It was in August of 1996 that George R.R. Martin first released Game of Thrones upon the world, the first of what, at the time, was supposed to be a trilogy.
Twenty years later, fans know how that worked out. Martin is currently working on the sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire saga (and has been for some time), while Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of Martin's books, is one of the most popular shows in television history. It's only fitting, then, that such a massive occasion be celebrated as such, and that's why publisher Bantam Spectra will be releasing a special 20th anniversary edition of Game of Thrones in October.
As revealed on Martin's "Not A Blog," the 20th anniversary edition of the novel will include an introduction from John Hodgman, as well as 73 black and white interior illustrations and eight "full color plates." Some of the artwork featured in the new hardcover edition will have previously been seen in various A Song of Ice and Fire calendars over the years, as well as Martin's own The World of Ice and Fire, but the majority (48, in fact) are new never-before-seen pieces.
Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition will go on sale Oct. 18. Martin reminisces about the past 20 years on his blog, stating that, when the first book released all those years ago, it received positive reviews but was far from a bestseller like it is now. His book-signing tour for the novel saw fewer than 100 at every location, and nobody even showed up at his St. Louis book-signing event.
"And no, before someone asks, I had no idea when this all started where it would lead ... or how long the road would be," Martin writes. "... Ah, how innocent I was ... little did that guy in the picture imagine that he would be spending most of the next two decades in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros with Tyrion, Daenerys, Arya, Sansa, Jon Snow, Bran, and all the rest. But here I am, 20 years later ... still working on book six ... (and no, sorry, I have no announcement to make on that front)."
Though Martin's series began 20 years ago, it has been surpassed in just six years by HBO's show. The blockbuster show is currently ahead of the events of the novels and will see two more seasons before it officially ends.
