Famous and controversial even before its release, American Psycho is one of the most vilified and celebrated novels of the late 20th century. Both disturbing and thought-provoking, the funny and unsettling black comedy about a young man striving for the American Dream forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about identity, materialism and our modern capitalist society. Now the Folio Society, independent publisher of beautifully illustrated hardback books, will publish the first ever illustrated edition of American Psycho, featuring brilliantly inventive artwork by artist David Hughes, as well as the original introduction by Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh and the original afterword by Bret Easton Ellis.
Limited to just 750 copies, the 512-page special edition of the cult classic will feature a box design, cover design, endpapers, frontispiece and 10 illustrations—five of which are double-page spreads—all by the wildly inventive illustrator David Hughes. Fully bound in leather and printed letterpress on XX paper, the box will also have a pinstripe lining containing Patrick Bateman’s business card, styled exactly as it is in the film (spelling mistakes and all).
Take a look at more preview artwork from the book below:
“We at Folio have had great success with modern cult novels, and they hardly come more culty than this,” said James Rose, Head of Editorial at Folio. “One of the most controversial and talked-about novels of all time, American Psycho has become more prophetic than ever as it charts the rise of narcissistic sociopaths in 1980s Wall Street—the sort of people that we’re now seeing going to the top of US politics. Artist David Hughes is brave enough to tackle some of the more ghastly scenes, but always with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour and a keen eye on the novel’s satire. By marrying Bret Easton Ellis’ divisive and dangerous text with David Hughes’ funny and disturbing illustrations, this will be the perfect edition of the iconic and brilliant satire.”
The Folio Society edition of American Psycho will be available for £450 / US $640 from 4pm UK time (11am EST, 8am PT) on February 3, 2026 exclusively from www.foliosociety.com/american-psycho-limited-edition.
