Prize Update

Hey guys, I have an update on the prizes!
So, Fenrisfang was donating a really high quality ocarina as one of the prizes. That hasn't changed, but she's actually willing to part with an even better one that seems even more fitting -so the old one is being switched for this new one! Normally I would never change what's being offered, just incase I'd inadvertently remove something that someone was entering for a chance at, but I think you'll see why I'm making the exception. Being able to offer this new one is mind blowing cool to me! She's amazing! ♥

Here's the new prize!
(More info on the contest can be found here)

It's a 12-hole Alto Ocarina, it has more of a range and is bigger than the old prize. It's also green with a Triforce on it, (almost like the Ocarina of Time!) and has a nifty little pouch to protect it. I'm also going to look at purchaing a Zelda Music book from Songbird to offer with this... (If they have a 12 hole one.)

In other prize news: A while back I tried to pre-order 3 Skywayrd Sword Link figurines, the really nice ones from Figma:

I do not normally like to announce prizes until they're in my hands but, these don't come out until October and I've never used the shop before. I'm simply wary about them arriving. So, IF they arrive, 2 of them will be prizes. If the pre-order is canceled because the orders can't be filled- I'll be looking for other awesome things to fill the slots. I only bring this up because a few people have asked me about these as prizes  ;p To reiterate: To offer 2 of these as prizes IS in the plans, but they can not be guaranteed at this point.

New Contest Entries and the Participation Prize!

I added the new entries that came in this weekend! They're beautiful! Check them out~

If you haven't heard about the contest yet, or would like to join us in this collaborative event to make a free, downloadable, Zelda calendar for next year; please see this info thread! It has everything you should need to know.

And here are the current participants and their lottery numbers for September 16th's "Participation Prize:"

1. Linksliltri4ce
2. Paper-Plate
3. Robson B
4. Drisana Rodriguez-Martin
5. Hina-ichigo
6. Ebillan
7. Poly
8. Mizueyes777
9. Bookwormtiff
10. Val Toukatly
11. KingdomTwilightXIII
12. Christian H.
13. Ryttu3k
14. Doudet
15. SYChunsa
16. Kylias Darkheart
17. Erika P.
18. Kyle L.
19. mrpretzel
20. Gakoru
21. Elizabeth R.
22. Clara B.
23. Karlen T.
24. Cojirou
25. Ashleigh
26. Julieta
27. Gimme
28. Breana Melvin
29. Kreus
30. Miniktty
31. ApplejackMan
32. Link24656
33. Ryuupix
34. Kyasarin Mire
35. Jujulica
36. Karnella
37. Lisa H.
38. Kudaku
39. Fainttos
40. Song C.
41. BunBun
42. Carolyn D.
43. StardustFawkes

Removed from Participation Prizes Because They Won One (still eligiable for one of the 12 calendar spots though):

1. Waffletea

Out due to art issue, at least until reply is received: (Please email me back)

1. Leah
2. Crystal M.

So, here goes the lottery drawing for the prize!

BAM. Ebillan it is! Congrats~ I'll be writing you soon to see what you want! ♥ And good luck to everyone else for next time because:

I also want to announce that, before the contest is over, I'll be doing yet another participation prize XD It will probably be the same as this round's, but I want to make sure about that (and the deadline) before I make a formal post about it. So get your entries in! & Yes: This means there will be at least 2 more prizes given just for participating (because I do one at the very end, after the finalists have been selected)

More 4 Koma Translations!

Okay, so these all haven't been scanlated: but for reasons yet named, I had to go through and find which panels we already had translations for that aren't yet posted on the "Main Site." Go here to see them all.

Many of these translations originate from the old site, ie: sometime back in 2002-2004. And I also realized that I'm missing some of the ones from Annie's old site, Zelda no Densetsu, and from TML's old site, The Grand Adventures. Does anyone still have these saved somewhere?

Alright! With that out of the way, I'm about to get back to updating with the new contest entries: and then I'll do the lottery drawing to see who won the participation prize! Can't wait!

Participation Prize Deadline TONIGHT~!

Just a reminder that if you want to qualify for this round's prize for participating, finish your entry and email it before the end of tonight! (Sept 16, 2012.) I'm off to reply to the most current emails so, if you've sent one in, and haven't heard from me soon: email me at the contest email again.

