Back to newsletter listDate:
Thu, July 26, 2007 01:54:09 AMFrom:
Discworld Monthly
Subject:
[dwm] Discworld Monthly - Issue 124
*** Discworld Monthly ***
*** Issue 124: August 2007 ***
Table of Contents:
1. Editorial
2. News
3. Readers' Letters
4. DiscTrivia
5. Review: Making Money
6. Competitions
7. Review: Death's Belt Buckle
8. Article: Guards! Guards! Production Diary - Part 1
9. The End
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Editorial
Welcome to issue 124. If all has gone to plan this issue of
Discworld Monthly will have been sent direct from a field in the
middle of Devon. If not, it is now a late issue and has been sent
from home!
----------
By the time you read this, 50 lucky fans will know whether they have
been selected to spend two days as extras on the upcoming adaptation
of The Colour of Magic. I am pleased to say that I am one of the
lucky 50 and look forward to telling you all about it next month
(provided I am allowed to do so!).
----------
Starting Friday (3rd August) I will be at the Discworld Jamboree in
Wincanton. Again, subject to technology working as planned I will
be making regular updates to my blog
http://blog.discworldmonthly.co.uk live from the event! Remember to
keep an eye on the blog to be kept up to date with events as soon as
they happen.
I also plan to update some photos to my Picasa account so if you are
going to be at the event and want me to publish any photos, please
bring your camera's USB cable with you.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dwm.oook
----------
I quite often find very useful information about Terry from the news
section of Sanda Kidby's website. Rob Wilkins tends to post new
information there first. So keep an eye on the excellent:
http://www.pjsmprints.co.uk/news/
----------
Don't forget, if you visit a play or a talk and would like to let
the world know about it, please feel free to email your review to
oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk and we will consider it for publication.
--
Jason Anthony (Editor) oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk
William Barnett (Deputy Editor)
Richard Massey (Happy Hippy Man)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2. News
ImagineFX, a magazine about fantasy and sci-fi art, has a massive
feature celebrating the life and work of Josh Kirby, the British
artist behind the most iconic Discworld book covers. It also
includes an interview with Terry Pratchett and Amy Harnell (from the
Josh Kirby Estate) about the importance of Josh Kirby's work.
Terry Pratchett says of Josh's art: "Looking at a Josh Kirby picture
is almost like looking at an entire movie. You get the impression
that if you picked up a painting and pulled it out it would expand
to reveal even more. Every picture is alive."
Here is an excerpt from the feature:
If ever there was an artist whose body of work put paid to the old
adage about a jack-of-all-trades, it's surely Josh Kirby.
Although primarily known as a painter of wildly imaginative, often
humorous science fiction and fantasy scenes, and in later years
much admired for the covers he produced for Terry Pratchett's
multi-million selling Discworld series, Josh was an artist of the
old school with a bewildering number of strings to his artistic
bow. It just so happened that out of all the styles and subjects
he could turn his hand to, the one that proved the most fulfilling
was one with fantastic commercial appeal...
The Josh Kirby feature and Terry Pratchett interview will be in
issue 21 of ImagineFX, on sale at WHSmith, Tesco, Borders and other
newsagents from Tuesday 31 July. For more information on ImagineFX
and to buy a copy online, visit: http://www.imaginefx.com
----------
Amazon.co.uk is now listing Making Money as being released on 24th
September 2007. It features Moist Von Lipwig doing to the Ankh
Morpork Mint what he did to the Post Office in Going Postal.
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk?ISBN=0385611013
----------
Urgent news from our on the spot reporter Rob Lupine:
Murder Most Odd!
A Body has been found on the river Ankh with no explanation as to
how it got there. There are no signs of injury on the body but as
it is that of a youngish person, the City Watch have to assume foul
play is involved. The only clue they have to go on is that the
person was clutching a small metal symbol in their hand...
