Folio Society

The Folio Society is an independent London-based publisher, founded by Charles Ede in 1947 and incorporated in 1971. Formerly privately owned, it became an employee ownership trust in 2021.

It produces illustrated hardback fine press editions of fiction and non-fiction books, poetry and children's titles. Folio editions feature specially designed bindings and include artist-commissioned illustrations (most often in fiction titles) or researched artworks and photographs (in non-fiction titles). The Folio Society publishes titles across a breadth of genres including fantasy, science fiction, modern fiction and non-fiction from authors such as George R. R. Martin, Madeline Miller and Stephen King.

Folio editions can be purchased only online through their website or over the telephone.

Folio Society editions have won prestigious awards, including the V&A Book Illustration Awards, the British Book Production and Design Awards and the Association of Illustrators World Illustration Awards.

The Folio Society was founded in 1947 by Charles Ede, Christopher Sandford (of Golden Cockerel Press), and Alan Bott (founder of Pan Books). Folio and the Golden Cockerel Press shared premises in Poland Street until 1955. The Folio Society moved to its location in 44 Eagle Street, Holborn, in 1994 – in 2017, their offices moved to 4 Maguire Street, London.

At its inception, The Folio Society operated as a membership-based book club; as the list of titles grew, the membership commitment was established as four books per year. Since 2011, anyone has been able to purchase from the Folio Society list without committing to membership. On 1 September 2016, the company ended its membership-based structure and Folio editions are now available to purchase online.^{[citation needed]}

In 1971, The Folio Society was incorporated and purchased by John Letts and Halfdan Lynner. Under their ownership, The Folio Society published the collected novels of Dickens, Trollope, Hardy, Elizabeth Gaskell and Conrad.

Lord Gavron was owner and chairman of The Folio Society from 1982 until his death in 2015. Lady Gavron took over as chair until 2021, when Folio became an Employee Ownership Trust.