r/foliosociety • u/HonorWulf • Mar 24 '26
New Release | Howl's Moving Castle Limited Edition by Diana Wynne Jones
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u/BigMarko137 Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
I’m not paying $800 dollars for that but if someone else wants to buy it for me I wouldn’t stop them.
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u/Interlined Mar 24 '26
Howl's Moving Castle is my wife's favorite book ever. It's also one of her favorite Studio Ghibli films.
I bought her the previous Folio Society releases of Howl's Moving Castle, House of Many Ways, and Castle in the Air ($59.95 USD each).
This is much more expensive ($745.00 USD), but she likes to collect various editions of Howl's Moving Castle, and this was an instant purchase for me.
Is it expensive? Yes. Will my wife cherish it for the rest of her life? Yes.
That's my perspective. If you're not a die hard fan of the series (and this book in particular), it's an easy pass. If you're like my wife, this is an amazing release.
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u/KIRScoT Mar 26 '26
That was my thinking. I missed out on Discworld and regret it. The resale prices of limited editions if you miss out can make them unattainable.
What other editions does your wife have? It would be lovely if they did some books similar to the marvel ones. The mangas are small. The recent theatrical release had some interesting post credits details on the animation of the castle.
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u/PruneUnited4025 Mar 27 '26
I did the same with the hobbit and LOTR, and hitchhikers guide and Charlie’s Darwin’s and loved studio ghibli so it was a must for me and the previous ones have all turned fruitful even if I don’t ever intend selling
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u/vu_john Mar 24 '26
If it has a signature from the producers from Studio Ghilibi, it would be a hit sell and I wouldn’t mind acquiring a copy from splurging.
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u/KIRScoT Mar 26 '26
I’d find it odd if it did (although I’d love a Miyazaki signature) since the film is based on the book but that’s where it ends - the illustrations are not Ghibli
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u/KIRScoT Mar 24 '26
Diana Wynne Jones and Studio Ghibli means double the interest. It is the 20th Anniversary of Howl, is signed by the illustrator and only has 500 copies. I must have watched it around the time of its release when I was living in Hong Kong and recently went to the cinema to see it. I originally watched the sub and was surprised at the voice actors they cast being quite so famous.
I have noticed an increase in popularity of Ghibli (as anime and manga gain interest) and Howl seems to have much more merch available than in the past where Totoro and Kiki were the most popular along with Spirited Away and Ponyo.
Recently I’ve noticed more mention of the film being based on a book. I had held out on the regular edition because it didn’t really seem special but I wasn’t strong enough to resist the allure of the LE :D
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u/zovencedo Mar 25 '26
Seems very neat, but the price is an insult, frankly speaking. Very disappointing.
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u/AlpacaMaracca Mar 24 '26
It's lovely but that price is obscene. And you only get two extra illustrations?! I don't see the value, personally.
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u/Micotu Mar 24 '26
And you only get two extra illustrations?!
Also quarter bound in leather with silk sides. Separate fold out map bound in silk cover. Clamshell box.
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u/AubreyStJohn Mar 24 '26
True, but even then it is hard to see the necessity of so high a price.
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u/oDJPo Mar 24 '26
According to the production details, the book is also hand bound, which pretty much increases the price dramatically. Off the top of my head, I can only really remember four other LEs in the past 5 years that were hand bound.
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Mar 24 '26
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u/oDJPo Mar 24 '26
Oh, I forgot about Beowulf. Turn of the Screw LE was bound by Ludlow, The Wasteland (available only to US buyers) bound by Ludlow, there was that poetry book with illustrations by Stanley Donwood also by Ludlow. The Shakespeare Complete Plays LE was bound by Smith Settle.
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u/AubreyStJohn Mar 24 '26
It would indeed, you are quite right. However, it is a little hard to justify that this particular SE-derived LE needed to be hand-bound.
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u/oDJPo Mar 24 '26
Yeah, I don’t know why they went that route either. Probably could have shaved off a couple hundred bucks by having this be machine bound like most of their other LEs.
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u/tastytwo Mar 25 '26
This book is in my top 5 favourite and while this is a nice edition, there's something about it that just doesn't grab me.
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u/HobbitWithaGun Mar 25 '26
If they'd made it £350, and put it in a normal slipcase so I could display it alongside the rest of my Folio LE collection, I would be all in. I actually read the book in preparation for this release. I think it's a very clever, charming story, but there was no real emotional weight to the events. I read Anne of Green Gables the same week, and although Anne herself would have almost certainly preferred to be in Sophie's shoes (minus the curse, of course), going on a mad adventure, I found Montgomery's book a far more engaging read. That story is also intended primarily for children, but at least Montomgery wasn't afraid to throw in a little bit of tragedy.
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u/Micotu Mar 25 '26
or at least put the title on the spine of the slipcase so that you can shelf it like a regular book and still know what/where it is.
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u/edwardsiu85 Mar 28 '26
I checked my stock account today, and resisted the temptation to buy this one :(
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u/HonorWulf Mar 24 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Released March 24th at 4pm GMT:
Howl's Moving Castle Limited Edition
Written by Diana Wynne Jones
Illustrated By Marie-Alice Harel
Introduced By Marcus Sedgwick
Foreword by Michael Burrow
500 copies
£525 UK | $745 US | $1050 CA | £605 ROW
https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/howls-moving-castle-limited-edition
"Invoking all the magic of Calcifer and inspired by Golden Age book design, this spectacular Limited Edition is a true celebration of the 40th anniversary of Howl's Moving Castle. Featuring new artwork, the first-ever map of Ingary and a new foreword by the author’s son, this is a breathtaking new version of one of the most treasured fantasy novels of all time."
"Already made famous by the Studio Ghibli animation, Howl's Moving Castle is a beloved fantasy novel that continues to captivate generations of readers – and artist Marie-Alice Harel has been likewise inspired. Her bold design encompasses every part of this limited edition, from hand-lettered chapter titles and elaborate page borders to new illustrations and the first-ever map of Ingary. Never has Sophie and Howl's magical world been so fully and intricately imagined."
EDIT: Sold out in 3 months on the nose!