Showing posts with label hyrule historia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hyrule historia. Show all posts

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Because I want to post on a conversation from a forum...

Dejeckt and Vinny, and the other guys from the Cheap Ass Gamer forum (Hey there!): I know this is... a weird way to do things but, eh, what ever. It won't let me post on the forum because I just registered and 'I have to wait a few days for posting or PMing privileges' but maybe you'll see this? It's about the "500" copies thing (and my rep, lol. In the 10 years I've been doing this, I do try my best, especially when it comes to keeping info straight ;) Maybe someone will post this post as a quote over there for me? :3 ? At least until I can join in:

"According to this blog http://historyofhyrule.blogspot.com/...or-hyrule.html (keep in mind that I don't know how reliable this is); it seems that each major online retailers got 500 copies each to sell. So if we consider Amazon, TFAW, and B&N sold entirety of their allotted amount then there should be 2500 copies still unaccounted for."

"If the History of Hyrule blog is accurate about each retailer getting 500 copies, which seems plausible given how quickly these sold out, that only leaves 500 copies unaccounted for. Those 500 copies are likely what's going to individual comic book stores. "

I know it doesn't make the biggest difference but, the quote from Dark Horse I had posted only applied to B&N getting 500. And... it was only from their Facebook page: so that's probably something to take into consideration as well. I don't know (and never said that I knew) what the allotted numbers were for other shops, so I'm also unsure how many copies would be un-accounted for still. (Though, hey, it wouldn't be surprising if each place only got 500. It's a nice, round, number) Here's what I had posted from Dark Horse:

"B&N will get 500 Copies and it's up to them how they sell those. However, if for whatever reason B&N doesn't work out the following retailers will also have copies. This is a Limited Edition and we have to be fair to as many retailers as we can who want to sell the book."

The context for where it came from is: A few months ago I contacted the book's English editor about Hyrule Historia's page count discrepancy, and then again to let him know their stores and press releases never updated to the correct number of pages. People were asking about it on Dark Horse's Facebook page, etc. It seems the Editor may have told the company's Facebook admin what was actually correct, because the next day they were releasing their page count correction statement as a response to all the comments on the matter. They also posted that above quote as a response during that time. (It's still probably in the more recent comments there.)

So, yeah: I also wonder how many are still left to go around.

BigPopov, thank you for posting about Diamond's history with distribution orders. I'd like to mention that when reminding people they can try the actual "brick and mortar" comic book shop option.

Euripides, thank you, this is also really good (and sad) to know. I've never purchased through them before, and I know people have had questions about it, so it's another one of those things I can pass along if asked  "I have had this happen before with B&N for some other special edition books. Most orders will remain open until the release date. Then some will ship and others will get delay notices followed by a cancelation email a day or two later.

To add insult to injury it does not matter when you place an order as I have seen orders placed after me go out first (last in first out)."

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Some Limited Edition Hyrule Historia Pre-Orders Are Getting Canceled

I couldn't think of a good, calmer, headline~ but please don't freak out, and don't freak others out: Just, if you pre-ordered the Limited Edition of Hyrule Historia (not the regular edition that has been for pre-order for a while) check your order status. Some have been canceled.

(For more news and info on Hyrule Historia, please see the blog's Hyrule Historia tag)

The most sane and reasonable explanation at this point is semi-unconfirmed (I will update when there's an official link/letter) but it's that the online shops like Amazon.ca (Not amazon.com) and Barnes and Noble posted the listings without knowing that there would be limited copies, or at least that they would have such a limited number of copies: so they over sold the amount they were actually going to be allotted.

I have not heard about any cancellations from Amazon.com or TFAW yet: so please don't assume the worst. Dark Horse has no news on this, certainly no bad news, so this really just seems like a problem with those specific shops, and the shops alone. (Or it was a problem with Dark Horse communicating with those shops: but, from the customer's end, that equals the same problem of not having their orders filled.)

So, yes, that explanation is sort of speculation, but it also makes the most sense at this point. From my experience, it sounds right. So, until I hear more, I'd say that's the best thing to think. Again, I will update if we can get hard evidence that is the case. People are being very informative and helping us by sharing their information.

There is absolutely no reason to think that all Limited Edition orders have been canceled. Dark Horse was very clear about them releasing this Limited Edition version of the book. Common sense seems to dictate that they would have been the first to announce if there was a problem with the release. And there is also, ABSOLUTELY, no reason to think that there will be any cancellations of the regular edition. Again, this just seems to be a problem with a few orders from a few shops for the limited release of newly announced Limited Edition.

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At this point, from what I am hearing, it sounds like most Amazon.ca orders (again, that is not amazon.com, it is the Canadian version of Amazon that is experiencing the problem) were canceled and that only some of the Barnes and Noble orders were canceled: Many orders from B&N still seem to be valid at this point. We have conformations from a lot of Barnes and Nobel customers that their orders were either canceled, or are still good.