If you haven't heard about the contest yet, or would like to join us in this collaborative event to make a free, downloadable, Zelda calendar for next year, please see this info thread! It has everything you should need to know.

The Arrival of Demise by Ebillan
'When the gods of old left the world they created, they trusted their ultimate power, the Triforce, to the hands of Hylia so that she could protect it. She did so throughout the Era of the Goddess Hylia until one day a crack opened up in the earth and the Demon King Demise and his demonic hordes came forth from the fissure...
In order to prevent the great power from falling into the hands of Demise, Hylia gathered the humans and sent them skyward with the Triforce, beyond the reach of evil forces wrecking havoc upon the surface world.'

Contest Update!

Contest Entry: The Rebirth of Ganondorf by Jujulica

All the new entries for the fanart calendar contest have been added to the gallery! If you don't see yours there, please email me and resend. There were some amazing ones... but!

We need more entries, there were only 10 sent in the past 2 months. Please join us to help make an amazing (free) calendar for all fans! Also, prizes! You can win stuff! I'll be adding more prizes soon and a participation prize is going to be given away to someone who has a valid entry in by this Sunday (the 16th) --but the real contest doesn't end until the end of November! More info here.

Also, if you missed my past note on this: I've been fairly ill lately so I'm pretty much only going to be able to focus on the contest and not a lot of the other stuff I wanted to get done. Hopefully I'll be able to fit other little things in as well, but I have to take it day by day. Replies will basically be slightly slower.

The Zelda Project: Lon Lon Ranch and Hyrule Field Shot

The Zelda Project has begun to release their Lon Lon Ranch and Hyrule Field photos. The first one is already beyond amazing, ~be sure to keep an eye on their site for more! You'll also be able to find them on Adella's DA account, here's the link to this one over there.

Doujinshi: New Spanish and French translations added!

Finally! I'm so happy to be able to post these. Clyde1914 was kind enough to come along and help me out by typesetting these ~because the translations had been sitting around for far too long!

French: Let's Sparta was originally translated from Japanese to English by Rinael, and then translated into French by Mamandine. I cleaned the pages, and Clyde1914 edited in the text for this version.

Spanish: Mori no Sasayaki was originally translated from Japanese to English by Rinael, and then translated into Spanish by Nintendraw. Feri-san did the localization and helped the translation as well. I cleaned the pages, and Clyde1914 edited in the text for this version.


Hope you enjoy! And, if you don't follow us on Facebook and Tumblr, please do! I often update Facebook far more than I do here. I also noted there that I've been getting sick on and off- (I think it's a mix of my thyroid acting up and my dog being gone, I was probably only "up" for about 6 hours this whole weekend) -So, apologies for the prolonged absence and the lack of replies from me. Everyone is incredibly understanding, I just wanted to let people know I am here, and am slowly chipping away at them. (But don't be afraid to ask if I got your letter! Sometimes the spam box grabs them and eats them)

Calendar Contest Fanart Feature

Last year's calendar contest winner for this month of September! Perfect for the changing seasons. And a reminder that this year's contest is still going on! A prize will be given away soon (below) if you have an entry in. For info on this years contest/collab, to create a free, downloadable, calendar for 2013, find go here for more info.


Artist: Kaos, "Deku Autumn Festival"

It's the Deku family (and monkey) from Majora's Mask celebrating the coming of autumn. I started my entry back in February, but couldn't think of a composition I liked for the longest time, so I kept starting and scrapping my entry. I finally forced myself to get it done and not half-ass it this past month. Considering how much I struggled with this, I'm quite happy with how it turned out.


More contest entries from last year, and the full 2012calendar, go here.

"It's Good to be the King." Yup! It's a LoZ Valiant Comic You've Never Heard of Before!

So, this was on History of Hyrule when we launched, but it's still not on any Zelda Wiki or site that I can find (other than mentions on old-school comic book sites,) so... I'll just go all hyperbolic and say "NEVER BEFORE SEEN!"

