The estate of Sir Terry Pratchett and Transworld Publishers are delighted to announce an exciting new look for Terry Pratchett’s bestselling Discworld novels, starting with the six books in the Witches series together with the standalone title Small Gods.
Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, Carpe Jugulum and Small Gods will be released on 28th April, which would have been Sir Terry’s 74th birthday.
Designed by artist Leo Nickolls in collaboration with the Pratchett estate and Transworld Publishers, each book has been given fresh livery as part of a two-year project which aims to delight existing readers and introduce newcomers to the series. The new covers will sit alongside the classic paperback editions from Discworld artists Josh Kirby and Paul Kidby, which will remain available. With Paul Kidby’s endorsement, the new covers reference his character designs – designs Terry considered to be the closest to those he saw in his own imagination.
New editions of the Wizards series – The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Sourcery, The Last Continent, Interesting Times and Unseen Academicals – will be released on 7th July, and followed by the Death series – Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather and Thief of Time – on 27th October. The Industrial Revolution series, City Watch series and other standalone titles are scheduled for release in 2023.
The new editions will eventually encompass the whole Discworld series and will have consistent matching designs across all titles – something that has long been an aspiration for Discworld collectors.
Rob Wilkins, manager of Sir Terry’s estate, said: ‘We are hugely excited about the stunning new covers for Terry’s Discworld novels and have been delighted to work with Leo, Paul and Transworld to bring this updated collection to existing fans and new readers alike. Leo has captured the scope, beauty and complexity of Discworld perfectly, whilst creating designs oblique enough to compliment the versions of the characters we all have in our heads.’
Designer, Leo Nickolls, said: ‘Working on a project like this is a highly rare occurrence in publishing. That and the fact that the Pratchett team have been among the most friendly, generous, and accommodating clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with, is enough to still make me pinch myself every day. Add to that the chance to work with the beautiful illustrations of Paul Kidby and have them sit alongside my own, I can only hope my work sparks the kind of imagination the original covers did for me as a child.’
