The Roald Dahl Collection (Set 2)

The BFG, The Witches, Matilda

Roald Dahl

Illustrated by Quentin Blake

Introduced by Donald Sturrock

Discover the fantastical worlds of The BFG, The Witches and Matilda in the second whizzpopping Folio Society set of much-loved Roald Dahl stories, featuring Quentin Blake’s iconic black-and-white illustrations and the classic texts.

£80.00
£80.00
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‘Just because we happen not to have actually seen something with our own two little winkles, we think it is not existing.’
  1. The BFG


Three of Roald Dahl’s most whoopsy-whiffling books are presented in this delumptious cloth-bound set. Children will be delighted and petrified in equal measure as they meet the obnoxious witches, the fantastical and empowering Matilda and the loveable BFG whose book celebrates its 40th anniversary since publication. Illustrated with all of Quentin Blake’s original black-and-white watercolours, the editions also include beautiful metallic endpapers, ribbon markers and tactile cloth bindings in retro colours, each screen-printed with a Quentin Blake design. Dahl’s biographer Donald Sturrock introduces the books, which are presented in a screen-printed slipcase.

The Roald Dahl Collection (Set 1) is also available and includes James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Twits.

Bound in screen-printed cloth  

Set in Baskerville  

Vol 1 (The BFG): 216 pages, Vol 2 (The Witches): 208 pages, Vol 3 (Matilda): 240 pages  

Black-and-white illustrations integrated with text throughout all volumes (278 in total) 

Metallic printed endpapers  

Ribbon markers  

Screen-printed cloth slipcase  

Book size: 9˝ x 5¾˝

Some of the most memorable children’s books have a dusting of truth or a pinch of personal experience woven into their pages and Roald Dahl’s are no exception. Childhood summers in Norway provided the inspiration for The Witches, with the endearing raconteur grandmamma reputedly based on Dahl’s beloved mother. The orphanage in The BFG was inspired by the village of Great Missenden where Dahl grew up, with the giant elevated to a starring role in this story, having first appeared in Dahl’s earlier book, Danny the Champion of the World; the only character to feature in more than one of Dahl’s stories. And as an act of literary revenge upon his ex-school matrons and masters, the terrifying Miss Trunchbull in Matilda is a hideous embellishment of their less salubrious traits.

Roald Dahl stumbled into children’s writing by accident. While working on a short story collection for adults, he struggled with writer’s block and his agent suggested he try writing for a younger audience and ‘re-indulge yourself in the realm of fantasy writing at which you are so very good’. The genre suited him perfectly and within the space of a few years, his darkly comic and gloriously gruesome stories earned him global renown and countless awards. From James and the Giant Peach (1961) to Matilda (1988), Dahl’s memorable tales still entertain children today and strike a reminiscent chord with adults alike. He remains one of the most successful and best-loved children’s authors in the world.

About Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 to Norwegian parents. During the Second World War he worked as a fighter pilot and diplomat and then settled into family life and a full-time writing career. He had some success as an author before making the transition to children’s fiction, writing books based on stories he made up for his own family. His first children’s book, James and the Giant Peach (1961), was published in America to limited acclaim. It wasn’t until his second book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was published in 1964 that Dahl became better known and his books were published in the UK. He went on to experience phenomenal worldwide success, with his work being published in more than 40 languages, and is today considered to be one of the world’s greatest children’s authors. Roald Dahl died in Oxford in 1990.

About Quentin Blake

Born in Kent in 1932, Quentin Blake is an artist, writer and illustrator who has worked on more than 300 books and won numerous awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and the Kate Greenaway Medal. He is perhaps most famous for his long and fruitful collaboration with Roald Dahl, whose children’s books he illustrated from 1975 until Dahl’s death in 1990. In 1999, Blake was appointed the first Children’s Laureate and he is a patron of the Association of Illustrators. 

About Donald Sturrock

Donald Sturrock was born in 1961 and spent his childhood in England and South America. After studying Modern History at Oxford University, he worked as a director and producer in BBC Television’s Music and Arts Department for ten years. He continued writing and directing, working on numerous series, including the award-winning The Art of Singing and the Grammy-nominated The Art of Piano. Sturrock has been the artistic director of the Roald Dahl Foundation since 1992 and has adapted and directed a series of musical versions of Roald Dahl's children's stories. He was selected by the Roald Dahl Estate to write Dahl’s official biography, Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl

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