The Discworld Companion
Encyclopedia
The Discworld Companion is an encyclopaedia of the Discworld
fictional universe
created by Terry Pratchett
and Stephen Briggs
.
The book compiles a precise (and often quoted directly from the books concerned) definition of words, lives of historical people, geography of places and events that have appeared in at least one Discworld
novel, map, diary, non-fiction book and the short stories "Troll Bridge
", "Theatre of Cruelty
", and "The Sea and Little Fishes
".
The first edition was published in 1994 and listed information from all the novels up to Soul Music
, as well as the first two short stories.
The second edition was published in 1997, and adds information up to Maskerade
.
The third edition named The New Discworld Companion was published in 2003. It includes articles about books up to Night Watch, as well as Discworld related books and short stories. The book also contains a 10-page interview with Pratchett titled Discworld Quo Vadis?.
All of them also include information that exists on Pratchett's computer, but that he has not yet worked into a novel (for instance, William de Worde is mentioned in the first edition, six years before the publication of The Truth
).
At the end of each article is an abbreviation indicating the book(s) in which the word, person, event or place appeared (if there are too many, then no abbreviation is used). The book also includes an introduction by Stephen Briggs and an interview with Terry Pratchett, both of which have also been "updated" in each edition.
trade paperback Paperback
Paperback, US edition Trade paperback, 544 pp. Trade paperback, 280 pp. Omits "Where Am I?" Paperback, 472 pp.
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
created by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
and Stephen Briggs
Stephen Briggs
Stephen Briggs is a British writer of subsidiary works and merchandise surrounding Terry Pratchett's comic fantasy Discworld. The Streets of Ankh-Morpork, the first Discworld map, was co-designed by Briggs and Pratchett and painted by Stephen Player in 1993...
.
The book compiles a precise (and often quoted directly from the books concerned) definition of words, lives of historical people, geography of places and events that have appeared in at least one Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
novel, map, diary, non-fiction book and the short stories "Troll Bridge
Troll Bridge
Troll Bridge is a Discworld short story, written by Terry Pratchett in 1991 for a collection entitled After The King: Stories in Honour of J.R.R. Tolkien....
", "Theatre of Cruelty
Theatre of Cruelty (Discworld)
Theatre of Cruelty is a short Discworld story by Terry Pratchett written in 1993. The name derives from a concept of Antonin Artaud , in which it has been known for cast members to be injured or mutilated for the sake of being genuine.It was originally written for W. H...
", and "The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes is a short story by Terry Pratchett, written in 1998. It is set in his Discworld universe, and features Lancre witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. It was originally published in a sampler alongside a story called "The Wood Boy" by Raymond E...
".
The first edition was published in 1994 and listed information from all the novels up to Soul Music
Soul Music
Soul Music is the sixteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1994. Like many of Pratchett's novels it introduces an element of modern society into the magical and vaguely late medieval, early modern world of the Discworld, in this case Rock and Roll music and stardom, with...
, as well as the first two short stories.
The second edition was published in 1997, and adds information up to Maskerade
Maskerade
Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get caught up in a story similar to The Phantom of the Opera.-Plot summary:The story begins with...
.
The third edition named The New Discworld Companion was published in 2003. It includes articles about books up to Night Watch, as well as Discworld related books and short stories. The book also contains a 10-page interview with Pratchett titled Discworld Quo Vadis?.
All of them also include information that exists on Pratchett's computer, but that he has not yet worked into a novel (for instance, William de Worde is mentioned in the first edition, six years before the publication of The Truth
The Truth (novel)
The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000.The book features the coming of movable type to Ankh-Morpork, and the founding of the Discworld's first newspaper by William de Worde, as he invents investigative journalism with the help of his reporter Sacharissa...
).
At the end of each article is an abbreviation indicating the book(s) in which the word, person, event or place appeared (if there are too many, then no abbreviation is used). The book also includes an introduction by Stephen Briggs and an interview with Terry Pratchett, both of which have also been "updated" in each edition.
Publication history
HardcoverHardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
trade paperback Paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
Paperback, US edition Trade paperback, 544 pp. Trade paperback, 280 pp. Omits "Where Am I?" Paperback, 472 pp.