The Song of Achilles

Madeline Miller

Illustrated by Julie Dillon

Introduced by Emily Wilson

Star-crossed romance and heart-pounding historical adventure meet in Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles. This special collector’s edition is introduced by classicist Emily Wilson and illustrated by Julie Dillon.

‘I gasped when I opened the box--the cover is gorgeous! I'm so thrilled to see my work in such an incredibly thoughtful and beautiful package!’

Madeline Miller

A literary phenomenon that paved the way for the current resurgance of mythological retellings, The Song of Achilles is both a captivating love story and a rousing adventure fantasy. Featuring illustrations by award-winning artist Julie Dillon, gilded top edges, a printed slipcase and an introduction by acclaimed classicist, author and translator Emily Wilson, this is a celebration of storytelling fit for the gods themselves.

When the young Prince Patroclus accidentally kills another boy his age he is exiled to the distant court of King Peleus. There he meets and befriends Achilles, the miraculous son of the King and sea goddess Thetis. As Patroclus and Achilles grow and train together, their bond deepens from boyish friendship to love. But he is Achilles – Aristos Achaion, the best of the Greeks – a man destined to be the greatest warrior in a land of heroes, and a legendary war waits for them on the horizon. Amidst the blood and the fury of Troy, Patroclus will face the destiny that awaits those who dare to love the god-touched.

PRODUCTION DETAILS

Bound in printed and blocked cloth 

Set in Apollo 

352 pages 

5 colour illustrations including one double-page spread 

Black & white title page illustration  

Gilded top edge 

Printed slipcase 

9 ½˝ x 6 ¼˝   

Printed in Germany 

LIGHT ENOUGH TO MAKE HEROES OF THEM ALL

‘A ravishingly vivid and convincing version of one of the most legendary of love stories’

Emma Donoghue

Madeline Miller described Emily Wilson’s ground-breaking translation of The Odyssey as ‘fresh, unpretentious and lean’, so it’s not surprising that Wilson was her ‘dream’ choice for introducing The Song of Achilles. Praising this ‘queer love story that feels … entirely in harmony with the ancient source’, Wilson celebrates Miller’s ability to bring the tales of gods and heroes down to mortal eye level, entrancing readers anew with these oldest of stories, and heralds her as the natural successor to such historical fiction greats as Mary Renault and Rosemary Sutcliffe. Artist Julie Dillon has captured the tender moments between the two devoted lovers, suffusing every image with a golden light that seems to have come straight out of antiquity, while the slipcase design nods to the black-figure pottery so associated with the period. Miller worked closely with The Folio Society to produce this spectacular illustrated edition, discussing every aspect of the novel, from characterisation to which scenes might make the most arresting illustrations, and the result is an edition to be treasured.

BIOGRAPHIES

About Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller grew up in New York City and Philadelphia, and studied classics at Brown University. She taught Latin and Greek at high school while writing The Song of Achilles, which took her ten years, and won the Orange Prize for fiction. Miller’s next novel, Circe, appeared in 2018: it was an instant no. 1 New York Times bestseller and is being adapted for TV by HBO Max. Miller’s novels have been translated into 25 languages and her essays have been published in the Guardian, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.

About Emily Wilson

Emily Wilson studied at Oxford and Yale and is now professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of books on Socrates, Seneca and ‘tragic overliving’, but is best known as a translator of Greek and Roman tragedy and the Homeric poems. Her version of the Odyssey was a New York Times notable book and shortlisted for the National Translation Award. Her translation of the Iliad appeared in 2023 to immediate acclaim. Wilson has received Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships for her work on translating the classics, and has also been a judge for the Booker Prize.

About Julie Dillon

Julie Dillon is an illustrator from the Pacific Northwest, whose clients include major book publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Tor, Penguin and HarperCollins. Since graduating in fine arts from Sacramento State University in 2005 her work has won numerous awards, including a Hugo for best professional artist, as well as Locus and British Fantasy awards for best artist.  For The Folio Society she has illustrated Lord Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter (1912, Folio 2024) and The Song of Achilles (2011, Folio 2024) by Madeline Miller.