If you didn't know, there are different versions of each issue of the Valiant Comics. When old friends-of-the-site, Chechi and Kitty, got a couple of issues of the comics off ebay; they wanted to send me the high-res scans so better images could be online. Little did we know the versions they got were the original versions, and the comics contained within were a bit different than the ones already on Zelda sites. And this one? From Volume 4 version 1? 22 years after its release? It seems it has never been online at all. So check it out, marvel at some of the "new" awesomely ridiculous images, and remember: It's Good to be the King

Majora's Mask 3d? Rumor has it:

Apparently Nintendo is expected to make an announcement tonight on Nintendo Direct about new titles, but not for the WiiU, and then... a Eurpoean game site lists MM 3D for sale and promptly removes it. It's most likely a coincidence, or a joke so evil it was made by the mask itself, ~but I can always hope.

fan-made cover image used for illustrative purposes only

Nintendo Globe via Zelda Universe

New Doujinshi Added: In my Life, That Time Was Not by Gantanshijin

I didn't realize how long it had been since I added a new doujinshi to the site! Well then, that's easily fixed. Here's a cute little one for Twilight Princess. I don't know much about the author so, if you do, please tell! Go read it now!

Fancraft: Book of Mudora by Sarinilli

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: In my opinion nothing would be a better cover for Hyrule Historia than making it look like the Book of Mudora. This awesome fan-made version just makes me all the more certain.

Zelda Wiki Trivia: "Mudora (also known as Medora) comes from the ancient Greek language, which means "holder of knowledge", "tutor" or "holder of high wisdom", and the Book of Mudora indeed is "a holder of knowledge" that teaches Link the ability to translate the ancient Hylian language."

Sarinilli is also the Font Master General of the Zelda community, check out the official and fan alphabets she's pieced together while you're at it.

Art Feature: Winged Ceremony by Queen of the Cuttlefishes

Just wanted to give a little love to some of the other awesome pieces from last year's Calendar Contest, and I really loved this one. It's adorable and it's great to finally see so many Ritos together! Artist's info is below!

For info on this years contest/collab, to create a free, downloadable, calendar for 2013, find more info here: http://melorasworld.com/zelda/theforest/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=863

Artist: Ganea-Rebecca
(Name was changed to Queen of the Cuttlefishes)
Website: http://queenofcuttlefishes.deviantart.com
Link to the Original Work: http://queenofcuttlefishes.deviantart.com/art/Winged-Ceremony-256053154

Summary: "Winged Ceremony."
For my picture I wanted to use the Ritos, as I really like them and I think they have so little fanart out there. I also found them to be for good use for this contest. As they're very related to the wind and all that jazz, I decided that the ceremony shown in this picture is supposed to be some kind of wind-ceremony. Valoo was supposed to be in the background, but I never managed to make him fit well with the picture. However, some adult Ritos are selected to dance while having their wings spread to honor the winds and the guardians of it. While the rest of the tribe watches and plays music, using flutes and drums mostly. But of course I put Medli and her harp into the picture too!

Description:
The theme was a festival with music. I feel bad for not including so much music. I only included the harp, vocal song, drums and flutes. And well, I guess the dancer’s steps can count as some kind of song as they’re supposed to dance in a rhythm. You can see there’s only 3 official character in this picture: Medli, Komali and the Chieftain. Sadly no Quill, I’m sorry!  Also my character Koolin, appears in this. He’s the boy to the left, next to the old lady and the flute-playing girl.  And you can notice that all the official one’s look has changed. Well the Chieftain has only gotten more white on his beard. While Medli and Komali are now adults. I’m not sure what this little event is supposed to be. Well my fisst idea was some celebration for Valoo. But I guess it’s still something similar. Maybe just a celebration for the wind? Or the ability to fly? Who knows? I honestly don’t have so much more to tell about this. Like, I’m pleased! And I hope you guys will enjoy it! And I also hope I’ll manage to win a place into that calendar! Wish me luck! And if you have any questions, just ask! Koolin and artwork © Me. Drawn by hand, coloured in PhotoShop Elements 7.0. PS. as always, sorry for the ---- shading and light =n='''


More contest entries, and the full 2012calendar, can be found here: http://historyofhyrule.com/fanworks/0_2012calendar.php

3 New Zelda Figurines from Medicom for the History of Zelda

From AmiAmi via the Video Game Memorabilia Museum via Kotaku there's news of new Zelda (and Mario) Figurines!

And they're REALLY awesome. I want the old-school Link so badly.

"Each figure is approximately 2.5" and was sculpted by Yohei Kaneko.
The set is scheduled for release late January in 2013." -VGMM

Sales page for: Classic Link

Sales page for: Wind Waker Link

Sales page for: Skyward Sword Link

A Special Treat: Never Before in English; Part 1 of a Manga for the Original Legend of Zelda Game.

