Illustrated by Vector That Fox
The book that launched a phenomenal global franchise, Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park is a rip-roaring, fact-filled, rollercoaster read and this illustrated Folio Society edition is the T-Rex of them all.
An instant bestseller on publication in 1990, Michael Crichton’s novel about geneticists bringing dinosaurs back from extinction was, and remains, irresistible. The film rights were snapped up before the ink on the manuscript had dried, and the Steven Spielberg-directed movie broke box office records and paved the way for four successful sequels – with a fifth due for release in 2022. Marking the 30th anniversary of its publication, this illustrated edition of Crichton’s electrifying novel enhances the action-packed narrative with illustrations by artist Vector That Fox, and featuring retro recreations of period computer graphics. A scaly ‘dinosaur skin’ slipcase ensures that young adult and older readers alike are fully immersed in this hair-raising adventure.
Bound in printed paper with soft-touch lamination and textured spot varnish
Set in Dante with Manito as display
448 pages
6 full-page colour illustrations, 1 black & white illustrated title double-page spread
27 integrated black & white graphics
Textured paper slipcase
9½˝ x 6¼˝
American palaeontologist Steve Brusatte specialises in the anatomy and evolution of dinosaurs and we worked closely with him during every draft of the illustrations to ensure absolute accuracy according to the book, while also endeavouring to include the latest discoveries in the field. Artist Vector That Fox blends realism with a dramatic theme-park-inspired palette and lush jungle backdrop across the series of colour illustrations and a striking black-and-white title page spread, while her dramatic wraparound binding design oozes tension and foreshadows danger.
Every computer graphic, graph and table from the original novel has been carefully recreated in period style and placed in situ in the narrative, while the display font has been specially sourced for its amusement park aesthetics. This edition pays homage to Michael Crichton’s game-changing novel at the turn of every page, and it is the ultimate introduction to the prescient world he created.
When investors in John Hammond’s top-secret theme park insist on a pre-opening test run, a select group of scientists and observers is invited to tour the facility and discover the true identity of its inhabitants. But this isn’t a zoo populated with compliant animals; no one can predict the behaviour of long-extinct creatures in a recreated environment. Michael Crichton struck literary gold when he imagined Jurassic Park. Since the earliest dinosaur fossils were discovered in the 19th century, humans have been gripped with the desire to find out what these prehistoric creatures looked like and how they lived. Crichton took our dinosaur obsession to the next level and his novel is a combination of meticulous scientific research, adrenaline-fuelled escapades and burning ethical questions: this is where it all began.
Michael Crichton (1942–2008) was born in Chicago and raised on Long Island before studying at Harvard, where he graduated in anthropology and medicine. While still at medical school he began to write novels that were published under pseudonyms. The first book released under his own name was The Andromeda Strain (1969), which became a New York Times bestseller. The novel established Crichton as a major figure in American genre fiction, particularly as the author of enormously popular techno-thrillers which draw on traditions of fantasy adventure fiction stretching back to Arthur Conan Doyle but update them with contemporary scientific and technological themes. Crichton was also a successful writer for film and TV, notably as the creator of ER and Westworld. Many of his books were adapted for the screen, often by the author himself, and the film of Jurassic Park (1993) – released three years after the novel – became the first movie to earn $1 billion at the box office. Its success was followed by The Lost World (1995; filmed 1997) and by several more recent films set in Crichton’s Jurassic Park universe.
Vector That Fox is the creative identity of Jo Breese, who graduated with a first-class degree in Graphic Design: Illustration from Sheffield Hallam University, and is now a professional illustrator. Commercial client work began during her studies, with a diverse range of jobs, including spot illustrations for the Wall Street Journal. Following this, Jo quickly took a post as a graphics illustrator at the Sunday Times (2014–18). After leaving London, Jo returned to the north of England and teaches part-time on Sheffield Hallam’s new illustration course, while continuing to freelance and sell artwork online. Jo’s drawings have been featured in exhibitions, including in Berlin and Tokyo, but can mainly be found in editorial contexts, especially magazines.
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