The Balbusso Twins Illustrate Folio Society’s Deluxe Handmaid’s Tale & Testaments Set

Anna & Elena Balbusso Return to Gilead for Folio Society’s Deluxe Collector’s Edition

Represented by Shannon Associates, acclaimed Italian illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso (The Balbusso Twins) have re-partnered with The Folio Society for a landmark release: a lavish, hand-signed limited-edition box set featuring Margaret Atwood’s dystopian masterpieces, The Handmaid’s Tale and its Booker Prize-winning sequel, The Testaments.

Limited to just 750 hand-signed copies worldwide, this luxury collector’s edition arrives inside a custom clamshell presentation box designed by the twins, featuring all-new original artwork, custom Italian leather binding, and new contributions from Margaret Atwood and Naomi Alderman.

The DI Connection: Defining an Iconographic Milestone

For those in the Directory of Illustration community, this collaboration represents a compelling full-circle story: Anna & Elena Balbusso created the cover artwork for Directory of Illustration 37 (DI37)—a design heavily influenced by the distinct personal artistic style the twins first developed during their initial research for the award-winning 2012 Folio Society edition of The Handmaid’s Tale.

That original 2012 project occurred five years before the hit Hulu television series adaptation, making the Balbussos’ visual interpretation a pioneering blueprint for dystopian art globally. As the twins shared on social media:

“Those red handmaids born before any screen… Our red handmaids were born five years before the TV series, defining a unique dystopian iconographic milestone that served as a global blueprint for designers, artists, directors, and illustrators alike. After 15 years, returning to Gilead felt like a natural homecoming.”

— Anna & Elena Balbusso

“A Surrealist Nightmare” in Pure Mixed Media

To capture the oppressive psychological atmosphere of The Testaments alongside The Handmaid’s Tale, Anna and Elena envisioned the duology’s visual world as a “surrealist nightmare”—bridging past and future through strict geometry, physical matter, and fine art.

True to their signature approach, the twins relied on authentic artisanal craftsmanship:

• No Virtual Shortcuts: The artwork blends traditional hand-drawn and painted media—pencil, watercolor, gouache, and tempera—with high-level digital technology for a museum-quality finish.

• Exclusive New Artwork: In addition to The Testaments, the new box set includes a brand-new, previously unpublished original artwork created specifically to enrich The Handmaid’s Tale.

• Artisanal Italian Production: Printed in Venice by Grafiche Veneziane (Venice’s oldest operating book printer), transported across the canals by gondola, and hand-bound in leather by Italian bookbinder Graphicom.

Praise from Margaret Atwood & Naomi Alderman

In a brand-new introduction written specifically for this edition, Margaret Atwood emphasizes the inherent visual power of her world:

“‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a very visual book. Those who lack power always see more than they say.”

— Margaret Atwood

Atwood notes that the Balbusso Twins’ artwork masterfully evokes “the feel and the colour palette of the thirties and forties, the age of the rise of the major dictatorships,” while echoing Gilead’s obsession with propaganda and public presentation. Author Naomi Alderman adds in her new foreword that the story remains a force continually attempting to push itself back into the modern world.

Explore More

The Balbusso Twins continue to set the benchmark for high-concept editorial, publishing, and commercial illustration worldwide.

• Explore Anna & Elena Balbusso’s Portfolio on the Directory of Illustration.

• Connect with Shannon Associates to view represented artist rosters and discuss project commissions.