The Magic of Terry Pratchett

[Tonyblack]

A Facebook friend pointed me to a new biography of Terry coming out at the end of July. The book, The Magic of Terry Pratchett is written by Marc Burrows. You can find out more about the book and the author by clicking this link.

I have a nagging feeling that someone has already posted about this on here, but I'll post this anyhow.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I did read about that somewhere just cannot remember where it was but I think it was quite expensive, not a well known publisher, seems to be a niche book type one.

 

[Tonyblack]

Looks like it's a couple of quid under £20. Pen and Sword are a well known publisher, if you are into books on military history. I'm not sure why, given their usual publications, they would take on this book, maybe Sir Terry has fans at the publishers.

 

[Penfold]

I think this is the book that I was approached for permission to use a couple of my photos for (Jason & Rachel). I have no idea whether they were used in the end.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Yep, Tony's right. Pen & Sword are a well-known publisher for military history (I have one or two of their books).

 

[=Tamar]

Perhaps the attraction is the quotations from General Tacticus.

 

[Tonyblack]

Lol as long as it's not Lord Rust.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Perhaps the attraction is the quotations from General Tacticus.

You mean Tacitus, yes?

Lol as long as it's not Lord Rust.

Funny his name should come up, since Tacitus belonged to (and worked during) what's known as the Silver Age of Latin Literature.

The Golden Age was from the Roman Republic to the Augustan Age. The Silver Age was from the Ides of March to the death of Marcus Aurelius (180 AD).

It's true - after the passing of Marcus Aurelius, widely known (in classicist circles, anyway) as the last Philosopher-Emperor of Rome, the Roman Empire went through a severe and cataclysmic crisis that lasted over a century. There were many factors - military, political, economic - but the effects were long-lasting and permanent. Constantine steadied the ship in 330 AD, but by that time, the damage was done. Constantine's Rome was far removed from, and far uglier, than the Rome of Augustus or Julius Caesar.

So Lord Rust is well-named; after gold and silver, comes ...

 

[Dotsie]

Bronze!

And, it’s definitely Tacticus

 

[DiscworldArchive]

I think this is the book that I was approached for permission to use a couple of my photos for (Jason & Rachel). I have no idea whether they were used in the end.

Yes they have used a couple. Couldn't tell you off hand which though Len. I have a digital proof copy

 

[Penfold]

Yes they have used a couple. Couldn't tell you off hand which though Len. I have a digital proof copy

They would have been ones I took of Jason and Rachel, who were the ones who approached me for permission. I have no idea which ones, either, but I had to check at the time that it wasn't of anyone else since although I hold the copyright, I didn't have any model release forms signed.

 

[=Tamar]

Tonyblack wrote: "Pen and Sword are a well known publisher, if you are into books on military history. I'm not sure why, given their usual publications, they would take on this book, maybe Sir Terry has fans at the publishers."

I just thought of a possible connection: Sir Terry was a writer who made his own sword. Pen and Sword. Also, the blurb should include "if the sword is very small and the pen is very sharp".

 

[RathDarkblade]

*lol!* What a coincidence; I'm reading a Pen & Sword books right now - Dr Timothy Vennings's "An Alternative History of Britain: Normans and Early Plantagenets".

P.S. I'm not sure why this forum, being in the UK as it is, thinks the word "Plantagenets" is misspelled ...???

 

[Tonyblack]

No, I think the spelling is correct https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Plantagenet

 

[RathDarkblade]

Yes, that's what I thought. But when I typed "Plantagenets" in the "new post" textbox, the forum told me the spelling was wrong.

Hmm - now, the forum thinks that "Plantagenet" (singular) is right, but "Plantagenets" (plural) is wrong. *L* Oh, well!

 

[Penfold]

Just thought I would post the photo of mine that they used with my blessings. The cut out of Stephen Briggs as the Patrician was also made from one of my photos and was used at the entrance to the DW Exhibition at one of the Worldcons held in the USA.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Yes, that's what I thought. But when I typed "Plantagenets" in the "new post" textbox, the forum told me the spelling was wrong.

Hmm - now, the forum thinks that "Plantagenet" (singular) is right, but "Plantagenets" (plural) is wrong. *L* Oh, well!

Rath, try it with the apostrophe Plantagenet's.

 

[=Tamar]

But that would be wrong. That is, in English the possessive form takes the apostrophe. The simple plural does not. I don't care how many signs get it wrong. The plural of Plantagenet is Plantagenets, and Bill Gates and his programmers can go... do something foul to their own property (which they have done frequently, given what they did to various programs).

 

[RathDarkblade]

Yes, =Tamar is right. This is right:

A Plantagenet's home is his castle.

But this is wrong:

The Plantagenet's ruled England until the Tudors took over.

I think Dug meant that the although the forum thinks that "Plantagenets" is a misspelling, the words "Plantagenet" and "Plantagenet's" are not. *shrug* I've no idea why!

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Yes, =Tamar is right. This is right:

A Plantagenet's home is his castle.

But this is wrong:

The Plantagenet's ruled England until the Tudors took over.

I think Dug meant that the although the forum thinks that "Plantagenets" is a misspelling, the words "Plantagenet" and "Plantagenet's" are not. *shrug* I've no idea why!

No Rath I did not mean that at all, just the single word "Plantagenet's" was what I mentioned nothing more or less or intended.