Volume 1 of 'A Song of Ice and Fire'
Illustrated by Jonathan Burton
Introduced by Joe Abercrombie
'A Song of Ice and Fire' won the Brand/Series Identity category at BBD&P Awards 2022
A Game of Thrones is presented in a spectacular collector’s edition - the first release in the Folio Society series of George R. R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’.
‘The Folio Society’s splendid new editions … are masterpieces of the bookmaker’s art lavishly illustrated by Jonathan Burton. Book collectors and fantasy fans alike are going to delight in these volumes … I know I will.’
- George R. R. Martin
A publishing phenomenon; the biggest TV series in the world; a book that revolutionised a genre. A Game of Thrones is also, above and beyond all these things, a uniquely addictive piece of literature, claiming legions of fans and winning vast critical acclaim, and now The Folio Society presents the ultimate illustrated collector’s edition.
Discover the other titles in the Folio 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series.
When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die…
Bound in three-quarter blocked cloth with a printed and blocked cloth front board
Set in Vendetta with Esmeralda as display
824 pages in total over two volumes
12 full page and 4 double-page colour illustrations
Printed in black & gold throughout
8 illustrated chapter openers and 9 illustrated house sigils
9 family trees in volume two
Fold-out map inserted in case, bound in blocked cloth
Printed endpapers
Coloured tops
Blocked and printed slipcase with printed illustration inside
10˝ x 6¾˝
A story as epic as A Game of Thrones deserves an edition fit for the Iron Throne, and this lavish two-volume set drips with exquisite details. Award-winning illustrator Jonathan Burton has provided a series of gorgeous colour illustrations that take the reader deeper into the realms of Westeros than ever before. His work can also be seen in the stunning binding designs, the chapter heading illustrations, and even in a special image hidden on the inside of the unique slipcase. In an exclusive introduction, celebrated fantasy author Joe Abercrombie delves into how the book changed the landscape of the fantasy genre, while family trees – helping readers to keep their Lannisters separate from their Targaryens – have been designed at the end of the novel, alongside newly drawn House sigils. This spectacular set includes a new colour map of The Known World, folding out to reveal the full splendour of George R. R. Martin’s remarkable creation.
‘As a small child, I fell in love with illustrated books, when Howard Pyle and N. C. Wyeth brought Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the Men of Iron alive for me with their art. It’s a passion that has stayed with me all my life.’
- George R. R. Martin
A Game of Thrones is the first part in the sweeping ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ saga. The series is epic fantasy in its truest sense, immersing the reader in a vast and detailed world, full of strange gods, dangerous magic and extraordinary landscapes; but it is also fantasy at its most modern, plotted with all the breakneck pace of a thriller and populated with diverse, complex characters that will win your heart and break it, all in the space of a few chapters. This magnificent set of A Game of Thrones is the first in a landmark series for The Folio Society.
George R. R. Martin is a celebrated author of fantasy, horror and science-fiction stories and novels. He began publishing short stories in science-fiction and fantasy magazines in the early 1970s, and his first novel, Dying of the Light, was published in 1977. Martin went on to work as a television scriptwriter in the 1980s, before – discouraged by the limitations of the medium – he returned to writing fiction, beginning work on the epic fantasy series for which he is best known, ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, inspired by medieval England’s Wars of the Roses. The first instalment, A Game of Thrones, was published in 1996; the fourth volume (A Feast for Crows, 2005; Folio 2021) and fifth volume (A Dance with Dragons, 2011; Folio 2022) earned Martin best-seller status. The winner of multiple Nebula and Hugo Awards, as well as the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, Martin has also received three Emmy Awards for his work as a producer on the HBO adaptation of his ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ novels, Game of Thrones.
‘A Game of Thrones proved to me you could do something gritty, shocking and character-focused while still writing epic fantasy. I’m delighted to be providing an introduction to a book that was one of my biggest inspirations.’
Joe Abercrombie is a best-selling fantasy writer. Born in Lancaster in 1974, he studied Psychology at Manchester University before working in television production and then as a freelance film editor. During his time editing Abercrombie learnt about character development and storytelling, something that influenced him as he started writing fantasy fiction in 2002. His first novel, The Blade Itself, was published in 2006. He has since written eight more novels including Best Served Cold (2009) and Red Country (2012), as well as a collection of short stories entitled Sharp Ends (2016). Abercrombie’s fiction has been received with wide critical acclaim and popular success; his works have been sold in over twenty countries. Abercrombie contributed to the BBC Worlds of Fantasy series in 2008, alongside literary legends Terry Pratchett and Michael Moorcock. In 2015, Abercrombie won a Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel, for his book Half a King (2014). Citing A Game of Thrones (1996) as one of his most significant literary influences, Abercrombie’s newly commissioned introduction for The Folio Society was approved by George R. R. Martin himself.
‘[Illustrating A Game of Thrones] became much more involved than I ever imagined with the universe of characters, costumes, settings and creatures all needing to be interpreted in an original way whilst being true to the book. I threw myself into this world 100% and relished in its rich and strange visual atmosphere bringing together medieval romanticism, dark drama and chilling horror. Delicious.’
Jonathan Burton has worked as an illustrator since 1999, after graduating with an MA from Kingston University, London. He has been awarded two silver medals from the Society of Illustration in New York and two Awards of Excellence from Communication Arts, and has received the Overall Professional Award for 2013 from the Association of Illustrators. For the Folio Society he has also illustrated Cover Her Face by P. D. James, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, the entire Hitchhiker’s series, and all books in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. He lives in Bordeaux, France.
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