I'm so incredibly thrilled to finally be able to post the translated pages for the first part of the Ran Maru manga for the ORIGINAL Legend of Zelda. A huge amount of gratitude is due to Brigette for translating this, (and for continuing to translate the rest,) to Ingie for helping smooth out the incredibly difficult dialog, and to Beno for making these awesome "English" covers for me to use.  It took me a while to clean and type-set it, but I certainly think it was worth the effort. While you're at it, check out Ingie's epic fanfiction Fortitude!

In my opinion, it's one of the best Zelda comics there is. -Coupled with the 3 volumes by Ran Maru for The Adventure of Link, it's a great series! They're incredibly dark and more true to the games than most of the works by other authors. Continue to flip through past the English and you'll see what I mean. Don't let Link's old-school 80's appearance fool you into thinking these are nothing but cute.

Nintendo Power Ends its Magnificent Run

Okay, I lied, one more brief post... via Kotaku: Nintendo Confirms the End of the Nintendo Power Era

Nintendo can confirm that Future US will end the production of Nintendo Power magazine with the last issue slated for December 2012. For Nintendo Power subscription inquiries, please visit nintendopower.com/customerservice. Check out Nintendo at nintendo.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/nintendo or on Twitter @nintendoamerica

Bummer.

Hyrule Histoira: The Most Important Developments

Kotaku got an exclusive first look at Hyrule Historia in English. I'm so happy to see it's essentially the same book. That was my first hope. My second one? Looking at the 10.2x7.2 for the Japanese version versus 12x9 for the English version: it does appear that the art is going to scaled up. Thank god. A small part of me was worried they'd just leave the images at the same size and just make the text area bigger; even though it was clear from the original pdf's released by the publisher Shogakukan that the route they're taking would be an easy route. All the art was overlayed and scaleable in those.

The other great thing? Because the aspect ratio isn't the same, it looks as if they've moved some of the art around ever so slightly. This means that parts that were covered by an overlapping image in the Japanese version might be able to be better repaired with the help of the English version. You can see what I mean about that below, with Link's foot being in different places on the red piece of art.

That's it for me: I came online to fix some layout code, did that, so I'm off again. I still got a dog to cuddle.

I'll be gone a while, my dog is on her way out; a small favor:

I might be gone for a while. My dog has anywhere from 12 hours to a month to live, so I'm going to be hanging out with her. She's the most awesome dog I could ever have, and I'm going to miss the s* out of her. She's like my freakn' familiar. My soul mate of a dog. On Friday she was fine, on Saturday she was acting a little off, on Sunday I knew it was dire. Today, Monday, they drained 1.5 liters of fluid out of her chest and said there was more. It's most likely a reaction to cancer in her blood. Treatments for that are not an option for her because of other conditions. We might get lucky and be able to drain again, I have to play it by ear. So I might be gone for a few days, I might be online sometimes, just whatever I feel I need to do not to lose it. We're going to go hang out in a mountain meadow and eat steak and cheesecake I think. 

It's been a rough year and, I know this sounds dumb as hell BUT, if you could do anything for me: please enter the fanart contest. I started that thing last year to cheer me up because, hell, if I can't draw I sure as hell want to see you draw. I want to see your beautiful art; it distracts me, it makes me happy, it makes me feel like a whole artist again. So, as trivial and weird as that request sounds: it really means so much to me and it's awfully depressing if it fails. But, I'm so physically exhausted from the little emotional roller-coaster of the past few years that I'm having a hard time promoting it. Could you guys help me make sure it doesn't fail? Help me make something really freakn' cool happen? I would love to come back from this and see the giant  collaborative work that it could be. I need something to look forward to. It doesn't matter how good you feel you are or aren't as an artist. Don't be so silly - It's not about it being a contest, (there's a reason I put up my own money for the prizes,) it's about encouraging artists to create awesome art they have FUN with. I'd rather think of it as a collab: but I like giving stuff away. So, please, have some fun for me, push yourself a little, and then I'll have something fun to look forward to when I come back from this ordeal. Zelda rocks, and so do all of you.

Much love,
~Melora

Announcing a New Early Participation Prize for the Fanart Contest!

We need more entries! So, another participation prize it is! I'm doing things a little differently this time. Finish and send by Midnight, Sunday, September 16, 2012 for chance to win one of these 3 prizes. There will be only one person selected for this but they get to pick which they want: (a) A pre-order for a copy of the English language Hyrule Historia, a (b) 12 month DeviantART subscription, or (c) a Link plusie and Ocarina with music booklets.

