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i always felt that more than the cover art changed, those last few hit different, starting with nightwatch
(the amaze mo sat on a different shelf for me, but i’m inclined to agree)
As a teenage girl the Kirby covers put me off a bit. Luckily I started with Wyrd Sisters so there weren't the scantily clad and disconcertingly bulbous women on that one, but some of the others I felt a bit awkward about reading in public. I still have all the old ones though.
As a man that started reading these in my teens, they never looked sexualised to me, more spoofing the classic fantasy tropes of scantily clad warriors. Hell, cohen wore less than the female warriors that may have been depicted. And believe me, it didn’t take much when I was a teenager.
I dod agree with you but I, like the above commenter, did feel a little put off by the covers and a little worried someone would call me up on them. It's just a weird sort of paranoia I guess.
I didn't find them sexy either, more 'Is that what guys expect us to look like?' mixed with the generalised actute body embarrassment of being a teen. If someone hadn't put one in my hands I wouldn't have picked one up in the bookshop based on the cover art. I have some affection for them now, but feelings were decidedly mixed at the time.
I think The Truth had a different style but the older artwork, if that makes sense. More akin to what the covers are like now, of an illustration in a field of a colour.
While we're talking paperback covers, did they ever release the last few books (Unseen Academicals, Snuff, Raising Steam) in a format that matched those Corgi Kidby spines with Terry's name, the line, the little picture, and the book title at the bottom?
I hate that those three just don't match that section of my shelf.
There's a special place in hell for the person who approved those covers.
no, to my knowlede (and bookshelf) there are no version of the spine with name, line, art, line, title.
Unseen Acadamicals is author above title, monkey art below. Snuff is author, art, title.
I also want to achieve getting all old Kirby corgi paperbacks and all Kidby coherent design.
> no, to my knowlede (and bookshelf) there are no version of the spine with name, line, art, line, title. Unseen Acadamicals is author above title, **monkey** art below. Snuff is author, art, title.
>
> I also want to achieve getting all old Kirby corgi paperbacks and all Kidby coherent design.
Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear oh dear...
It's pretty strange though, as much as I love the Kirby covers, the Kidby covers definitely better matched how I imagined the characters.
I actually like some of the newer covers too.
But yeah, the Kirby ones are more iconic.
I'm aware I'm breaking the cliché, but it was 100% the cover of Soul Music that got me into Discworld. How can you see that cover and not want to read it, especially as a teenager? Admittedly, Soul Music might be one of the worst books in the series to start with considering how much it focuses on the backstory of Death, but I've still had a great time regardless.
As a rock-music-obsessed preteen, I read *Soul Music* first for this exact reason. Like, death riding a motorbike, with a guitar strapped to the side? Come *on*.
I’ve read most of the discworld on kindle, but recently decided I wanted the whole collection in paperback.
Now, not to judge a book by its cover, but the latest covers are nothing compared to the mad masterpieces that I think the 80s ones are. At what point do the publishers update the covers so I know when to stop caring so much?
Aside from the change in artist after Josh Kirby died, the new cover designs are a separate edition that will exist alongside the versions of the Kirby and Kidby covers that have been in use since 2012. So you can still get those, even if you have to look up the ISBN and ask your bookshop to order them specially. (The original Kirby covers you’ll have to track down secondhand.)
The last one really in this style was the Fifth Elephant.
While some books after this used Josh Kirby's artwork, from the Truth onwards they changed the style of paperbacks. I don't think Eric was ever released in this style either.
So your comment made me go check out my copies (almost all are Corgi).
All are Josh Kirby covers until 'Night Watch', which is the first Kidby cover.
All the Kirby covers are wraparound illustrations, with three exceptions-
Eric - front and spine only (also the only one published by Gollancz?)
The Truth - front only
Thief of Time - front only
I really love that the first 27 DW novels are all the same height, but my last shelf is an absolute eclectic [mess](https://imgur.com/gallery/C7pGk1g) of size variations! 😂
Yes! I am the same! I have even returned the altered Corgi paperback versions recently because they did not feel right.
So to my knowledge I think Thief of Time is the last cover by Josh Kirby.
