Roadside Picnic is that rare example of a coauthored novel. Written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky at the height of the Soviet period, it was published in Russian in censored form in 1972. Here I’ll be looking at the 2023 Folio Society standard edition, based on a modern translation of the original uncensored text. It was issued with a list price of £49.95. There was also a limited edition priced at £295.00, on which I briefly comment below.
Short, spoiler-free summary
Extra terrestrial aliens have visited earth. The materials they left behind—junk to the aliens—are valuable and powerful artefacts for mankind. But the visitation zones are also beset with dangerous unexplained phenomena. Those who venture in risk their lives with the hope of scavenging something of value; they are called stalkers. For stalker Redrick Schuhart, the zone is both a source and solution of problems. We follow his fortunes as he navigates the zone’s dangers and realises that the challenges waiting outside the zone can be just as demanding as those within it. The book builds an atmospheric science fiction world with a distinctively Soviet dreariness, but it is ultimately a story about human relationships in a society adapting to a strange new reality.
Exterior details
The book arrives in a slipcase covered in green textured paper (and lined with white paper). Each side of the slipcase are printed with a vignette illustration inspired by the book’s world. The book is also bound in the same textured paper and is printed with yet another two vignette illustrations, one for each board. The four illustrations from slipcase and boards are metalic, giving them a premium look.
The spine is blocked with the title and authors’ names in gilt. Completing the exterior design, all three edges of the text block have been digitally printed with a design by the illustrator. Of course, the binding is sewn and has matching green end bands.
Some comments on the exterior production: Firstly, some have expressed concern—perhaps even consternation—at the increasing use of paper to cover the boards of Folio Society editions. But paper is itself a diverse material. Certainly, some paper editions (e.g., the most recent Franz Kafka books) feel like they are going to be prone to rubbing or damage the moment you pick them up. But the same can be sed of some cloth-bound books that feel like the design is just waiting to rub off. I’m happy to report that the binding for Roadside Picnic feels pretty robust. I do not have the impression that it will be particularly prone to rubbing or that the printing will come off on my hands. Moreover, the paper has a texture that closely simulates cloth, so the tactile experience is not diminished. A well-chosen cloth could have been better. But it would be a shame to let that get in the way of what is otherwise a very nicely put together edition.
Turning to the rest of the exterior design, it is unusually rich for an edition at this lower end of Folio’s price scale. Four illustrations on binding and slipcase feels generous. I do not usually enjoy printing on the edge of a text block, which can easily look garish. But it is tastefully done here and is thematically relevant for the book. I’d recommend watching the interview with the illustrator linked below for some insight into the thought that went into these designs.
The one aspect of the exterior that I am less excited by is the spine. The gold blocking works well with the book’s design language. But it felt a bit overcrowded and over designed to me. But this is a minor qualm in the grand scheme of things.
Interior design
Turning into the book, we have printed end papers that echo the grungy grey-green aesthetic we saw on the printed page edges. The front and rear end papers each use a different design. This same design language is picked up throughout the book, with the title spread, copyright page, contents page, and list of illustrations all set against custom designed page backgrounds. New chapters start in a similar way.
The text is set in PT Serif Pro, a clean modern face. The leading (inter-line space) is generous enough to make for comfortable reading. For its display text the Folio Society has used the evocatively named face Filth of Icarus face, a blend of futurism and grunge that seems like a perfect thematic match to the book. Printing throughout is in two colours, with dark green used for the design and display elements.
These various design elements contribute to making the book feel richly and imaginatively designed—a real visual feast!
Illustrations
Roadside Picnichas been illustrated by Dave McKean. Besides the various binding illustrations and page backgrounds already described, McKean’s main contribution is a set of seven colour illustrations, each spanning a full two-page spread. Two of the seven are on opposite sides of a two-page fold out. The images are printed on a glossy photo paper and have the appearance of digital collage. But the include elements hand-painted in wet media. They pick up the overall theme of dereliction that runs throughout the book’s design (and indeed the world of the novel itself). Seven illustrations is fairly standard for a Folio edition, but it again feels generous that they should all be double-page spreads.
Here is a promotional video from The Folio Society in which McKean talks about illustrating the book.
Additional material
As well as the full uncensored text of the novel, this edition includes an introduction by the illustrator, who seems to resonate very closely with the book, perhaps explaining the coherence and appropriateness of the design. Science Fiction author Ursula K. Leguin has also provided a clever and sensitive introduction. Lastly, we have an afterword by Boris Strugatsky, which offers and interesting insight into the trials and tribulations of publishing under the old Soviet regime.
Overall thoughts
I liked this edition quite a lot. Although the materials are fundamentally ordinary, there’s a real richness and thoughtfulness to the design. We are generously provided with illustrations and other design elements.
Comparing the standard edition of Roadside Picnic to the production values of Folio Society books in the £60–90 range, I think such a price point could easily have been justified by what’s on offer here, especially if they’d upgraded that paper binding to buckram. I rather suspect that the existence of a cloth-bound limited edition that had to be more expensive helped to keep the price of this paper-covered one so reasonable.
Brief comments on the limited edition
I do not have a copy of the limited edition on which to comment first-hand. But, for the sake of posterity, it differs from the standard edition in the following respects:
- It came in a slipcase with a cut out lenticular window. I very much prefer the tasteful illustrations of the standard edition’s slipcase over a window that I consider a bit gimmicky.
- The book is blocked with a gilt design in place of the standard edition’s illustrations. Again, I think the cover illustrations of the standard edition are almost perfect and prefer them.
- There’s a folder that contains (i) prints of the four slipcase/cover illustrations from the standard edition; (ii) a print of and eighth illustration unique to the limited edition; (iii) a limitation sheet signed by the illustrator. A couple of remarks: Firstly, I very much prefer the standard edition’s tasteful slipcase and binding illustrations to those on the limited edition, so it’s great that they have been included as extras. Secondly, the limitation page is loose rather than bound or tipped into the book.
- The standard edition’s endpapers in a green design are replaced by an alternative design foiled in gilt.
Where to buy
At the time of writing, both the standard edition and limited edition are available direct from the Folio Society.
You can search for and buy this edition on: eBay US*, eBay UK*, AbeBooks US*, or AbeBooks UK*.
Or browse more generally for Folio Society books at:
eBay US*, eBay UK*, AbeBooks US*, or AbeBooks UK*.
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Miscellaneous
Here are the vital statistics for the standard edition, as provided by the Folio Society:
- Bound in blocked and printed textured paper
- Set in PT Serif Pro and Filth of Icarus
- 240 pages printed in dark green ink with integrated illustrations
- 7 double-page spread colour illustrations, including a double-sided fold-out
- Printed endpapers
- Digitally printed page edges
- Blocked and printed slipcase
- 10˝ x 6¼˝
The Folio Society released a promotional video for the edition.
There’s also a separate Folio Society video for the limited edition:
The Ubiquitous Book blog 