Please read the main info thread that explains the rules, guidelines, and sizing for the contest if you have any questions and certainly before you start on your piece or concept. The actual contest doesn't end until Nov 30, this is just a bonus event for early participants.

Hyrule Historia Localization News and Notes (Constant Updates)

FOR THE MOST CURRENT INFO, PLEASE SEE THIS NEW POST:

http://historyofhyrule.blogspot.com/2012/11/hyrule-histroia-information-post.html

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Last Update: August 29, 2:10 PM PST (Page count, amazon France, Germany, Italy, Spain: English listings.)

I'm going to keep this post updated with the various information on the book, so all your questions can be answered in one place. If you link to this, please use the name for the main site, "History of Hyrule":

Find general information on the book here. Pictures, ISBN, etc. If you don't know what the book is, that would be a great link to check out:

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Amazon's Description of the Book:
For pictures of the inside, check out the Japanese Version.

Dark Horse Books and Nintendo team up to bring you The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, containing an unparalleled collection of historical information on The Legend of Zelda franchise. This handsome hardcover contains never-before-seen concept art, the full history of Hyrule, the official chronology of the games, and much more! Starting with an insightful introduction by the legendary producer and video-game designer of Donkey Kong, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, this book is crammed full of information about the storied history of Link's adventures from the creators themselves! As a bonus, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia includes an exclusive comic by the foremost creator of The Legend of Zelda manga - Akira Himekawa!

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If you want the most current updates possible by me, check out our Localization Effort Page on Facebook And join! Because, even though I can't change the title of it, it IS about getting it in every language so EVERY fan can enjoy it. Or join History of Hyrule's Facebook page if you want relevant info, but slightly fewer updates~ I run both.

FRENCH localization effort:
Join and support it! facebook.com/HyruleHistoriaFR

So, yes: it has been officially confirmed. Nintendo courted Dark Horse Comics and they are releasing Hyrule Historia in English. The book will be officially translated into English. Yes, it has an official Zelda timeline. This, so far, applies to the US, Canada, and the UK. Over on this post at GenGame, there is an @RichIGN source posted that claimed confirmation on "the book is headed to the UK, Australia, and other parts of Europe!"

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Current Pre-order locations and prices/deals: 
The list price for the book is $34.99 USD

ENGLISH VERSIONS:

Amazon.com  USA $20.99 USD - 40% off list price (pre-order price was updated at: August 17, 1:58 PM PST)

Things From Another World: USA $27.99 USD ...So, they have a ship date of January 16, 2012, they are the only ones who have this date listed. It is earlier than the publisher's press release listed date of Jan 29. To me, it means, I would simply be cautions about believing this earlier date at the moment. On the other hand... I've ordered from them on and off for years, I've never had a problem, ...and, not only is tfaw the online shop Dark Horse uses to deal with retail, the original owner of tfaw comic shop actually started Dark Horse: so they're definitely still partnered in a major way- which means this info may be very accurate. Anyway, just a thought. If you don't mind sparing the extra bucks, it doesn't seem like it would hut.

Barnes & Noble: USA $18.89 $21.34 USD - 39% off list price (pre-order price was updated at: August 25, 7:23 PM PST)

Amazon.ca  Canada $28.37 $23.16 CDN - 41% off list price (pre-order price was updated at: August 28, 3:19PM PST)

Amazon.co.uk:  UK £22.09  - 15% off list price (pre-order price was updated at: August 18, 2:46 PM PST)

Australia: none yet (?)

Amazon.fr France (English Only)

Amazon.de Germany (English Only)

Amazon.it Italy (English Only)

Amazon.es Spain (English Only)

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Update August 17, 2:01 PM PST:

WARNING About Amazon's Super Savings Shipping (For the US):

Joey, on our Facebook page, has noted that: "Wow, Amazon just has to troll you by bringing the price down to $20.99 and then say that the FREE Super Saver Shipping is only available for purchases over $25.....wow" So, take that into consideration when purchasing (if you don't have Amazon Prime.)

Update: See the comment left below, I haven't personally confirmed it but it sounds like if you bought with the "Super Savings Shipping" when it was at $25, then you're still covered for that even though you will benefit from the price drop too. 

