Elmore Leonard’s acerbic rampage through Miami’s underworld and Hollywood’s movie industry is given a much-anticipated Folio production.
The Day of the Jackal
Illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi
Introduced by Ken Follett
A striking Folio collector’s edition of Frederick Forsyth’s electrifying political thriller, The Day of the Jackal, introduced by Ken Follett and illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi.
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‘It influenced every subsequent thriller writer, including me.’
- Ken Follett, from the introduction
When the French authorities discover a militant plot to assassinate President de Gaulle, a deadly game of cat-and-mouse begins between the assassin and the detective brought in to track him down. Commissaire Lebel’s hunt takes him ever deeper into a treacherous underworld, while his quarry remains one step ahead and the Jackal’s day of bloodshed grows ever nearer. The book design elevates the action with Tatsuro Kiuchi’s superb integrated illustrations weaving amongst the narrative to evoke the clock-ticking tension of Frederick Forsyth’s thriller: a man stands blindfolded and tied to a stake in a courtyard; a car snakes through the angular landscape of the Alpes Maritimes; a melon resembling a human head hangs from a tree, in the sights of a sniper’s rifle. Published in 1971 to rave reviews, The Day of the Jackal inspired a generation of writers, including Ken Follett, who introduces our edition.
Bound in paper
Set in Haarlemmer with Verkehr display
408 pages
15 integrated black & white illustrations
Printed in Italy
9½˝ x 6¼˝
‘In a class by itself. Unputdownable.’
- The Sunday Times
From the opening scene in which the Jackal’s predecessor meets his demise, to the manhunt that pits the Jackal against Commissaire Claude Lebel, Forsyth writes with such precision that the novel feels like non-fiction. In fact, aside from the initial, historical attempt on de Gaulle’s life, the plot is invented, its remarkable authenticity deriving from Forsyth’s experience as a reporter on the Biafran War. The method of obtaining a false passport described in the book is even known, to this day, as Day of the Jackal fraud. As Ken Follett writes in his introduction: ‘every page is believable’. This, and the author’s masterful control of tempo, makes for a riveting novel in which the suspense ratchets up right to the end. Forsyth’s exacting portrayal of an underworld filled with inscrutable faces and ingenious manoeuvres is perfectly portrayed by Tatsuro Kiuchi who, alongside his stunning integrated illustrations, has produced a striking binding and pictorial slipcase.