If you want to be a suspect in this year's Wadfest murder mystery
please drop me a line on rob@lupinemagic.com stating your Wadfest
ticket number, your enthusiasm to be the suspect in a murder enquiry
and your undying loyalty to Baphomet the underlord of the overworld.
As soon as I get enough suspects, you will be issued a general
profile to give you an idea of what costume to get together. This
year the Murder Mystery will only be taking place on the Saturday
with the revelation in the evening so you will not have to stay in
character all weekend! I look forward to hearing from you all!
----------
News from Terry's agent Colin Smythe (CPSmythe@aol.com):
For German fans, there'll be a musical adaptation of MORT at the
Markthalle (Klosterwall 11, 20095 Hamburg) with performances 15-17,
and 27-29 December 2007 and 3-5 and 15-17 January 2008
Where Terry will be on 29 September..
http://tinyurl.com/2r385d
Goldmann/Random House (Germany) and Talpress (Czech Republic) will
be publishing the HOGFATHER SCREENPLAY.
Tonleikur (Iceland) have signed up to publish THE COLOUR OF MAGIC
Ithaki (Turkey) have just signed up REAPER MAN, WITCHES ABROAD and
SMALL GODS
Cherubion now owned by Delta Vision (Hungary) have published WITCHES
ABROAD, and SMALL GODS and are buying LORDS & LADIES and MEN AT ARMS
Rao (Romania) will be publishing WYRD SISTERS (Autumn 2007) and
GUARDS! GUARDS! (Spring 2008)
Karisto (Finland) have acquired a hardback licence for JINGO and
paperback licences for MOVING PICTURES and LORDS AND LADIES
(originally published in hardback in 2003 and 2004)
L'Atalante will be publishing THE ART OF DISCWORLD and have just
published THE SCIENCE OF DISCWORLD
Elsmo (Russia) have published THE LAST HERO and have been reissuing
the first 20 Discworld titles with new covers
----------
Discworld Dates...
This section will contain events that you need to keep in your
diary. Entries will remain until they go out of date. New entries
will include the word [New] next to them. If this section gets too
large we will start pruning entries.
----------
[UK] The Art of Josh Kirby - Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 16 June
to 30 September 2007
The first retrospective exhibition of science fiction artist Josh
Kirby. Born in Liverpool in 1928 and trained at Liverpool School of
Art he began his career producing film posters, moving to book and
cover art for magazines. Some of his more famous work includes the
first cover of Ian Fleming's Moonraker and the poster for Monty
Python's Life of Brian and he is best known for his cover
illustrations of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
----------
[UK, New] The filming of a scene for The Colour of Money with around
50 Discworld Fan "extras" will take place in Guildford on 1st and
2nd August.
A website http://www.colourofmagicthemovie.com/ has been set up but
there is no content yet apart from a title page.
----------
[UK] The Discworld Jamboree will take place in Wincanton from 3rd to
5th August 2007. The Jamboree will be packed with events including
a gang show. For more information about the event visit
http://www.discworldjamboree.com
----------
[UK, Updated] The Broken Drummers is a London Discworld Group that
meets once a month on a Monday evening. Membership is free - just
come along. New members and visitors to London are both welcome and
encouraged.
August's meeting is on Monday 13th August from 7.00pm onwards at the
Essex Serpent, 6 King St, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8HN in the
cellar room.
For more information go to http://www.brokendrummers.co.uk or e-mail
helenenicholls@yahoo.co.uk
----------
[UK] Wadfest 2007 (hosted by the Beggars Guild) will take place from
31st August to 2nd September 2007 at Trentfield Farm, Church ***ham
Retford.
Wadfest is a family event and has always proved to be a lot of fun.
For more information visit http://www.wadfest.co.uk
----------
[UK, New] Following on from their successful production of "Mort",
Thalian Theatre Company are proud to announce their next production
of "Guards! Guards!" to be performed at the Towngate Theatre in
Basildon, Essex, from 21st to 24th November. Tickets are 7.50 GBP
(6.50 GBP for concessions), all enquiries to jacs102@hotmail.com
----------
Small Ads...
