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A Game of Thrones Illustrated Edition coming in October

Posted on by WinterPhil

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To commemorate the 20th anniversary of A Game of Thrones‘ original publication, Random House is set to release A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition on October 18th. The massive tome will clock in at 896 pages long and feature 73 illustrations preceding each chapter plus eight detailed color plates. Vanity Fair has a sneak peak at some of the images, as well as some quotes from Martin’s editor Anne Groell about the process of commissioning and selecting the artwork. Check it out after the jump.

The one thing you are guaranteed to get with this book is George’s vision for many of the characters, moments and iconic imagery. Groell explains how she kept trying to get the perfect rendition of the Iron Throne, but GRRM kept rejecting her proposals:

“He finally said, ‘It’s 10 to 16 feet off the ground, with steps going up to it like a slide.’ I said, ‘O.K., nowhere in the books does it say that!’ It’s what I like to call the ‘invisible-head syndrome,’ that authors always think you can see into their head and see the vision that they’ve got. But if it’s not on the page, you’re not going to see it.”

To get a further glimpse inside George’s head, you can check out some of the images from the book here and the rest over at Vanity Fair.

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WinterPhil

24 Comments

  1. Little Bird

    ….also, that dothraki is in Vaes Dothrak, he shouldn’t be holding a sword. It could be Viserions, but why would he pick it up?

  2. Dayum! Love the arts, especially the one with the Hound and Sansa.

    My one problem is that Ned seems to look too young in the first illustration. But overall, love the concept.

  3. Harranhal Creep,

    Ned is in his mid 30s in the books.

    They seem quite influenced by Rory McCann. The Hound is the only one who bears a resemblance to the show version, including his scars and hair.

  5. Groell notes that they’re not supposed to be using show likenesses, but the artist in the first image just straight-up drew McCann (including having the Hound’s scars being on the right side of his face, whereas in the books they’re on the left).

  6. In the linked article at Vanity Fair, Arya looks about 6!

    Lovely art, damn I wish I could draw…

  7. I’m curious to see how they’ll draw Jon (if he resembles any Targaryens lol or if they decide to make him similar to Kit).

    Ned looks like Flynn from Tangled.

  9. Love the Hound and Sansa. I’m excited to see the book!

    Arya does look so very young. I’m glad the show aged the actors up, it never would have worked otherwise. I certainly throw all the ages out for the book series. It’s a story I’m reading, I’m not going to fuss about the ages.

  10. Flayed Potatoes,

    Well, this not from the forthcoming book mentioned here, but this is an official GRRM approved Jon Snow illustration by Magali Villeneuve who does the ASOIAF calendar. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/c2/10/cf/c210cf9b2386331e02d39309da8c3e3a.jpg

    As has been pointed out by others in regards to this illustration, Jon is essentially a young, dark haired version of the way Aegon the Conqueror has been depicted in similar, official illustrations.

  16. I came to the books after seeing the first season, and a chunk of the second, so I totally approve of using Rory McCann for inspiration. Even with the scars far more detailed in the book (exposed bone) and on the opposite side, I can’t envision anyone else in the role. Even when others will fan-cast, nope. Nope.
    Even if Sandor Clegane is suppose to be 28, still a big nope. Rory McCann or bust.
    So that image is lovely. Sophie is a fabulous Sansa but I gotta admit, I do like the illustration. I know Sansa is tall(er) but I think the artist captured the “delicate” demeanor.

    T

  18. Sean C.,

    GRRM recommended Rory McCann to D&D to play the Hound, so it’s safe to assume that he did it because Rory looked a lot like George had him in his mind. If these illustrations are made with George’s input and vision, then it makes perfect sense for the Hound to look almost identical to Rory’s Hound.
    Beautiful pictures, think I might snag me a copy as an early Christmas present to myself.

  19. I wish they could just put all the various artwork from the calendars and stuff like this in one big coffee table book. Love looking at it.

  20. Beautiful, especially the Hound and Sansa.

    However, I forgot, does Drogo wear oven mitts in the novel to pick up that molten gold? Lol, either way.

  22. Darjan:
    GRRM recommended Rory McCann to D&D to play the Hound, so it’s safe to assume that he did it because Rory looked a lot like George had him in his mind.

    No, it’s not. GRRM presumably recommended McCann because he thought he was the best actor of the bunch. We know what GRRM envisions the Hound looking like, because he gives us detailed physical descriptions in the books, and he doesn’t look anything like McCann (beyond being tall).

  23. The Sansa and the Hound picture is beautiful. It’s just how I pictured the moment reading the book. The scene in the show was nice, too. I think Rory is perfect as Sandor, he brings him to life well.

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