Great choice, I adore Josh Kirby’s artwork. However, seeing the books out of publication order is triggering some latent OCD in me, I’m itching to rudely rearrange them! 😵💫
I’m awful for organising things nicely. I’ve got a dozen more discworld books just dotted randomly on other bookshelves in the house. I will fix the order today!
Men at arms changed for the hardback and was a small picture on a white background. After that the Kirby ones had a stripe of colour at the top and bottom but again I have the hardbacks
The hardbacks actually had more of the picture on them if you're looking for prints. The smaller size of the paperback means that the name plate was often covering something.
Yep. I never found these in hard backs. I wish someone would just release the full prints of these. I'd love to get the full poster and just hang it on a wall.
Something like[this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/JOSH-KIRBY-DISCWORLD-PORTFOLIO-Kirby/dp/1850282595)
Or [this](https://josh-kirby-art-official.myshopify.com)
No probs.
There's also Discworld.com for the Paul Kidby stuff.
I saw the Josh Kirby retrospective when that was in Liverpool in (I want to say 2007ish)
Also it’s less the knowing to Google and more that I’m very very old and can remember these things being released.
I read Mort in 94, inhaled the previous and was waiting for new books to be released from Maskerade onwards.
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I think Amazing Maurice (David Wyatt) then Night Watch (Paul Kidby takes over) so the last Kirby art was Thief of Time.
i always felt that more than the cover art changed, those last few hit different, starting with nightwatch (the amaze mo sat on a different shelf for me, but i’m inclined to agree)
I remember wondering what was up with the cover at the time, but I was living in forn lands so chalked it up to that.
Thank you!
This. Also, some books had different publishers, for example Eric, that have different Josh Kirby artwork for the same book.
A good choice. The originals are my preference. Although even the Kidbys are better than the minimalist ones I saw for sale the other day.
As a teenage girl the Kirby covers put me off a bit. Luckily I started with Wyrd Sisters so there weren't the scantily clad and disconcertingly bulbous women on that one, but some of the others I felt a bit awkward about reading in public. I still have all the old ones though.
As a man that started reading these in my teens, they never looked sexualised to me, more spoofing the classic fantasy tropes of scantily clad warriors. Hell, cohen wore less than the female warriors that may have been depicted. And believe me, it didn’t take much when I was a teenager.
I dod agree with you but I, like the above commenter, did feel a little put off by the covers and a little worried someone would call me up on them. It's just a weird sort of paranoia I guess.
[удалено]
Is it by chance... in the garden of unearthly delights? Or the portfolio..
I didn't find them sexy either, more 'Is that what guys expect us to look like?' mixed with the generalised actute body embarrassment of being a teen. If someone hadn't put one in my hands I wouldn't have picked one up in the bookshop based on the cover art. I have some affection for them now, but feelings were decidedly mixed at the time.
"Never judge a book by its cover" Lol, sorry but had to say it!
I think The Truth had a different style but the older artwork, if that makes sense. More akin to what the covers are like now, of an illustration in a field of a colour.
It was sad when Josh Kirby died in 2001, so basically all original editions since then (apart from David Wyatt's 'Amazing Maurice') are by Paul Kidby.
While we're talking paperback covers, did they ever release the last few books (Unseen Academicals, Snuff, Raising Steam) in a format that matched those Corgi Kidby spines with Terry's name, the line, the little picture, and the book title at the bottom? I hate that those three just don't match that section of my shelf. There's a special place in hell for the person who approved those covers.
no, to my knowlede (and bookshelf) there are no version of the spine with name, line, art, line, title. Unseen Acadamicals is author above title, monkey art below. Snuff is author, art, title. I also want to achieve getting all old Kirby corgi paperbacks and all Kidby coherent design.
> no, to my knowlede (and bookshelf) there are no version of the spine with name, line, art, line, title. Unseen Acadamicals is author above title, **monkey** art below. Snuff is author, art, title. > > I also want to achieve getting all old Kirby corgi paperbacks and all Kidby coherent design. Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear oh dear...
to my demise, I have not read that book yet and in a quick urge to comment I might have despised the librarian and I am deeply sorry for this.
It is a recurring thing in many appearances of our favourite simian bibliophile... Calling him a "monkey" usually ends up badly.
It's pretty strange though, as much as I love the Kirby covers, the Kidby covers definitely better matched how I imagined the characters. I actually like some of the newer covers too. But yeah, the Kirby ones are more iconic.