Please note, DWM has no way of checking the veracity or validity of
any of the items in our small ads section. As always, exercise
caution when giving out your details over the Internet. We
*strongly* recommend parental supervision for younger readers who
follow up any of these contacts.
----------
Stephen Dean (ex editor of The Wizard's Kob) has listed a UK first
edition of The Colour of Magic on eBay. Lookup item 130135951457
but hurry the auction ends on 29th July.
----------
Mal Whitelaw
area?
Join the Los Angeles Terry Pratchett Meetup group. We meet once a
month in a cafe to discuss one of the Discworld books. Our next
book is Interesting Times. We hope you will drop by and say hello.
http://tpratchett.meetup.com/121/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Readers' Letters
If you have any letters or comments, please email them to
oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk
We assume any correspondence is eligible for use in the newsletter
unless otherwise stated, including the sender's email address. We
may also edit your letters and use them as tissues.
It is vitally important that you don't pass off other people's work
as your own. If you use information from other resources please let
us know so we can give proper credit.
The best letter of the month will receive a Kiss the Cook print
supplied by Bonsai Trading. Sadly Bonsai Trading is no longer
trading but John Pagan has kindly offered to continue supplying the
monthly prize until his stock runs out. I will be collecting the
remaining stock from John at Wadfest and will then back issue the
prizes.
----------
*
* From: "Elinor Alexander"
*
G'day there,
We're on holiday in the UK from Australia and had the pleasure of
attending the July meeting of the Broken Drummers at the Essex
Serpent, Covent Garden. Amusingly, the internet map indicated the
pub was on 'Ing Street', as opposed to King St - certainly an
auspicious Discworldly start to the evening.
Discworld talk flowed, we all had a great time, some good tucker and
nicely chilled ales. If you are in London when the Drummers are
meeting, we'd certainly recommend dropping in and saying G'day.
Cheers, Elinor, Felicity and Meg Alexander.
DWM replies: Elinor and co get this month's Letter of the Month.
----------
*
* From: "Christopher"
*
Re: Last month's who's who on Moist Von Lipwig:
HANGED HANGED HANGED HANGED!!!!
Pictures are Hung
People are (or are almost) Hanged
Chris
DWM replies: Thanks also go to Kris Russell for pointing out Jason's
inexcusable mistake.
----------
*
* From: "Maurice G Marvin" parrskool@mauriceg.wanadoo.co.uk
*
I have 8 books in which Sam Vimes makes an appearance:
Guards Guards
Men at Arms
Feet of Clay
Jingo
Night Watch
Monstrous Regiment
Thud
5th Elephant
Question: Does Sam Vimes appear in any other books?
DWM replies: Yes, Vimes also makes appearances, but not as a major
character, in Going Postal and Making Money.
----------
*
* From: Oldhallmin@aol.com
*
I wonder if the assassin Teatime is any otherworld relation to Lucy
Teatime from the Flaxborough books by Colin Watson (an enjoyable
humorous crime series of the '60s). She was of a criminal bent, a
master (mistress?) of the subtle scam, but nothing as nasty as
murder.
----------
*
* From: "C. Smith"
*
I recently saw an adaptation of 'Going Postal' by the Anglia Ruskin
university's theatre group and felt compelled to write to DWM about
how impressed I was. Moist could not have been more charismatic and
likeable (although you know you shouldn't...). The Grand Trunk
owners were every bit as manipulative as one would expect. In a
rare twist, Vetinari becomes Lady Vetinari, with astouding
consequences. For me, the highlight was Mr Pump, played by a man
wearing a hard hat and body stocking. Although the play was a little
on the long side, Mr Groat kept us entertained with some
fantastically delivered self-deprecation. A fantastic night out was
had by all.
