The Princess Bride – All The Books!
Collecting » Children » The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride - All The Books!
Please note that some of the links below are affiliate linksΒ for which I may be compensated (this does not affect my reviews nor cost you any money, but helps support my site hosting costs). I deeply appreciate your support of my site if you use these links, but warmly encourage you to buy from your local Indie bookshop if you have the opportunity.
The Movie
Many of you will be familiar with The Princess Bride from the almost perfectΒ cult classic movieΒ produced by Rob Reiner in 1987. But the movie was based on an equally fabulous book, and if youβve never read it you are really missing out, because the book has all the humour, joy and romance of the movie and more besides. So todayβs article and video cover some of the most wonderful editions of The Princess Bride book for your enjoyment.
The central conceit of the book is that the author, William Goldman, is presenting an abridged version of the fictional “S. Morgensternβs” longer so-called classic book. So the story is constantly being interrupted by authorβs notes on the abridgements he is making, and asides about his memories of his father reading the book, and his discussions with the publishers.
The Books
TheΒ first hardcover edition of the Princess BrideΒ was published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1973. Itβs most easily identifiable by the cover, which was designed by Wendell Minor, but what makes this edition hugely desirable is that the authorβs notes on his supposed abridgements are presented in glorious bright red text. This technique of using coloured type in a novel is still uncommon even today, so it was extremely striking at the time. Unfortunately this has resulted in this volume commanding huge prices in the secondhand market. There was also a similar Macmillan edition released in the UK in 1975.
Another very sought after edition is theΒ first paperback editionΒ published by Ballantine in 1974, which is actually even more scarce than the very expensive hardcover edition. This paperback also has the striking red passages, but what really sets this one apart is the cover. Please, take a moment to appreciate how truly inappropriate this design is. The art is by Tom Coconis. Apart from the rather confronting naked lady gracing this cover, we have snakes, skulls, that bird on her headβ¦ Itβs rather more appropriate for The Princess Bride of Cthulu than the fairy tale it contains. It was so controversial that the publishers stopped the press run after little more than a week, and less than a thousand copies were printed. The second paperback edition changed the cover and replaced the internal red text standard black italic. Being paperbacks, they were also easily damaged which makes them even more rare.
After this a variety of anniversary editions and leather-bound copies were released over the next thirty years or so, particularly peaking in the late 1980s when the movie was released. I wonβt cover all of those different bindings in detail, but I would highlight theΒ 1977 Ballantine paperback editionΒ which has a sweet cover by Norman Green and contains a really gorgeous foldout map of Florin and Guilder. You can usually find a copy of these pretty cheaply if you keep an eye out.
A lovely illustratedΒ 30th anniversary edition of The Princess BrideΒ was released in 2013, and it contains 50 really beautiful sepia illustrations by Michael Manomivibul. The hardbacks have a glued binding with textured paper boards.
These are the same illustrations that are included in the much more expensive leather-boundΒ Easton Press edition released later that same year. This one has gilded page ends, ribbon bookmark and a custom slipcase.
β€ Find the 30th Anniversary Edition at Amazon | B&N | Blackwells | Abes | eBay
β€ Find the Leatherbound Easton PressΒ edition atΒ Easton Press | Abes | eBay
In 2014 theΒ Folio Society also released an illustrated edition, bound in olive green cloth with gold accents that features illustrations by Mark Thomas in a more graphic style.
To be honest I was a little dubious about this one when looking at the images online as it looked a little cartoony, but in person it is gorgeous.
β€ Find it at Folio Society | Abes | eBay
And 2017 saw the release of a very hefty beauty, theΒ Deluxe Gift Edition.
This features the same illustrations as the 2013 edition, but they have been enlarged to fit in this oversized volume, along with full-colour chapter openers and a new colour map printed on the endpapers. The paper used also has a pleasing ‘aged' parchment design.
β€ Find it at Amazon | B&N | Blackwells | Abes | eBay
2025 update!
A new US paperback release with decorative sprayed page edges that feature Westley and Buttercup whispering the immortal words “As you wish…”.
β€ Buy fromΒ Amazon | B&N | Waterstones | Blackwells
Before I finish I have two more books to share with you. First is the fabulous anti-fairy taleΒ The Silent Gondoliers,Β written by Goldman ten years afterΒ The Princess BrideΒ under the pseudonym of ‘S. Morgenstern' purely to keep the mythology of his fictitious author alive.
It even includes a note to the publisher with some requests for updates toΒ The Princess Bride.Β Itβs very funny, and its very existence just makes me so happy!
βΊΒ Look for the hardback edition of Silent Gondoliers by βS. Morgensternβ at Abes
βΊΒ Look for cheaper paperback editions of Silent Gondoliers by βS. Morgensternβ at Abes
And the last book is Cary Elwesβ very enjoyable 2014 memoirΒ As You Wish,Β about the making of the movie.
Cary played Westley in the film, and his book of stories, photographs and interviews with cast and crew is a wonderful treat for fans of the movie.
A special treat is hidden on the back of the dust jacket (at least for the first edition books) – the lovely ‘As You Wish' poster that you can see above!
βΊ Buy As You Wish by Cary Elwes in hardback fromΒ Amazon
βΊ Buy As You Wish by Cary Elwes in paperback from Amazon
βΊ Also available as an Audiobook or for Amazon Kindle
I do hope that you have a chance to read The Princess Bride β itβs wonderful in any edition. Let me know your favourite scene in the comments β my favourite movie scene is the sword fight between Inigo and the Dread Pirate Roberts, while my favourite part of the book are all of Goldmanβs childhood reminiscences.
Other fun stuff
βΊ Tshirts: “Hello My Name is Inigo Montoya” Name Tag Menβs T-shirt and Womenβs T-shirt.
βΊPop Funko Figurines:
5 Comments
Cassandra McTaggart · 23 May 2026 at 3:44 pm
Does the illustrated 30th anniversary edition have the updated introduction? While the binding and illustrations ate wonderful, I’m also interested in the continuation of the lore.
Anna · 6 September 2025 at 8:30 am
Thankyou so much for this! I’m keen to get a beautiful keepsake copy of this book and your video was so helpful!
Daisy · 14 September 2025 at 7:56 am
Ah, thanks so much for taking the time to let me know, it’s always wonderful to hear that the work is helpful π
mark · 16 June 2025 at 2:21 am
You should really consider updating this page since I have been searching for and buying my daughter every edition of the book and movie since she was a little girl and she stole my copy because it is her favorite book and movie. You are missing many editions and could add the many different movie posters.
Daisy · 16 June 2025 at 9:43 am
Hi Mark! Your daughter has excellent taste! Thanks for your comment – I usually try to share what I think are the ‘best’ editions (and why) rather than make an exhaustive list of every edition out there. If you’re looking for every edition, Goodreads has a pretty comprehensive list of modern printings at least. But I’d love if you share your favourite editions that are missing from the list π π