Robert Neville is the last man left alive but his days and nights are far from empty. A plague borne on clouds of dust has killed much of humanity and resurrected them as vampires, and Neville has devoted his daylight hours to exterminating the monsters while at night he barricades himself in his home and listens to the men and women who were once his neighbours howl for his blood. How long can a man’s sanity last in such conditions...?

If you've never read Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, and are coming to this having seen the movie... boy are you in for a treat. If you thought the film was enjoyable... you're going to get a huge kick out of the book.

Matheson's writing is fluid and so easy to gel with that you'll (and I know this sounds like a cliche, but it's true in this case) find it hard to put down once you start reading.

There's quite an informative and engaging introduction by horror novelist Joe Hill (be warned it contains spoils - but he does give you ample warning of the fact) and a number of full colour illustrations, on glossy paper, by Dave McKean. The special die-cut slipcase offers glimpses of the binding, and each new novel section features more of McKean’s black and white artwork.

It's impressive to think this was Matheson's first full-length novel (1954). He would go on to pen The Shrinking Man (1956), A Stir of Echoes (1958), Bad Time Return (1975) and What Dreams May Come (1978).

As we've come to expect, The Folio Society roll out the red carpet and while you pay quite a price for these books, they are worth it if you're a collector of classic novels.

Technical information:
Bound in printed and blocked cloth with a design by the artist.
Set in Aldus.
208 pages.
Frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations.
4 integrated black & white illustrations for the part-titles and illustrated headings throughout.
Die-cut slipcase 10” x 5½”.

10

Nick Smithson