Goldsboro's Books of the Month Clubs: Illustrated Lists
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About the Goldsboro book clubs
I am not usually a huge fan of book clubs, partly because I like to choose my own books and also because I don’t have space for every new debut, let alone all the extras that many of the subscription clubs send out. However, I have one exception to this rule, and that is Goldsboro’s Book of the Month Club.
Goldsboro Books is an independent bookstore in London that specialises in first editions and signed books. From 2005 to 2019, they served a community of booklovers through a subscription book club originally called the “Book of the Month (BOTM)” service. However, in 2020 they essentially split the club and they currently offer two subscription choices – “PREM1ER” is their main club – this club includes unique, first edition, signed custom designed hardbacks in a variety of different styles and genres (although I personally think there’s a bit of a skew towards crime); and the Goldsboro Books Sci-Fi and Fantasy Fellowship (GSFF), which includes signed limited editions of new fantasy and science fiction titles.
The books are almost always first printings of first editions. Many volumes have exclusive features like sprayed or stencilled page edges. Every book comes extremely well packaged, postage is pretty reasonable for internationals, the dust jackets are hand-covered in archival cellophane wraps by the delightful staff, and in addition to the books, subscribers also get 15% off all other book purchases from the shop and early notification of other books.
Beautiful books review
I love the Goldsboro clubs, and highly recommend their books. The books are selected by book lovers with many years of experience in the trade, and not only do they have excellent taste if you’re a reader, but many of their limited edition books have increased in value by exorbitant amounts which is also nice if you’re investing. You are notified in advance of upcoming titles, which means you can skip them if they aren’t to your liking (although many members keep them for resale, as there is often a strong market for their exclusive editions). Shipping costs have been steadily increasing for internationals, but at least they recently added tracking (depends on your location but I pay around £10 to Australia) and you should be aware that the books can arrive quite a long time after their release date, which is frustrating if it’s a title you really want to read right now. Unfortunately I also have to note that lately customer service has been pretty poor, with very slow email response times (I suggest phoning the London store with urgent queries).
Once the books are sold, they typically disappear from the website, so I’ve added this page for collectors who might be interested in checking out earlier offerings from the club. I have added photos for all the books from 2016 onwards, along with details about limitations and other collecting notes. I have been a member off and on for years, depending on finances and space, but I am missing a couple of the earliest books from the list – I am backfilling as I come across the missing ones but if you’re also a long-time collector, please do feel free to suggest details of anything not yet in the list in the comments.
I should note that the club often has a waiting list, and the size of the limitations has been steadily growing over the years. These days there are currently around 2000 copies produced per GSFF title, and around 1500 of the Prem1er titles, and although this number is much smaller than competitors such as FairyLoot and Illumicrate, it does make them less exclusive/valuable than they used to be. It has also caused several shipping delays (as you can imagine, it’s pretty annoying waiting several months for a new release). If you are looking for backlist copies, best quality editions will be found at the Goldsboro bookshop itself if they still have them, followed by Abes (typically where collectors offload their well-preserved copies), then eBay which often has copies of recent titles as they have been bought by sellers to ‘flip’ at a markup.
Jump to: GSFF Titles (2020-current) | Prem1er Titles (2020-current) | BOTM Titles (2005-2019)
List last updated April 2024.
Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links 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.
Complete list of Goldsboro GSFF Titles (2020-ongoing)
2020 GSFF Books
Jun 2020
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians – HG Parry
1000 copies. Exclusive UK hardback. First book in the Shadow Histories series. (Note: Goldsboro did not release the sequel A Radical Act of Free Magic, and there is no matching UK hardback available – the US hardback is larger in size).
Oct 2020
Ashes of the Sun – Django Wexler
1000 copies. Red sprayed page edges. Came with a matching bookmark. First book in the Burningblade & Silvereye series. A matching edition of Blood of the Chosen was released in Oct 2021 (600 copies) and Emperor of Ruin in Feb 2023 (500 copies).
2021 GSFF Books
Feb 2021
The Library of the Dead – TL Huchu
1250 copies. Stencilled, sprayed page edges. First book in the Edinburgh Nights series. A matching edition of Our Lady of the Mysterious Ailments was released in Apr 2022 (750 copies), and The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle in Jul 2022 (750 copies).
2022 GSFF Books
2023 GSFF Books
2024 GSFF Books
Complete list of Goldsboro Prem1er Titles (2020-ongoing)
2020 Prem1er Books
May 2020
The Creak on the Stairs – Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
750 copies. Blue sprayed page edges. First book in the Forbidden Iceland series. Signed, limited (non-sprayed) editions of later books were also released including Girl Who Lie in 2021 (500 copies) and Night of Shadows in 2022 (500 copies).
Nov 2020
The Apparition Phase – Will Maclean
1000 copies. Stencilled page edges. Each book also includes a word from a thousand page story. @lovedreadingthis has collected most of them into this google doc.
