Even after all this time, IT remains one of the crowning achievements of Stephen King’s prolific writing career. The Folio Society is honoring that legacy with a lavish (albeit extremely expensive) illustrated hardcover version of the original novel.
With preorders for IT opening soon on The Folio Society website, IGN can exclusively reveal some of artist Jim Burns’ illustrations from this new edition. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below:
This edition of IT is a slipcase hardcover limited to just 500 copies worldwide. It features a new introduction by director Guillermo Del Toro and 17 double-page illustrations by Burns (6 full-color and 11 black-and-white). The book’s box, binding, and endpaper design were done by David Curtis. The book even includes instructions for creating poor, doomed Georgie’s paper boat.
“IT speaks of the struggle that never ends, the eternal vigil against evil that is, by necessity, cyclical. The many shapes the cosmic dread takes keep changing: sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning at us,” writes Del Toro in his introduction. “IT was a presage of what was to come in adult years — it struck great fear in me — irrational fear and then, slowly, a fragile kind of bravery — the tenuous understanding that when all is said and done, all we have is each other.”
“Jim Burns’ illustrations reveal all the terror and mystery of IT, one of the truly great horror stories of the modern age — and Guillermo del Toro’s personal introduction reveals why this is one of his must-read books, a book that has grown bigger than itself and now infuses much of our popular culture,” said Folio Society Head of Editorial James Rose. “This one-of-a-kind edition continues Folio’s commitment to publishing Stephen King’s work — and some readers might be surprised to see how much was (inevitably) missed in the adaptations. Always horrifying, always creeping closer, IT is where Pennywise began, and it remains essential for any serious fan of the genre.”
Unfortunately, as mentioned, this level of quality doesn’t come cheap. This set is priced at £590 / US $750, with preorders opening at 8am PT on July 15, 2025.
Will you be ordering a copy of IT, or will you simply be admiring this edition from afar? Let us know in the comments.
In other Stephen King news, HBO Max is set to debut its prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry in Fall 2025. You can also check out IGN’s picks for the 10 best Stephen King novels.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
