Howl's Moving Castle Limited Edition | Over two-thirds sold

Diana Wynne Jones's Moving Castle Trilogy is a Glorious and Magical Treat

March 25, 2026

Wandering castles, cranky fire demons, a magical stray dog or a house that bends space and time: you never know quite what to expect when you open a Diana Wynne Jones book.

‘In fact, the only thing you do know is that it’s going to be utterly joyful,’ says Folio editor James Rose. ‘She writes with sublime wit, humour, weirdness and wonderment. As Marcus Sedgwick writes in his introduction to Howl’s Moving Castle, she is just the best writer of magic there is.’

Known as the ‘Godmother of Fantasy’, Jones, who died in 2011, influenced writers from Terry Pratchett to J.K. Rowling. Her extraordinary imagination had no bounds: it leapt effortlessly between this world and multiple magical alternate realities. Plus, her books are also that rare thing: genuinely funny.

‘They are just great, great stories,’ says illustrator Marie-Alice Harel, who has worked on all three Folio volumes, including the 2026 Limited Edition of Howl's Moving Castle, since winning the 2019 Folio Book Illustration competition. ‘It’s not often that each book in a trilogy is so good and I certainly didn’t expect it when I first read them.’ She has relished bringing the small details of Jones’s many worlds to life. ‘I like the aspect of book design beyond illustration: how to make the book beautiful everywhere you look, and telling the story at the same time.’

Set (mostly) in the fantasy land of Ingary, where curses, demons and witches are part of normal life, the series brings a real freshness to fantasy tropes. Howl, for example, is not the stooped and cranky wizard of tradition: he’s extremely attractive, if rather self-obsessed. And Jones’s gloriously self-reliant heroines are always completely believable.

Classic status didn’t come instantly, however. When it was first published in 1986, Howl’s Moving Castle garnered only modest attention, as did Castle in the Air. But when, in 2004, legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki decided to adapt Howl’s Moving Castle – with stunning success – it brought Jones’s characters to a whole new audience.

For her Howl's Moving Castle illustrations, Marie-Alice drew inspiration from illustrator and stained-glass artist Harry Clarke, a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. In contrast, Castle in the Air, with its genies and djinns, had an Arabian Nights flavour and for House of Many Ways, Harel was drawn to the traditional architecture of Germany and north-east France. She particularly enjoyed working on the endpapers and the title pages, which use motifs relevant to the book, such as the genie's bottle and a toad for Castle in the Air.

Foil is subtly used on the bindings, and the slipcases are printed in white UV ink, picking out tiny details such as stars in the sky or smoke from a chimney.

Folio Editor James Rose loves the way in which the illustrations spill over their frames. ‘It’s as if there’s something uncontainable about them. They want to break out – just like the characters in many ways.’

The final book, House of Many Ways, completes the Folio versions of the trilogy. ‘It’s been an absolute privilege to work on these books,’ says Harel. ‘They are all so special in their own way, and these editions are truly beautifully produced and collectible.’

Now, to celebrate 40 years since its original publication, Folio has produced a spectacular Limited Edition of Howl's Moving Castle, invoking all the magic of Calcifer and inspired by Golden Age book design. Marie-Alice was involved at all stages of production, her bold design encompassing every part of the Limited Edition, from hand-lettered chapter titles and elaborate page borders to brand new illustrations and even the first-ever map of Ingary (complete in its own map case bound in art silk). Never has Diana Wynne Jones's magical world been so fully and intricately imagined ...