2021 Prem1er Books
2022 Prem1er Books
Nov 2022
Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North – Rachel Joyce
1500 copies. Naked hardback in slipcase. This is the third book in the Harold Fry series. Earlier volume were also released: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in 2012 (slipcased), and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy in 2014 (500 copies).
2023 Prem1er Books
2024 Prem1er Books
List of Goldsboro's Book of the Month Titles (2005-2019)
Earlier Book of the Month Titles
2003
- November – Disordered Minds – Minette Walters.
2004
- February – Jack Absolute – C.C. Humphreys.
- March – Perdido Street Station – China Mieville.
- April – The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
- May – The Narrows – Michael Connelly.
- June – The Lover – Laura Wilson.
- July – The Burning Girl – Mark Billingham.
- September – Fleshmarket Close – Ian Rankin.
- October – The Last Kingdom – Bernard Cornwell.
- December – Cry of the Ice Mark – Stuart Hill.
2005 BOTM
- Labyrinth – Kate Mosse. First title chosen for the club. Slipcased. 1000 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Slipcased. 1000 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- Incendiary – Chris Cleave. Exclusive hardback. 500 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- March – Blood Eagle – Craig Russell.
- April – Magyk – Angie Sage.
- May – The Geographer’s Library – Jon Fasman.
- June – Romanitas – Sophia Macdougall.
- July – Darkhouse – Alex Barclay.
- August – Vellum – Hal Duncan.
- September – Attila – William Napier.
- October – Pale Horseman – Bernard Cornwell.
- November – The Conjuror’s Bird – Martin Davies.
- December – The Art of Dying – Vena Cork.
2006 BOTM
- January – Winter in Madrid – CJ Sansom → Check Abes | eBay
- February – Kept – A Victorian Mystery – D.J. Taylor. 100 stamped and numbered copies.
- March – The Chemistry of Death – Simon Beckett.
- April – North – Brian Martin.
- May – Londonstani – Gautam Malkani. Slipcased. 500 copies.
- June – Three Bags Full – Leonie Swan.
- July – Last Days of Newgate – Andrew Pepper.
- August – Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- September – White Man Falling – Mike Stocks. Variant cover (blue instead of red). 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- October – Death of a Monk – Alon Hilu.
- November – My Name Was Judas – CK Stead.
- December – Never Admit to Beige – Jonathan Drapes.
2007 BOTM
- January – The Book Thief – Marcus Zusak. Adult edition. → Check Abes | eBay
- February – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – Paul Torday. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- March – Raw Shark Texts – Steven Hall. Slipcased. → Check Abes | eBay
- April – Borderlands – Brian McGilloway. → Check Abes | eBay
- May – Crow Stone – Jenny Mills. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- June – Resistance – Owen Sheers. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- July – The End of Mr Y – Scarlett Thomas. Slipcased. → Check Abes | eBay
- August – Incendiary – Chris Cleave. 500 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- September – Random Acts of Heroic Love – Danny Scheinmann. → Check Abes | eBay
- October – Sepulchre – Kate Mosse. Slipcased. 500 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- November – Girl Meets Boy – Ali Smith. → Check Abes | eBay
- December – A Town Called Immaculate – Peter Anthony. → Check Abes | eBay
2008 BOTM
- January – Company of Liars – Karen Maitland. Red leatherette boards with gilt design. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- February – The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce – Paul Torday. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- March – Broken – Daniel Clay. Hardback exclusive. → Check Abes | eBay
- April – Cathedral of the Sea – Ildefonso Falcones → Check Abes | eBay
- May – Sleepwalker’s Introduction to Flight – Sion Scott-Wilson → Check Abes | eBay
- July – The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal – Sean Dixon. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- August – The Other Hand – Chris Cleave. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- September – Firmin – Sam Savage. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- October – Cliffhanger – TJ Middleton → Check Abes | eBay
- November – The Maze of Cadiz – Aly Monroe → Check Abes | eBay
- December – The Piano Teacher – Janice Y. K. Lee. Slipcased. 250 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
2009 BOTM
- January – The Coroner – MR Hall. 250 copies.
- February – Mr Toppit – Charles Elton
- March – The Kindly Ones – Jonathan Littell
- April – The Owl Killers – Karen Maitland. Leatherette boards. 250 copies.
- May – The Library of Shadows – Mikkel Birkegaard. Hardback exclusive.
- June – The Swansong of Wilbur McCrum – Briona Kita. 250 copies.
- July – The Best of Men – Claire Letemendia
- August – Afterlife – Sean O’Brien
- September – Mathilda Savitch – Victor Lodato. Slipcased. 250 copies.
- October – Acts of Violence – Ryan David Jahn. Fingerprinted by the author. 250 copies.
- November – The Age of Orphans – Laleh Khadivi
- December – The Disappeared – M. R. Hall. 250 copies.
2010 BOTM
- January – Rupture – Simon Lelic. 250 copies.
- February – The Wives of Henry Oades – Johanna Moran. 250 copies.
- March – Strange Case of the Composer & His Judge – Patricia Duncker
- April – Chef – Jaspreet Singh
- May – The Holy Thief – William Ryan. 500 copies.
