Stephen Fry’s exclusive introduction to this new Folio Society edition lavishes praise on Georgette Heyer’s meticulously researched and deliciously entertaining Regency Romance, Venetia.
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‘Heyer’s novels are delicious: meticulously researched, deftly plotted and hugely romantic, but never sentimental’
Guardian
Georgette Heyer is one of the world’s best-known and best-selling writers of historical romance, and Venetia is the perfect introduction to her work. This edition celebrates Heyer’s witty and clever Regency society novel with a dazzling new introduction by advocate Stephen Fry and six gloriously imagined and insightful illustrations by Sally Dunne. Lettering artist Jessica Hische completes the edition with a beautiful gold-blocked binding design that exudes both the glamour and formality of the period.
While Miss Venetia Lanyon has been whiling away her uneventful but perfectly agreeable life in Yorkshire, her elusive neighbour Jasper Damerel has kept tongues wagging with rumours of his playboy lifestyle. When the dashing cad returns to his estate, Venetia’s head is turned from her two interminable suitors, but she’s more than a match for Damerel’s wily affections and sharp mind.
Production Details
Bound in cloth blocked with lettering by Jessica Hische
Set in Aria Text
376 pages
Frontispiece plus 5 full-page colour illustrations by Sally Dunne
Printed slipcase with an illustration by Sally Dunne
9½˝ x 6¼˝
An edition fit for a literary legend
‘She is as effective as Patrick O’Brian at depicting the same times but shamefully not as celebrated, because she wrote about women in drawing rooms, not men at war’
Guardian
For anyone discovering Georgette Heyer for the first time, Stephen Fry’s compelling new introduction expounds on the appeal and importance of her novels. With contemporary writers such as Philippa Gregory and Julia Quinn citing Heyer as an inspiration, she remains not only a pioneer of the Romance genre but also one of the most enduring and influential of historical novelists. This stunning Folio edition is a celebration of Heyer’s literary status and includes six illustrations that portray the characters with incredible sensitivity. Sally Dunne reimagined Christie’s post-war London in our recent edition of Crooked Houseand the talented artist once again captures the nuances of the narrative, incorporating exquisite period detail, telling glances and body language to accompany the story.
An historically accurate page-turner
‘An outstanding storyteller’
The Times Literary Supplement
English novelist Georgette Heyer was a stickler for research and from the first page of this accomplished novel, readers are immersed in the cant, clothing and culture of high society Britain in the short but eminently eventful Regency period. From eating nuncheon to belittling chicken nabobs and pea-geese, the period detail and dialogue are pinpoint accurate, so much so that, according to Stephen Fry, ‘an early nineteenth-century reader could pick up this book, Venetia, and consume it as if it were a creation of their time’. However, Heyer’s phenomenal popularity arises from her ability to elevate historical romance to the realm of literary fiction, placing her novels alongside those of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. Subtly subversive, Heyer empowers her protagonist while entertaining her readers, and this brilliantly observed society drama is a must-read for fans of the genre and the era.
Biographies
About Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer was born in Wimbledon in 1902. She wrote her first novel The Black Moth for her younger brother Boris and, following her father’s encouragement, it was published in 1921 when Heyer was still just 19. She went on to write over 50 novels and became best-known for her historical fiction, including Regency Buck (1935), Arabella (1949; Folio 2022), The Grand Sophy (1950), Venetia (1958; Folio 2021) and Frederica (1965; Folio 2023). Heyer died in London in 1974.
About Sally Dunne
Sally Dunne graduated from the Cambridge School of Art, Angela Ruskin University with an MA in Children’s Book Illustration and began her professional career by winning the Student of the Year V&A Illustration Awards 2020. Folio Art Director Sheri Gee was a member of the judging panel and was so impressed with Sally’s work that she commissioned her to illustrate the Folio edition of Agatha Christie’s Crooked House (2021), as well as Georgette Heyer’s Venetia (2021), Arabella (2022) and Frederica (2023). She enjoys working with a combination of pastel and coloured pencil as well as painting with watercolour.
About Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, film director and all-round national treasure. In addition to his numerous film and television credits, he has written four novels, an introduction to poetry, The Ode Less Travelled (2005), and three volumes of his bestselling autobiography, Moab Is My Washpot (1997), The Fry Chronicles (2010) and More Fool Me (2014). Most recently, he has written a series of books retelling the Greek myths: Mythos (2017), Heroes (2019) and Troy (2021).
About Jessica Hische
Jessica Hische is a lettering artist and New York Times best-selling author. Since 2009 she has operated a one-woman design, lettering and illustration studio working for clients such as Wes Anderson, the United States Postal Service, Tiffany & Co. and Apple. Her work has been featured in numerous design and illustration annuals worldwide and she was named a Print magazine New Visual Artist, one of Forbes’s ‘30 under 30’ in Art and Design, an ADC Young Gun and a ‘Person to Watch’ by Graphic Design USA. Her latest book, Tomorrow I’ll be Kind (2020), is published by Penguin Workshop. Her work for the Folio Society includes binding designs for The Book of Proverbs and Georgette Heyer’s Venetia (2021), Arabella (2022) and Frederica (2023).
Reviews Powered By
Average Score for 57 Review(s)
Gorgeous book. I love this author and I think this is a perfect production to add to my library bookshelf.
Review by
Alicat
on 2nd October 2024
Amusing story leaving a lingering smile. Venetia is a clever and witty heroine. Some of the antiquated slang terms such as foxed for inebriated slightly detract from but don't spoil the pleasure of reading.
Review by
archbold
on 20th September 2024
Beautiful hardbound books by my favourite author. A century after first published. Too good to let anyone else read! Brings back the excitement of finding old books in secondhand bookshops. But these are new.
Review by
Daff
on 30th August 2024
The first look shows that great care has been taken to make the outside cover a perfect introduction to the story inside. The illustration shows the period in the elegantly dressed lady, even the idea of an unfinished sketch gives it a feeling of leaving us to complete the sketch as we read on. Beautifully bound book and coloured illustrations inside give a momentum as you discover the story. The print size is perfect. I have some vision loss but it’s so clearly spaced and font size just right for those with perfect vision too. I love the feel of the book and the way it easily lays open. I can really recommend all the books in this series.
Georgette Heyer brings her wry take on regency romance to Frederica, illustrated by Sally Dunne and with a beautiful binding design by Jessica Hische, in the third book of this exclusive Folio series.
Georgette Heyer’s witty and addictive regency romance Arabella is designed in series with Folio’s edition of Venetia, featuring Sally Dunne’s beautiful illustrations, and intricate binding lettering by Jessica Hische.
