughout the world.

Thermopylae by Chris Carey is a worthy addition to The Folio Society’s Great Battles series – a masterful account of the Greeks’ celebrated stand against the Persians and its cultural legacy.

Fully illustrated and part of the Folio Society’s Great Battles series, Murray Pittock’s Culloden boldly reassesses the last battle fought on British soil – a clash that ended the Jacobite uprising.

Written more than 2,500 years ago, The Art of War remains the most famous military treatise of all time. Sun-tzu’s collection of precepts on strategic warfare has yet to be surpassed.

For the first time, full-colour images illustrate Norman Davies’s magisterial work, Europe: A History, in an elegant three-volume edition from The Folio Society, fully updated by the author.

No book has revolutionised our view of life on earth more than Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. Yet its enduring popularity is a testament to the immense energy and startling simplicity with which Darwin makes his revelations.

Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man applies his revolutionary theory to human evolution. This exceptional Folio collector’s edition is introduced by Richard Dawkins and includes numerous colour illustrations, as well as diagrams and figures. 

Published with a new foreword and vivid photography, Thomas S. Kuhn’s book is a cultural icon that changed how we think about the scientific revolutions of Newton, Darwin, Einstein and others.

A unique Folio edition of Winston Churchill’s 50 finest speeches to inspire Britain during the Second World War, with a new introduction by his grandson, Sir Nicholas Soames.