The Folio Society

I was once a book dealer and had the occasional Folio Society book to resale. They are fine books for the more part, heavy, attractive, and often with a protective slipcase. These are collectible books made to be lined up on a shelve, and there is nothing wrong with that. The things that make a rare book rare, such a first edition or an edition signed by the author, are not as important as they once were. Though they are still important. All you have to do is read Used and Rare to find that there are still people falling under the spell of mint condition rare books. Antique books will always win out over collectible books, but these books are made to last a long time and may prove a good investment.

So are Folio Society books worth owning? Will they grow in value with time? As with all books it depends. If someone wants a certain Folio Society book, they may be willing to pay more for it. Many Folio Society books show up on eBay and Amazon and at local used book shops. The Folio Society itself has good prices on many of their titles. The fine binding of Folio Society books are often fun and interesting, though I have seen a few that were a bit out there for my taste.

Most of these Folio Society books are in like new condition, often with a thin coat of dust on the top of the slipcase. Like Easton Press books they are often bought to look at, not to read. They are hardcover books which feel good in the hand and the pages are thick with gilded edges.

The Folio Society has a long list of titles including non fiction books, crime books, children books, classic books, fiction books, mystery books, romance books, science fiction books, and many other types of books. Novels and children’s books are nice finds among the collectibles books. There is nothing quite like the feel of a good book. But what, exactly, makes a good book? The Folio Society is doing everything right, fine art books, entertaining books, collectors books. But only time will tell if they end up as rare books or just used books.

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