A Limited Edition of Diana Wynne Jones’s modern classic, Howl’s Moving Castle is on its way from the Folio Society, featuring artwork by Marie-Alice Harel, and an exclusive fold-out map, in March.
Marking the 40th anniversary of the first publication of the award-winning novel, adapted into a Studio Ghibli animated film of the same name in 2004, Folio’s Limited Edition of Howl’s Moving Castle will include a new fold-out map of Ingary, printed on metallic paper and presented in its own map case.
Deep in the land of Ingary, the Wizard Howl’s castle hovers above the town of Market Chipping, terrorising the inhabitants below. Legend has it that the enigmatic wizard lives off the hearts of young girls, but this doesn’t deter 18-year-old Sophie from hitching a ride in the castle. The evil Witch of the Waste has cast a spell and transformed her into a frail old lady, and Howl might be her only hope of reversing the hex…
Limited to just 500 copies, each priced at £475, this special edition of Howl’s Moving Castle is quarter bound in leather with printed art-silk sides and will be housed in a cloth bound box silk-screen printed with a design by the artist, with a window through to the map case that represents the four portals to the lands that Howl travels to.
Already a bestseller in Folio’s list, Folio’s new Limited Edition will feature brand new illustrations by Marie-Alice Harel. Extensively illustrated throughout, including two new full-colour pictures, illustrations will be hand-tipped onto the page within decorative borders. Each chapter title will be hand-lettered by the artist.
The Folio Limited Edition will also include an exclusive new foreword by the author’s son, Michael Burrow, and an introduction by children’s author and illustrator, the late Marcus Sedgwick.
First published in 1986, Howl’s Moving Castle became an international bestseller and was later made into an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli in Japan. The now iconic animation broke all box-office records in Japan at the time and was nominated for an Academy Award.
“We’re excited to share our Limited Edition of one of the world’s greatest Fantasy novels with the book’s generations of fans,” said James Rose, Head of Editorial at Folio Society. “Never has Sophie and Howl’s magical world been bettered in print.”
Limited to just 500 copies, each priced at £475, the Folio Society’s 40th Anniversary Limited Edition of Howl’s Moving Castle will be published on 24th March 2026, available exclusively from foliosociety.com.
Over the course of her four-decade-long career, Diana Wynne Jones (16th August 1934 – 26th March 2011) wrote more than forty fantasy books for young readers. Winning numerous awards, including the Guardian Award for Children’s Fiction, two Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards and a Life Achievement Award at the World Fantasy Convention 2007, she is considered one of the greatest Fantasy writers of the twentieth century. She has been cited as an inspiration and muse for several fantasy and science fiction authors including Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett, Penelope Lively, and many others.
The acclaimed author had an unsettled childhood against the background of World War Two. Her family moved frequently, finally settling in rural Essex. She and her two sisters were deprived of books but, armed with a vivid imagination and an insatiable appetite for stories, Jones wrote them herself to read to her sisters.
She never ceased writing, and from 1973 onwards published many titles, which have been released worldwide in 30 languages. Her magical adventures have enthralled children and adults ever since. Among Jones’s best-loved books are the ‘Chrestomanci’ series and Howl’s Moving Castle (1986, Folio 2019) and its two sequels.
Illustrator Marie-Alice Harel is a French illustrator, based in Edinburgh. She started her career as a Geosciences PhD and researcher before taking up illustration full-time in 2016. Her illustrations, predominantly watercolours, can be found in books, picture books, galleries and magazines, and she teaches life drawing and illustration at the Edinburgh Drawing School.
Previously longlisted in the 2018 Book Illustration Competition, run by the House of Illustration and The Folio Society, Harel’s illustrations and binding design for Howl’s Moving Castle won the 2019 competition. Marie has since illustrated Castle in the Air (2021), House of Many Ways (2021), also by Diana Wynne Jones and The Neverending Story (2022), by Michael Ende, all for Folio.
Her paintings are regularly exhibited in the United States, Britain and France. She has also illustrated covers for Katherine Rundell, designed a Britannia coin for the Royal Mint and has illustrated books for Folio Society such as The Neverending Story.
The Folio Society is an employee-owned, independent publisher that has thrilled and delighted a band of dedicated readers across the globe since 1947. Today, from its workspace in the heart of London’s vibrant Shad Thames, Folio continues that tradition by crafting exquisite, illustrated books.
Folio publishes many of the greatest names in publishing, in editions which reflect an extraordinary commitment to the craft of book-making and design. Folio’s award-winning books include George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.
Proudly independent for over 75 years, in 2021 The Folio Society became an Employee Ownership Trust. Folio’s team of editors, designers and artisans will do whatever it takes to give each title everything it deserves, from outstanding intellectual firepower to extraordinary craftsmanship.
Limited to just 500 copies, each priced at £475, the Folio Society’s 40th Anniversary Limited Edition of Howl’s Moving Castle will be published on 24th March 2026, available exclusively from foliosociety.com
• Diana Wynne Jones Novels published by Folio
Head downthetubes for…
• The Guardian: The wild magic of Diana Wynne Jones
A tribute to the author, published to mark her passing in 2011
• Howl’s Moving Castle – 2010 HarperCollins Children’s Books Edition (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
If the Folio Limited Edition is beyond your means, here’s a more affordable edition
• Diana Wynne Jones: Blue Plaque
Diana’s house at 9, The Polygon in Hotwells. Bristol, where she lived for many years and wrote so many of her books was commemorated with a Blue Plaque in 2024. The Blue Plaque scheme celebrates people who have made a significant impact in their field of work or contributed to human welfare
• Howl’s Moving Castle (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
The 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on Diana Wynne Jones’ 1986 novel
• Howl’s Moving Castle Film Comics (Four book series, AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Books, Comics, downthetubes News, Film, Other Worlds
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