----------
*
* From: "Susan Sprague"
*
I am a rabid, slavering Discworld fan and have been for years. I am
also Canadian. Fortunately, these conditions seem to be perfectly
compatible, so I get on just fine ... except very occasionally when
I get stumped by British slang. Often, if I wait long enough I can
figure it out, but I think I need help with a couple.
1) what, oh what is a "verruca"?
2) Why, pray tell does Constable
Visit-The-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets get nicknamed
"Washpot"? I just don't get it and its gnawing on my confidence in
my sense of humour.
Thanking you in advance, Susan
----------
*
* From: "Charlene Taylor"
*
Not to be pedantic, but there is a problem with the #5 Quiz for this
month [DiscTrivia Issue 123 - Ed] --which asks about The Opera
Ghosts distinctive letters. The problem is, there are two Opera
Ghosts, and each writes in a distinctive style, but only one of them
writes maniacal laughter. Walter (as original Ghost) writes to
comment on the production, to request that a special singer be given
a particular role, and always writes a most polite letter which is
also signed "The Opera Ghost".
--------------------------------------------------------------------
4. DiscTrivia
This month I will be asking questions about Feet of Clay.
Q1. What weapon was used to murder Mr Hopkinson?
Q2. What is Cheery Littlebottom's father called?
a) Happy Littlebottom
b) Smiley Littlebottom
c) Jolly Littlebottom
d) Grumpy Littlebottom
Q3. What goes 'Bing bong bingely beep'?
Q4. Who was Cheery staying with?
Q5. Who were Nobby Nobbs' parents?
The results, as always, appear at the end of this issue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Review: Making Money
Reviewed by Jason Anthony.
Making Money follows on from Moist von Lipwig's adventures in Going
Postal. After making a success of the Ankh Morpork Post Office,
things have slowed down in Moist's life. Adora Bella Dearheart has
been away for a while working for the Golem Trust and now that he no
longer has the challenge of convincing people to use his postal
service, Moist has started to get restless and he therefore finds
himself picking all the locks in the Post Office and scaling the
walls of the building to "keep his hand in", although one expects
that his heart is not really in it.
At the end of Going Postal, Vetinari was looking for somebody to
take over the royal mint but the position was not filled. Vetinari
offers the role to Moist but he declines on the basis that the Post
Office needs him. Vetinari convinces Moist to take a visit to the
bank where Moist meets the current chairman Mrs Turvey and her dog
Mr Fusspot. Mrs Turvey immediately recognises Moist as a swindler
and takes a shine to him. Shortly after the visit, Mrs Turvey dies
and leaves control of the bank to Mr Fusspot. One of her bequests
is that Mr Fusspot is looked after by Moist, thus making Moist the
Master of the Chairman of the Bank.
Moist decides to try to introduce paper money into Ankh Morpork
society with various degrees of success. Moist also has to deal
with his past, the shareholders of the bank who are all member of
the same family and spend most of their time in litigation with each
other, and the consequences of Miss Dearheart's extended hiatus.
I did feel that Making Money took a little while to get going but
once it did, it picked up pace and had me hooked and laughing up to
the final page. It is great to see the continual development of
Moist's character who I think is one of Terry's most entertaining
and charismatic creations. We also get to meet a large number of
new characters including Mr Bent, a clerk who has an amazing ability
with numbers but never has anything to do with what he calls
silliness. A new villain in the form of Cosmo Lavish (one of the
banks shareholders) and Mr Fusspot, the chairman of the bank and
Moist's new pug dog.
I really enjoyed Making Money and hope to be able to read it again
soon. I suspect that if you liked Going Postal you will enjoy
Moist's exploits in Making Money. Who knows, this might not be the
last we see of Moist if Vetinari gets his way.
Making Money is scheduled to be released on 24th September in the UK
(http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/?ISBN=0385611013) and October in
the US (http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/?USISBN=0061161640)
although Amazon.com thinks the release day will be the 1st
September. Hopefully we will get confirmation nearer the time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Competitions
Now you've read the review of Making Money why not try to win a
copy? We have a signed US proof of Making Money to give away this
month courtesy of Sandy Kidby and Rob Wilkins.
