Roof Beam Reader
Adam Burgess
Folio Friday: Kavalier & Clay
This week, I’m excited to share with you all a new selection from the Winter catalog of The Folio Society. As many of you know, I’m a devoted fan of The Folio Society editions of classic literature, and the three I received so generously from the publisher last month have done nothing but encourage my adoration. This week, I want to highlight Michael Chabon’s THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY.
I’m always drawn in by the incredible cover art and interior illustrations that The Folio Society are known for, and one thing I truly appreciate about their editions is the thought and design they put into their sturdy slipcovers.
This edition is bound in a soft blue and grey and its cover illustrations and text match the odd whimsy and subtle seriousness of the text’s primary themes.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
- Illustrated by Chris Samnee
- Introduced by Michael Moorcock
- Colouring by Matthew Wilson
In his introduction for this special collector’s edition, author Michael Moorcock describes The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay as ‘a modern classic worthy of its Pulitzer Prize as only a handful can be’. Having worked in the very ink-stained offices Chabon describes, Moorcock praises this visionary novel’s authenticity, noting that it creates a world so compelling it leaves us wanting to ‘remain in its aura just a little while longer’. Since its publication in 2000, the fictional superhero has escaped the confines of the novel, appearing in his own series of comics published by Dark Horse.
Michael Chabon’s pre-war New York is a place of optimism and art, of big band music and sharp suits – in his hands the city becomes a transformative place, taking lost souls and making them Americans taking broken children and making them superheroes. By intertwining the stories of two Jewish boys with that of their liberty-inspired comic hero, Chabon tells not only the story of a fledgling art form, but that of America itself, as seen through the eyes of its immigrants.
About the Author: Michael Chabon is the bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988), A Model World (1991), Wonder Boys (1995), Werewolves in their Youth (1999), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000), Summerland (2002), The Final Solution (2004), The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007), Maps & Legends (2008), Gentlemen of the Road (2007), Telegraph Avenue (2012), Moonglow (2016), and the picture book The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man (2011). He lives in Berkeley, California with his wife, the novelist Ayelet Waldman, and their children.
About the Publisher: For 70 years, The Folio Society has been publishing beautiful illustrated editions of the world’s greatest books. It believes that the literary content of a book should be matched by its physical form. With specially researched images or newly commissioned illustrations, many of its editions are further enhanced with introductions written by leading figures in their fields: novelists, journalists, academics, scientists and artists. Exceptional in content and craftsmanship, and maintaining the very highest standards of fine book production, Folio Society editions last for generations.
Book copy and all images are courtesy of The Folio Society. Feel free to visit their NEWS AND BLOGS page for more information. In case you missed them, take a look at my Folio Friday features for Mary Beard’s S.P.Q.R. and other Folio Society books.
Roof Beam Reader 
Sounds like such an interesting premise—I like the setting, and it sounds like the writing is great. I had not heard of this book. Thanks for the profile.
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I have a copy of this book that I bought in Victoria, BC so it’s special to me but this one would definitely be tempting if I needed another! So pretty.
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