I have a thing for pretty books. I mean I don't buy a book by it's cover, but a pretty cover is definitely a plus. If I already know I love a book, then I'll usually try to buy a nice edition of it. One of my favorite shops for beautiful books is Folio Society. When I lost my copy of Anne of Green Gables I bought this gorgeous edition from Folio Society and thus became hooked on all Folio Society books. Folio Society was founded in 1947 and creates special editions of fine literature. Each book is carefully crafted with attention to detail from typography, unique covers, original illustrations. They're having a summer sale right now with various copies for 50% off and I couldn't resist doing a bit of dream book shopping for fun. (P.S. I'm not working with Folio Society, nor ever have, this post is merely shared for fun to show some of the lovely editions they create.)
The Writer's Map: This looks both like a beautiful book and a must-have for aspiring authors and zealous bookworms. The Writer's Map is a collection of maps that inspired different famous writers build their worlds and the maps that writers created for their fictional lands. I love when books include maps that explain the layout of the places the characters are living or traveling through. I feel like this book would be a wonderful resource if you're working to craft your own fictional land and so inspiring too to see all the creativity and detail that goes into creating your own world!
Peter Pan & Wendy: One of the reasons to invest in a quality book is to think of it as an heirloom piece; something your family can enjoy and pass down for generations. Some of the best books in my opinion for multi-generational thing are classic fairytales. The stories you loved as a child will probably be loved by your children too. So many stories are still inspired by those original fairytales that were told hundreds of years ago. One of my favorites is J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan and this cloth-bound version looks gorgeous; it also features more than 20 pages of illustrations.
The Pre-Raphaelite Tragedy: If you're a patron you know I've been having a Pre-Raphaelite moment, I've been talking about Pre-Raphaelite artists and style inspired by their paintings for two months now. So this book looks like a dream to me! I've only been a very casual student of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, reading up here and there about different pieces of art that inspire me personally, and this book would be a perfect opportunity to do a deeper dive and more serious look at the art style that inspires me so much. This is definitely the book I'm most tempted to buy in the sale!
The Artist's Garden: Another beautiful-looking book that would be a wonderful reference for artists and authors, the Artist's Garden features 20 real gardens that inspired some of the greatest artists in history. A perfect way to bring a bit of inspiring nature and an idyllic garden into your home if you can't access nature and a chance to learn a bit more about the gardens behind some of the most well-known paintings of all time. I feel like it would be a very soothing book to have around; something to browse through whenever things feel a bit grey. There's a lovely quote by William Morris, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." The beauty itself is sometimes the useful part, reminding us about how lovely nature is and giving us a moment to pause and admire.
Anne of Avonlea: I already have this version of the book, as you might recall from my post last autumn re-creating the cover. But I thought I would include it in this post in case anyone else also loved the look of this book but was put off by the price tag; it's half it's original price and a truly lovely book. LM Montgomery was a beautiful writer who describes nature in a really magical way; her Anne series makes for a perfect heart-warming and comforting read in the most trying of times. Because they are quite clean and wholesome they often get lumped into the children's section, but these books don't have to be for children and the quality of the writing and language is far above the average children or even young adult book. So don't be put off from trying the series if you're an adult; it's a lovely story and the writing is excellent.
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