All you have to do to have a chance of winning this great prize is
send the answers to the following simple questions to
competitions@discworldmonthly.co.uk by 20th August 2007.
Q1. At what famous studio is The Colour of Magic being filmed?
Q2. In which country did Terry tour for the first time in June?
The answers can be found on the excellent
http://www.pjsmprints.co.uk website. For a hint look in the news
archives.
The randomly selected winners will be announced next issue.
----------
Last month to celebrate the launch of The Cunning Artificer's new
website we had some excellent prizes to give away: a Death's Belt
Buckle and a Genua First Day Cover.
In order to win one of these great prizes you needed to send the
answer to the following three questions.
Q1: Which creature features on the Genua Post 'frank', printed on
the First Day Cover?
A1. Cockeral or Rooster (for our overseas readers)
Q2: How often will the Consulate Library Collection special editions
be published?
A2. Bi-monthly
Q3: What is the maximum width of belt that can be used with Death's
Belt Buckle?
A3. 35mm.
The randomly selected winners are
For more information about the Cunning Artificer and their range of
amazing products visit: http://www.discworldemporium.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Review: Death's Belt Buckle
Reviewed by Jason Anthony.
I was recently sent a Death's Belt Buckle from the Discworld
Emporium (the posh new name for The Cunning Artificer. The
buckle's design is based on the broach that Death wore in the SkyOne
adaptation of Hogfather. It is oval in design and features a
stylised omega character.
First impressions are that it looks great. It has a nice shine to
it and a very solid look and feel. The back of the buckle has an
almost reptilian pattern on it and a copyright notice. The back
includes a bar for wrapping your belt round and a post for holding
the belt and buckle in place. Anyone who has worn a belt buckle
before will hopefully know what that means.
For the purpose of the review my buckle was supplied with a belt but
unfortunately it was only a medium and therefore far too small for
my ample stomach! Luckily I had a belt that I could use and quickly
attached the buckle, and threaded the belt. Upon closing the buckle
I noticed that due to its design it is easy for the buckle to come
undone. The other buckle that I own has a post that leans back more
and has a knob on the end (no sniggering please) meaning the belt is
held in place better (the problem of the buckle coming off could be
down to using an old belt that has become a bit worn. Hilary has
offered to swap the belt for a large sized one!). I also found
that as the buckle has a fixed bar to thread the belt though means
that the buckle does tend to stick out a bit (my current belt has
the luxury of a flexible bar which makes the buckle fit better)
again this is probably just down to taste.
Once worn and properly in place I think the buckle looks great. I
wonder if I would get in trouble asking people to look at my buckle?
Maybe I should try that at the Jamboree? If I get arrested it was
all in the name of research and somebody please bail me out.
If you are in need of a new buckle for your belt and would like
something Discworldly you could do a lot worse than Death's Belt
Buckle from the Discworld Emporium.
The buckles cost 15 GBP (belt not included) and can be attached to
belts up to 35mm wide. For more information see the Discworld
Emporium website at:
http://www.discworldemporium.com/catalog.php?item=120&catid=5
--------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Article: Guards! Guards! Production Diary - Part 1
In the first part of a series of articles Jax tells us about the
trials of directing a Discworld Production due to be performed in
November.
My mum delights in telling me that when I was 2 or 3 and got taken
swimming for the first time, I ran around the side of the pool and
jumped in at the deep end! I've done this again by making my
directorial debut with Guards! Guards!
My theatre group has previously done other Pratchett plays,
including Men at Arms, so you'd think that I would have an easy time
casting Guards! Guards!, but you'd be wrong. Firstly, I'm still not
sure who in the group (which is not particularly big) are willing to
be in the play and I need as many as possible so that I can fill
every role. I've had people say that they want to be considered for
it, but they haven't yet turned up for any of the readings.