- June – The Priest – Gerard O’Donovan
- July – Ilustrado – Miguel Syjuco. 250 copies. Came with bookmark.
- August – Room – Emma Donoghue. 250 copies.
- September – I Am Number Four – Pittacus Lore. Slipcased. 500 copies.
- October – Insurrection – Robyn Young
- November – The Distant Hours – Kate Morton. 250 copies. Came with postcard.
- December – Snowdrops – A. D. Miller. 250 copies.
2011 BOTM
- January – The Facility – Simon Lelic. 250 copies.
- February – A Dark Anatomy – Robin Blake. 250 copies.
- March – Little Girl Lost – Brian McGilloway. 300 copies.
- April – Before I Go To Sleep – S. J. Watson. 500 copies. Gold sprayed page edges.
- May – An Agent of Deceit (The Silent Oligarch) – Chris Morgan Jones. 500 copies.
- June – Leela’s Book – Alice Albinia
- July – The Stranger’s Child – Alan Hollinghurst. 500 copies.
- August – The Straight Razor Cure – Daniel Polansky
- September – The Power of Six – Pittacus Lore. Slipcased. 500 copies.
- October – All That I Am – Anna Funder
- November – Midwinter Sacrifice – Mons Kallentoft
- December – Hawk Quest – Robert Lyndon
2012 BOTM
2012 BOTM
- January – The Flight – M. R. Hall. 400 copies.
- February – The English Monster – Lloyd Shepherd
- March – The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – Rachel Joyce. Slipcased. 500 copies.
- April – Signs of Life – Anna Raverat. 350 copies.
- May – HHhH – Laurent Binet
- June – The Marlowe Papers – Ros Barber
- July – Summer of Dead Toys – Toni Hill
- August – The Dog Stars – Peter Heller. 400 copies. Issued with postcard.
- September – The Collini Case – Ferdinand Von Schirach
- October – The Sentinel – Lee and Andrew Child
- ?October – The Twelve – Justin Cronin. 500 copies.
- November – Dominion – Jon Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard
- December – Malice: The Faithful and the Fallen – John Gwynne. 500 copies.
2013 BOTM
- January – Wool – Hugh Howey. Slipcased. 500 copies.
- February – The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter – Malcolm Mackay. 350 copies.
- March – Queen’s Gambit – Elizabeth Fremantle
- April – Wise Men – Stuart Nadler. 350 copies.
- May – The Twelfth Department – William Ryan. 400 copies.
- June – The Scarlet Thief – Paul Fraser Collard
- July – The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman. 700 copies.
- August – The Kills – Richard House. Slipcased. 500 copies.
- September – Black Chalk – Christopher Yates
- October – Solo: A James Bond Novel – William Boyd
- November – Bellman & Black – Diane Setterfield. 500 copies, with slipcase.
- December – The Verdict – Nick Stone
2014 BOTM
- January – The Wind is Not A River – Brian Payton. 350 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- February – The Undertaking – Audrey Magee → Check Abes | eBay
- March – The Dynamite Room – Jason Hewitt. Came with exclusive letter. → Check Abes | eBay
- April – A Pleasure and a Calling – Phil Hogan → Check Abes | eBay
- May – The Bees – Laine Paull. 250 copies. Naked hardcover with gilt design, slipcased. → Check Abes | eBay
- June – Night Heron – Adam Brookes. 500 copies. Exclusively stamped. → Check Abes | eBay
- July – Smiler’s Fair – Rebecca Levene. 500 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- August – Chain of Events – Frederik T Olsson → Check Abes | eBay
- September – The Vanishing Witch – Karen Maitland. Decorative boards in black and gilt. 350 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- October – The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey – Rachel Joyce. 500 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
- November – A Cruel Necessity – L. C. Tyler → Check Abes | eBay
- December – Some Luck – Jane Smiley. 350 copies. → Check Abes | eBay
2015 BOTM
- January – The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins → Check Abes | eBay
- February – Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson → Check Abes | eBay
- March – The Shut Eye – Belinda Bauer → Check Abes | eBay
- April – The Shore – Sara Taylor. 500 copies, lavender sprayed edges. → Check Abes | eBay
- May – Snowblind – Ragnar Jonasson. 500 copies, hardback exclusive. → Check Abes | eBay
- June – All Involved – Ryan Gattis. 500 copies, with slipcase. → Check Abes | eBay
- July – The Readers of the Broken Wheel Recommend – Katarina Bivald. 500 copies, black sprayed edges. → Check Abes | eBay
- August – Early One Morning – Virginia Baily. 500 copies, black sprayed edges. → Check Abes | eBay
- September – Trigger Mortis – Anthony Horowitz. 1000 copies, silver sprayed edges. → Check Abes | eBay
- October – The Book of Memory – Petina Gappah → Check Abes | eBay
- November – The Age of Reinvention – Karine Tull → Check Abes | eBay
- December – Nightblind – Ragnar Jonasson. 500 copies, hardback exclusive. → Check Abes | eBay