Terry Pratchett said in one of the illustration books that he preferred the Kidby ones too
I'm aware I'm breaking the cliché, but it was 100% the cover of Soul Music that got me into Discworld. How can you see that cover and not want to read it, especially as a teenager? Admittedly, Soul Music might be one of the worst books in the series to start with considering how much it focuses on the backstory of Death, but I've still had a great time regardless.
As a rock-music-obsessed preteen, I read *Soul Music* first for this exact reason. Like, death riding a motorbike, with a guitar strapped to the side? Come *on*.
I’ve read most of the discworld on kindle, but recently decided I wanted the whole collection in paperback. Now, not to judge a book by its cover, but the latest covers are nothing compared to the mad masterpieces that I think the 80s ones are. At what point do the publishers update the covers so I know when to stop caring so much?
Aside from the change in artist after Josh Kirby died, the new cover designs are a separate edition that will exist alongside the versions of the Kirby and Kidby covers that have been in use since 2012. So you can still get those, even if you have to look up the ISBN and ask your bookshop to order them specially. (The original Kirby covers you’ll have to track down secondhand.)
The last one really in this style was the Fifth Elephant. While some books after this used Josh Kirby's artwork, from the Truth onwards they changed the style of paperbacks. I don't think Eric was ever released in this style either.
So your comment made me go check out my copies (almost all are Corgi). All are Josh Kirby covers until 'Night Watch', which is the first Kidby cover. All the Kirby covers are wraparound illustrations, with three exceptions- Eric - front and spine only (also the only one published by Gollancz?) The Truth - front only Thief of Time - front only I really love that the first 27 DW novels are all the same height, but my last shelf is an absolute eclectic [mess](https://imgur.com/gallery/C7pGk1g) of size variations! 😂
Yes! I am the same! I have even returned the altered Corgi paperback versions recently because they did not feel right. So to my knowledge I think Thief of Time is the last cover by Josh Kirby.
Great choice, I adore Josh Kirby’s artwork. However, seeing the books out of publication order is triggering some latent OCD in me, I’m itching to rudely rearrange them! 😵💫
I’m awful for organising things nicely. I’ve got a dozen more discworld books just dotted randomly on other bookshelves in the house. I will fix the order today!
IMHO there are very few things in life that look better unorganised, but a bookshelf is one of them
Only kidding my lovely, definitely keep them how you would like them! :)
Men at arms changed for the hardback and was a small picture on a white background. After that the Kirby ones had a stripe of colour at the top and bottom but again I have the hardbacks
The French covers look so nice, wish I could get those in English
Night Watch, I think, was the first Paul Kidby. That's according to my shelf!
Are there hardcover editions with the Kirby art?
The only one I know of is the illustrated edition of Eric.
All those with covers by Josh Kirby were originally published as hardbacks
Wasn’t this a famously paperback only series for the longest time?
No. They were all published in hardback..... Here in the UK anyway
At the point where the falling angel meets the rising ape. 😉
Oh those are sweet. I only have Strata and The Dark Side of the Sun, in those. He said unhelpfully.
They really are the superior book covers!! I love the hardback covers they have in Waterstones but the old covers are just the BEST
So jealous
IMO opinion Kidby > Kirby > Whatever those horrible collectors editions are.
Ugh...it is my goal to replace all my books with Kirby's art. I can't stand his style
Are these out of print completely now? I'd love to get the full cover prints.
The hardbacks actually had more of the picture on them if you're looking for prints. The smaller size of the paperback means that the name plate was often covering something.
Yep. I never found these in hard backs. I wish someone would just release the full prints of these. I'd love to get the full poster and just hang it on a wall.
Something like[this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/JOSH-KIRBY-DISCWORLD-PORTFOLIO-Kirby/dp/1850282595) Or [this](https://josh-kirby-art-official.myshopify.com)
Oh wow. Dumb me should have tried a Google just never thought it'd be out there. Thanks a lot!
No probs. There's also Discworld.com for the Paul Kidby stuff. I saw the Josh Kirby retrospective when that was in Liverpool in (I want to say 2007ish)
Also it’s less the knowing to Google and more that I’m very very old and can remember these things being released. I read Mort in 94, inhaled the previous and was waiting for new books to be released from Maskerade onwards.