Secondly, those that have said they'd do it, and then have turned up
for the readings are giving me headaches over whom to cast as what!
The guy who played Carrot last time did a good reading for the
Patrician, and the guy who played Nobby reads well for Lupine Wonse.
Thankfully the girls aren't giving me any problems, now anyway. I
had one lady in mind for Sybil, but she won't be able to do the
final performance, so I was panicking until another lady kindly
stepped in.
This sounds like a long line of problems and whinging, doesn't it?
Well at least the paperwork is sorted, and it's great to go to the
group's committee and say, "Give me several hundred pounds" and get
given it immediately with no questions asked. Oh the power! Shame
the money was for the license and not for me.
Right, must concentrate on casting. It's the final readings before
the summer break this week, and decisions must be made. Now where's
the aspirin? Jax
--------------------------------------------------------------------
9. The End
Discworld Monthly would like to thank Sonnet UK for hosting our
mailing list for us free of charge. For more information about
Sonnet UK visit their website at http://www.sonnetuk.net
* Contact Information *
We prefer information to be sent via email, but can accept
information via fax or post at the following addresses:
Email: oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Fax: 0118-977-2158
Post: J Anthony (DWM), 86 Bruce Road, Woodley, Berkshire, RG5 3DZ
* Latest Book Information *
Discworld hardback: Wintersmith
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385609841/87
Discworld paperback: Thud
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0552152676/87
Discworld hardback Companion: Where's My Cow?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/038560937X/87
Discworld Young Adult paperback: A Hat Full of Sky
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0552551449/87
* Subscription Information *
To subscribe to 'Discworld Monthly' simply enter your email address
in the form on the 'Discworld Monthly' web page. Our web site
contains all back issues and links to other Pratchett sites.
http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/
Current circulation approximately 19200
To un-subscribe please follow the instructions at the end of this
email.
If you have any problems un-subscribing visit our removal help page
at: http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/remove.php
* Disc Trivia Results *
Q1. What weapon was used to murder Mr Hopkinson?
A1. A loaf of dwarf bread.
Q2. What is Cheery Littlebottom's father called?
A2. c) Jolly Littlebottom.
Q3. What goes 'Bing bong bingely beep'?
A3. Sam Vimes' "disorganized" organiser.
Q4. Who was Cheery staying with?
A4. Her uncle Armstrangler.
Q5. Who were Nobby Nobbs' parents?
A5. Sconner Nobbs and Maisie of Elm Street.
* Obtaining Terry's Books *
If you are looking for Terry books or videos over the net, simply
visit our web page at http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk and follow
the 'Purchasing' link on the left panel of the page.
* Supporting DWM *
Discworld Monthly was created as a totally free newsletter and will
continue to remain so for as long as it continues. However, the
costs of maintaining the web site, postage, travel etc. adds up. If
you feel you would like to make a small contribution towards these
costs please consider doing so via either http://www.paypal.com or
http://www.nochex.com
My account for each of these is oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Thanks
* Small Print *
We make no effort whatsoever to ensure the information in this
newsletter is accurate or even legal. Remember to always exercise
caution when passing your credit card details over the Net (or over
the phone for that matter). All trademarks are recognized as the
property of their respective owners, whoever they may be.
* Thanks *
Thanks for reading this issue of 'Discworld Monthly' [especially the
review of the Belt Buckle - WB]. We hope you enjoyed it. If you
have any comments or suggestions for the future of this newsletter
please email: oook@discworldmonthly.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--
The following information is a reminder of your current mailing
list subscription:
You are subscribed to the following list:
Discworld Monthly
using the following email:
tayllorcriss@gmail.com
You may automatically *** from this list at any time by
visiting the following URL:
If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the
entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break
this automatic *** mechanism.
You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:
If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:
The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:
J Anthony (DWM), 86 Bruce Road, Woodley, Berkshire, RG5 3DZ