Update: They might be doing same day delivery, as a standard, on Amazon now.

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• In just 1 day, Hyrule Historia is the 3rd best selling book on all of Amazon, right under... *laughs* two 50 shades of Gray trilogy sets: Keep track of that here:  http://www.amazon.com/best-sellers-books
• Update August 17, 2:01 PM PST: It's #1 in the US (We broke the news! Sweet XD)
• In Canada currently the #2 best seller:  http://www.amazon.ca/gp/bestsellers/books/

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Ordering off-line. In person and over the phone:

While I doubt this book may be stocked in EVERY location books are sold, you should be able to order it at most brick and mortar bookshops for no extra charge (unless you can't pick it up, then they will charge to ship to you.) This most likely includes comic book shops, because that's where Dark Horse usually deals. You may need to give them the publisher and ISBN. 

A useful link for finding comic shops: http://www.comicshoplocator.com/storelocator

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Purchasing the original from Japan:

While it's currently sold out, It's been for sale/preorder on Amazon Japan on and off for months now. They ship internationally. If you don't see the orange shopping cart button, check back on it later.

You might still be able to order it from any import shop, such as Kinokuniya, by ISBN & Publisher. This would save you a great deal on shipping. That info is listed above.

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International Release Info from my main page for it:

 US: Things From Another World  Amazon.com

Language: English

PRE-ORDER: Ships January 16 or 29, 2013

Hardback: 272 pages (confirmed by editor)

Publisher: Nintendo/Dark Horse

ISBN-10: 1616550414

ISBN-13: 978-1616550417

Product Dimensions: 9x12 inches

List Price: 34.99 USD

 Canada: Amazon.com

Language: English

PRE-ORDER: Ships January 29, 2013

Hardback: 272 pages (confirmed by editor)

Publisher: Nintendo/Dark Horse

ISBN-10: 1616550414 (same as US)

ISBN-13: 978-1616550417 (same as US)

Product Dimensions: 9x12 inches

List Price: 38.99 CDN

 UK: Amazon.com

Language: English

PRE-ORDER: Ships January 29, 2013

Hardback: 272 pages (confirmed by editor)

Publisher: Nintendo/Dark Horse

ISBN-10: 1616550414 (same as US)

ISBN-13: 978-1616550417 (same as US)

Product Dimensions: 9x12 inches

Price: 25.99 GBP

 Japan: Amazon.co.jp 

Currently OUT OF STOCK

Language: Japanese

Japanese Title: ハイラル・ヒストリア ゼルダの伝説 大全: 任天堂

Hardback: 274 pages

Publisher: Nintendo/Shogakukan

ISBN-10: 409227159X

ISBN-13: 978-4092271593

Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x .7 inches

Price: 3,255 yen (roughlky $40.00)

If you have info on any other international releases, please let me know so I can add them to this list.

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The page count on listings varies:
UPDATE: Page count confirmation by Dark Horse's Editor for the project, Patrick Thorpe



PT: Page count discrepancy? My phone is unfortunately not functioning properly. You can ask here if you'd like.

Me: Thank you! My email is also melorasworld at gmail DH & TFAW have 248 pages listed, amazon 272. Same ISBN. (ref:JP book 274.)

Me: I know the manga in back is approx diff. between the page count, & since it was confirmed- I figure the diff. is a typo?

Pt: Ah! Yes. I believe that the we were still negotiating for the manga at the time. Don't worry, all the pages are there. :)

***

No one, that I have seen, has brought this up yet; but just in case: Some sites are reporting that the book is going to contain 248 pages (Dark Horse, for example), others report that it will contain 272 (Amazon, for example). I believe the Japanese release can answer this question: the original book has around 248 pages of concept art and game info, to make it 272- you count the Skyward Sword prequel manga that is in the back.  (Exact quote from English sales page: "Historia includes an exclusive comic by the foremost creator of The Legend of Zelda manga; Akira Himekawa!") The manga has been confirmed for the book, so I don't have any worries about this discrepancy.

Update Aug 17, 2:40 PM PST: As for it being 272 pages in English, instead of the Japanese 274, I believe a possible explanation for this is the 2 pages of "ads" in the back of the Japanese version. They are numbered 273 and then there is one after that. Quick Update: Oops, (below) they're not ads, they're a "cover" and info on Akira Himekawa. I remembered them wrong. So, yeah, I'm still unclear as to where they could detract 2 pages unless... it's the publishing info page (ISBN and all that,) maybe the "half-green Himekawa" page pictured below, or maybe some of the black cover pages or poster image pages or something...?

