The Folio Society presents Jules Verne’s fantastical adventure Around the World in Eighty Days in a spectacularly fitting edition, replete with a giant fold-out map designed by sought-after artist Kristjana S. Williams.
A Walk in the Woods
Illustrated by James Weston Lewis
Full of sweat, tears and side-splitting humour, Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is a page-turning travelogue and this Folio Society edition is the ultimate companion for fans of the author’s inimitable wit.
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‘The perfect travelling companion. When it comes to travel's peculiars, the man has no peers.’
- The Times
Stretching more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian Trail crosses 14 states, hair-raising mountain peaks and passes, and the natural habitats of wild creatures and even wilder hikers. So, when best-selling travel writer Bill Bryson discovered a path leading to the trail just metres from his house in New Hampshire, his interest was piqued and his diary hastily blocked out for the next few months. Bryson’s riotous account of the tortuous climbs, bland food and physical hardship is also an impassioned plea to preserve the trail and reveals his deep appreciation of the natural world. James Weston Lewis captures both the desperation and jubilation of the hike in his striking colour illustrations and charming black-and-white vignettes, while his newly drawn map shows the sheer scale of this seemingly endless endeavour.
Bound in blocked cloth
Set in Kennerley with Source Sans as display
296 pages
3 full-colour illustrations, including a double-page spread
Illustrated black & white title-page spread, 10 black & white vignettes and a map
Blocked slipcase
9½˝ x 6¼˝
Bill Bryson’s books have sold over 16 million copies worldwide and his unique blend of pitch-perfect observational humour, unashamed grumpiness and addictive writing style have gained him a devoted following. For Folio’s foray into Bryson’s woodland trek, A Walk in the Woods is given a gorgeous technicolour makeover with James Weston Lewis’s joyful illustrations, including a double-page spread, plus a title-page montage of scenes from the trail. Lewis has also designed a series of ten integrated black-and-white vignettes, from Bryson’s overloaded backpack to a panoramic lake view and a rest stop under the tree canopy. A beautiful binding design and newly drawn map of the trail complete this edition of a travel classic.
‘Hiking was a tiring, dirty, pointless slog between distantly spaced comfort zones.’
- Bill Bryson
It turns out that hiking the Appalachian Trail requires a little more planning – and shopping – than an afternoon stroll. As Bryson adds endless kilos to his kit, and endless dollars to his credit card, reality kicks in and the enormity of the undertaking hits home. So, when recovering alcoholic and cake-loving Katz offers to accompany him, Bryson overlooks the fact they last saw each other decades ago and parted on bad terms. As they hit the trail and the initial tantrums, aches and pains subside, the pair ease into a companionable routine, the drudgery and deprivation of trail walking interrupted by uninspiring bowls of noodles, coffee filtered through toilet paper and regular encounters with other people crazy enough to attempt the world’s longest footpath. Bryson finds the humour in every situation and his easy style and caustic observations take readers to the heart of the woods without stepping out of their homes.