If you have read even a few of the books in the Discworld series, you know that this fantastic and satirical world is populated with a parade of colorful characters and unusual geography. Haven't you wondered what Sam Vimes really looks like? How about Lord Vetinari, or Rincewind, or the Nac Mac Feegle, or those wacky witches of Lancre? "The Art of Discworld" brings together artist Paul Kidby's renderings of the wonders of Discworld. Filled with both color paintings and black-and-white sketches, this book brings Discworld alive. Kidby's works are not only painstaking in their detail, but they faithfully capture every nuance of the characters as described in the books.
In addition to the artwork, there is also running commentary by Terry Pratchett on the many people, creatures, and places in Discworld. He provides interesting new insights on the conception and evolution of his creations and describes how his mental visualization of them compares with Kidby's execution. Kidby also adds his own comments on why he depicts the characters the way he does.
There are so many treasures in this book! There's Death dressed as the Hogfather. There's Angua in her human and wolf forms. There are depictions of the Librarian that show the man within the orangutan skin. There's a sketch of Twoflower that's a perfect rendition of the first Discworld tourist. Let's not forget the cosmos-scarred Great A'Tuin, bearing the weight of four elephants and a flat planet on his mighty back. I could go on and on, but I won't. You have to see these amazing illustrations for yourself. This is a must-have for a Discworld fan's collection.
Eileen Rieback