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Dimensions:

The US version will be larger IN SIZE than the Japanese Version. Japanese version  is 10.2x7.2 inches, and the US version will be 12x9 inches.

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US, Canadian and UK Versions:

Exact same book being sold. They share the same ISBN's. 

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UPDATE: The above source also claims that the cover below is NOT the final cover.

@RichIGN 

FYI: The cover image Dark Horse released when it confirmed Hyrule Historia is not the final cover.

This is the "English Language" cover that is going around, but it is NOT showing up on Amazon so it may just be a mock-up until the finalize it for the release: (Update above, it is NOT the final cover)

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On August 15th Dark Horse posted this on their blog:

Dark Horse to Release The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Encyclopedia

Dark Horse Comics confirmed on Thursday that it will release The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia encyclopedia on January 16, 2013. The company is partnering with Nintendo to release the full-color book. The hardcover encyclopedia will contain 248 pages and will retail for US$34.99.

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This is the Sales/Release/Purchasing information from Diamond Book Distributors' Press Packet:

• ISBN-13: 978-1-61655-041-7 
• Price: $34.99 ($38.99 CAN)
• Publisher: Dark Horse 
• Imprint: Dark Horse Books
• Writer: Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji AonumaArtist: Akira Himekawa
• Size: 9 x 12
• Page Count: 272
• Carton Qty: 8
• Format: Hardcover, Full Color
• Recommended Age: 8+
• Comparison Title: The Art of the Mass Effect Universe (ISBN-13 978-1-59582-768-5, $39.99),
• The Art of Alice: Madness Returns(ISBN-13 978-1-59582-697-8, $34.99)
• Genre: Art, Coffee Table,Popular Culture
• Ship Date: 1/29/2013
• Rights: World except territories specified elsewhere in rights statement 

Dark Horse Books and Nintendo team up to bring you The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, containing an unparalleled collection of historical information on The Legend of Zelda franchise. This handsome hardcover contains never-before-seen concept art, the full history of Hyrule, the official chronology of the games, and much more! Starting with an insightful introduction by the legendary producer and video-game designer of Donkey Kong, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, this book is crammed full of information about the storied history of Link's adventures from the creators themselves! As a bonus, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia includes an exclusive comic by the foremost creator of The Legend of Zelda manga; Akira Himekawa!

KEY SELLING POINTS:-The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold 68 million copies since the release of the first game, with the original Legend of Zelda being the fourth best selling NES game of all time, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time holding the record for the highest reviewed video game of all time. 

-Covers the full history of The Legend of Zelda franchise. 

-With an introduction by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. 

-Includes the official timeline of The Legend of Zelda games, never-before-seen concept art, The Legend of Zelda manga, in-depth information on the making of the The Legend of Zelda franchise, and art by some of the most storied concept artists in video games.

Screen-cap of cached page:

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Inserted update from August 20(?)-23, with the English page:

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Kotaku got an exclusive first look at Hyrule Historia in English. I'm so happy to see it's essentially the same book. That was my first hope. My second one? Looking at the 10.2x7.2 for the Japanese version versus 12x9 for the English version: it does appear that the art is going to scaled up. Thank god. A small part of me was worried they'd just leave the images at the same size and just make the text area bigger; even though it was clear from the original pdf's released by the publisher Shogakukan that the route they're taking would be an easy route. All the art was overlayed and scaleable in those.

The other great thing? Because the aspect ratio isn't the same, it looks as if they've moved some of the art around ever so slightly. This means that parts that were covered by an overlapping image in the Japanese version might be able to be better repaired with the help of the English version. You can see what I mean about that below, with Link's foot being in different places on the red piece of art.

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Insert 2, August 25:  Amazing news, now no one really has to worry that the English version will have errors someone other than a Zelda fan might miss; GlitterBerri, a long time fan translator for the series, is going to be involved with the official publication of Hyrule Historia!

From her site:

Now that the official localization of Hyrule Historia has been announced, you’re probably wondering about the future of the fan translation project on the site. Here’s where I have a confession to make: I’m now involved with the official localization. As such, out of respect to Dark Horse, we will not be uploading the remaining untranslated pages, and the fan translation on this site may not be around forever. [...]

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