The Folio Society to Publish Illustrated Japanese Ghost Stories in 2026
The 200-page hardcover arrives October 13, 2026, with five double-page illustrations by Yuko Shimizu and an introduction by Yoko Ogawa.
The Folio Society will publish a new illustrated edition of Japanese Ghost Stories on October 13, 2026, the publisher has announced. The 200-page hardcover collects 20 classic tales gathered and translated by Lafcadio Hearn.
The edition features new artwork by award-winning Japanese illustrator Yuko Shimizu, who created five double-page illustrations along with the cover, frontispiece, slipcase and endpaper art. Novelist Yoko Ogawa contributes an all-new introduction.
The book will be sold exclusively through The Folio Society.
Background
Shimizu's work for the edition draws on traditional Edo-period ehon illustrated storybooks. The stories she illustrated also inspired the 1965 horror anthology film Kwaidan. This marks her third collaboration with The Folio Society, following Japanese Tales in 2018 and The Great Gatsby in 2025.
Hearn settled in Japan in 1890 and became a Japanese citizen under the name Koizumi Yakumo. His supernatural writings include Kwaidan and In Ghostly Japan. Ogawa's novel The Memory Police was a finalist for the National Book Award for Translated Literature, the International Booker Prize and the World Fantasy Award.
Quick answers
When is the new Folio Society edition of Japanese Ghost Stories released?
It will be published on October 13, 2026.
Who illustrated the new edition?
Award-winning Japanese illustrator Yuko Shimizu created five double-page illustrations plus the cover, frontispiece, slipcase and endpaper art.
How can I buy the new edition?
The edition will be available exclusively through The Folio Society.