The Balbusso Twins Illustrate The Folio Society’s Deluxe Handmaid’s Tale & Testaments Set — Releasing November 3, 2026

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.

→ Note: The official, brand-new illustrations for the upcoming Folio Society box set will be fully unveiled by the publisher on November 3, 2026

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

The Balbusso Twins, represented by Shannon Associates. The Handmaid's Tale folio society poster
The Blood, dystopian screenprint poster created by the Balbusso Twins for Dark City Gallery, 2018 (Not included in the upcoming box set).
DI 37, design by Anna & Elena Balbusso and Dave Plunkert of Spur Design
Cover artwork created by the Balbusso Twins for Directory of Illustration 37 (DI37)
Cover artwork for The Testaments designed by the Balbusso Twins for Margaret Atwood’s masterpieces collection published by Corriere della Sera, 2023
(Not included in the upcoming box set).

“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.

MEET THE ARTISTS

Anna & Elena Balbusso
Agency Portfolio

Anna and Elena Balbusso—known internationally as the Balbusso Twins—are an award-winning Italian artist duo based in Milan. Working seamlessly across illustration, fine art, and design, they have illustrated over 50 books, creating landmark deluxe and limited editions for premier publishers such as The Folio Society, Beehive Books, and Suntup Editions, including acclaimed illustrated volumes of The Handmaid’s Tale, Pride and Prejudice, Atlas Shrugged, The Great Gatsby, and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Recognized among the “Illustrators of the Decade” (2010–2020) by the Norman Rockwell Museum, the twins have earned over 120 international honors—including four Gold Medals from the Society of Illustrators New York, the V&A Illustration Award for Best Book, and the 3×3 Best of Show.

In 2026, they reached extraordinary milestones in their career, being honored with the prestigious Hamilton King Award—making them the first Italian artists in history to receive this distinction—and celebrating their 25th anniversary with a landmark solo exhibition at the Museum of Illustration of the Society of Illustrators in New York, accompanied by a limited-edition monograph designed by DJ Stout / Pentagram TX.

Their work has been featured in major global publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Economist. You can follow their journey on Instagram @balbusso_twins.