The Buried Giant

Motive for possible Folio production of The Buried Giant for the October release?

https://deadline.com/2023/02/guillermo-del-toro-the-buried-giant-new-animated-fi...

I'm sure that's entirely coincidental!

This looks like as good a place as any to ask: I'm thinking of adding it to my 'free shipping over 200 pounds' purchase but it seems to be priced 25 pounds higher than what it should be...or am I missing something?
Have any of you bought and read this book? Please let us know your impressions.

I read it and didn’t love the story, I felt it was weaker than the other Ishiguro I have read but of course it is a different genre, and so aiming at a different market (young adult?)

>3 stopsurfing: I like the story a lot, and disagree that "young adult" is a reasonable categorization. The narrative is far too opaque, for one thing.

Personally, I would say that it is more like Ishiguro trying his hand at a fairy tale (or mythology). There are elements of the fantastic, but it is not all that close to contemporary genre fantasy.

Akin to the swing he took at sci-fi/dystopian lit with Never Let Me Go, but for this sort of magical realism myth whatever you want to call it.

>5 abysswalker: since you mentioned magical realism, is there any similarity at all between Buried Giant and Murakami's work? I'm going to read it and find out myself eventually, but I'm curious what to expect.

>6 ubiquitousuk: It's not at all like Murakami. It doesn't have the quirkiness or the humour.

It's an Arthurian tale with Ishiguro's classic naive protagonists. Closer to Gawain and the Green Knight mixed with Coetzee's "Life & Times of Michael K" and Cormac McCarthy's "Outer Dark."

I think it's the most different of any of his works and I liked it quite a bit (not enough to spring for the FS edition, though their presentation really goes well with the story). Much better than the benign "Klara and the Sun."

>3 stopsurfing: I agree. I'm completely bemused as to why a book of average size and length with six illustrations costs so much more than normal (£47-60).

>8 cronshaw:

"Bound in printed and blocked cloth
Gold metallic printed endpapers
Printed and blocked slipcase"

At least two of these things used to completely standard. But these days they are deemed adequate to justify elevation to the fine edition (or even limited edition) price bracket.

That said, I haven't held the book yet. These specs are similar to something like Dune, which was almost universally lauded as a wonderful edition fully deserving its premium price.

>9 ubiquitousuk: I still don't see the added value for £75. The Order of Time is an arguably more impressive binding with blind embossed cloth blocked in gold foil, plus a blocked cloth-bound slipcase, book printed internally in three colours, yet costs 'only' £60. Dune is indeed a magnificent edition but it's a physically far bigger volume than Buried Giant with almost twice as many illustrations, by a more famous (presumably more expensive) artist.

>4 DMulvee: >5 abysswalker: >7 PartTimeBookAddict: Thanks for your thoughts. I just saw an interesting video by the author saying that the book is about the line between remembering and forgetting which sounds like an interesting concept. I'm steering away from getting this version though, for this price. If it was an old favourite then maybe, it doesn't sound like a book that anyone loves though...
>8 cronshaw: >9 ubiquitousuk: >10 cronshaw: exactly, thanks

>11 stopsurfing: Can I offer a counter-point-of-view? I found the Buried Giant unputdownable, highly atmospheric and so powerful emotionally that I’m not sure I could re-read it often, or soon. No one does quiet heartbreak as well as Ishiguro (in my opinion), and for me Buried Giant is up there with the Remains of the Day.

>12 BorisG: That's settled the debate for me. I have added it to my wish list. Thank you.

The Faber & Faber Members’ Edition of The Buried Giant is also quite nice — not illustrated, but we’ll printed and pleasingly bound.

I'll make it at least two of us who love The Buried Giant. I agree it belongs with Remains of the Day, so though I understand not everyone feels that way. I think it's a fabulous novel, though.

>15 Jason461: I thought it was a great book and if they ever did a LE I’d be all over it. It imparted an almost tangible sense of fogginess throughout, and the ending was left quite an impact.

>12 BorisG: Lovely to hear, thank you! (thanks also >15 Jason461: >16 What_What:)

>14 kermaier: yes, that edition does look nice. The only seller that offers it on eBay states that it’s letterpress printed! Can that be true?! If so I’d be interested.

>17 stopsurfing:

From the Faber website:

'Our Collectors’ edition of The Buried Giant has been printed by the traditional lithographic method on a small, sheetfed, Heidelberg press, using premium cream woodfree paper. Each volume is sewn and bound by hand, using a quarter-bound case of real cloth and printed panels front and back, with gold foiling and lamination. The books are finished with full colour printed endpapers, head and tail bands and a ribbon marker.'

Forty quid.

>17 stopsurfing: Pretty sure it’s not letterpress, but it is nicely printed nevertheless.

Edit: just saw >18 affle: offset litho, it seems.

>18 affle: >19 kermaier: Ordered. In spite of it very probably not being letterpress. I’ll report back here about what I think of it in comparison to folio’s normal fare when I get it (it’ll be January sometime - Faber don’t deliver outside of the UK so it’s going to a friend’s mum’s place and I’ll get it after Christmas). Thanks to all.