The Folio Society release stunning version of Peter Benchley's JAWS
One of the greatest cult thrillers of all time, Jaws has sold in excess of 20 million copies worldwide. Seething with sexual tension, political corruption and macabre affairs, the novel is deeper and darker than Steven Spielberg's seminal 1975 film, while the magnificent shark scenes are some of the most terrifying prose sequences in modern fiction. If ever a novel was begging to be illustrated, this is it. Korean artist Hokyoung Kim brings her unique cinematic style to this spectacular edition, including a chilling binding portrait of the Great White Shark that terrorises the community of Amity. Although fear is at the heart of the novel, the fragility of marine life also courses through the narrative, and this theme is explored by Wendy Benchley in her newly commissioned introduction.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Bound in printed and blocked soft-touch laminated paper Set in Cardo with Clearface Gothic as display 320 pages Black & white integrated title-page spread 7 colour illustrations Blocked slipcase 9” x 6¼”
A standout collector’s edition
With a background in film production and narrative illustration, Korean artist Hokyoung Kim could not be better suited to illustrating this edition. Her impactful artwork demonstrates her passion for transforming stories into drawings, and her art and Jaws’ narrative match perfectly for maximum tension. This is the ultimate collector’s edition of the novel that terrified a generation of beach goers. All the ingredients of a page-turner are present, but there are also nods to the classics: the comparison between Quint and the insane Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick is striking. And behind the blood, guts and insalubrious encounters, Benchley offers a stark critique of American culture and the human obsession with suppressing nature.
Cult fiction with a cause
As much about the corrupt workings of a Long Island town as it is about shark attacks, Jaws nevertheless demonised the Great White by homing in on our innate fears. Like the residents of Amity, the reader is constantly braced for another grisly dismembering, and the longer the predator remains at large, the more is revealed about the murky dealings among the town’s authorities. Increasingly aware of the public fixation of sharks following the publication of Jaws – and Spielberg's subsequent film – Benchley spent the rest of his life campaigning for the safety of these incredible creatures, which have evolved over 450 million years but face being hunted to extinction in a century.
His passion for marine conservation is shared by his wife Wendy, who continues to work in environmental politics and policy today: ‘Understanding the importance of sharks and the ocean has broadened our view of the planet’s future. Scientists, explorers, and (most) world leaders know that the health of Earth’s oceans is directly linked to some of the most significant challenges of our time.’
Available now: The Folio Society’s JAWS by Peter Benchley