-- If you ordered from Barnes and Noble, you actually have to go check your order status. So do that now.

-- Amazon.ca sent out emails letting customers know about the cancellation  the wording was atrocious, but more about that below.

And feel free to let us know the results; good or bad news, it will probably help assure a lot of other fans and give them more of a clear idea of what they need to do. (Like, they might need to re-order the regular edition, because many people canceled their normal pre-order to get the Limited Edition)

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Now, I'm going to post more about this below but, first, if you use Facebook, go to our group here and check out the posts and comments: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NoA-Please-bring-us-Hyrule-Historia-in-English/316841885016483

It's where people are posting about it, and where I'm staying more up to date (The admin posts there are by me and I try to make sure the info I post under the group's name is confirmed, or I will say otherwise)

Here is the original blog post by Dark Horse saying which stores would be getting copies of the Limited Edition Hyrule Historia. http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1195/hyrule-historia-limited-edition and here is what they said:


"The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Collector’s Edition is on sale February 12th, 2013 for $69.99 and will be available in limited quantities at the following retailers:
- Nintendo World Store
- Think Geek
- Things From Another World
- Forbidden Planet UK
- PBM (Holland)
- Amazon.com
- Barnes & Noble (online)
Additionally, this book can be preordered from your local comic shop. Call them today and reserve your copy! To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit ComicShopLocator.com."

Notice that last part: That might be your saving grace. Dark Horse does love actual Comic Book shops, so I really do think there's a chance they allocated a number for special orders coming in from brick & mortar comic book stores. Call your local one up and see if they can get you a copy.

Also, and I'm saying this only out of past experience with other special order items: if you ordered from an online store that is not on that above list from Dark Horse, please be semi-skeptical of your order and check in on it. If it were me, I would not think it would be honored, especially since some are promising things that sound too good to be true. Dark Horse was oddly specific with where copies were going; I don't see why an unnamed online store would be getting them in. But, on the other hand, I am also not familiar with some of the web-shops people are saying they've used; and maybe those places ARE just really good about securing pre-orders. (That can often be the case & you'd know your online shops better than me.)

I posted about this a few days ago but, again, if your order was canceled on you or you did not get an order in, all I can think of is that: Some of the stores Dark Horse listed as having been promised copies have not seemed to offer them for sale yet. This is what I said: "Amazon.com appears to have sold out on day 1. Barnes and Noble: late on day 1, or day 2. TFAW: Day 3 (today.) Nintendo World Store does not do online or phone orders, and I can't assume how to purchase in the store since the book is not out until next year. I can not find a listing for Hyrule Historia on Think Geek, Forbidden Planet UK, or PBM- (Please feel free to double check, I can miss things) which are the other stores Dark Horse mentioned would be getting copies. This may mean they have not tried to sell their copies yet; so you may have more opportunities to purchase the book (outside of ebay.)" And, again, keep the comic book store option in mind.

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Here's one of my older Facebook posts on the matter that also helps explain what is going on:
Yes; we're hearing that Amazon.ca canceled the Limited Edition orders on people. I don't know if this is for everyone who ordered from them, or just a few people. If you know of other cancellations, please let us know! If you ordered from Amazon.ca and DID NOT get a cancellation email, please let us know too. Keep in mind: This is for the special edition, not the regular one that's been for pre-order for a while. (There's no reason to think that one would be canceled, sounds like they're making a butt-load of those.) Brandi shared with us the letter Amazon.CA is sending out for the Limited Edition cancellation, it reads: "We're sorry to report the release of the following item has been cancelled:

Shigeru Miyamoto, et al "The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Limited Collector's Edition"

Although we'd expected to be able to send this item to you, we've since found it won't be released after all. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience we've caused you."

Again, as far as I know: Even though it says "won't be released at all" this is ONLY for people who ordered from Amazon's CANADIAN branch. There's no reason at all, right now, to think that the book pre-orders have been canceled for anyone else. Dark Horse has been very clear about their release of this product, even making a video for it. We know that Dark Horse (the publisher) said certain stores would be getting a certain number of copies each. Amazon WAS one of these stores, but it was Amazon.com not Amazon.ca. This may be the important detail. I think it shouldn't make a difference but, my assumption would be that, they may have just listed it on Amazon.ca because there was a listing for them on Amazon.com; not knowing that it was in such limited supply: so they've had to back-track. That is technically an assumption on my part, but it's my best one at this point based on all the dealings I've had with publishers and just ordering from Amazon throughout the years. But, yes, please let us know if you also get a cancellation notification, and where it was from- Even if just so other fans can know what to expect. Or, if you talk to one of these companies, let us know what they told you.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Dark Horse: Confirmed 276 Pages for ALL English Versions of Hyrule Historia




Finally an official response that sounds like they checked and confirms it for sure! -This was in regards to the rumor that the Special Edition version had less pages"

Dark Horse Comics: "The Editor assures us that both versions have 276 pages. When we first solicited the book to retailers and the book market we were given a less definitive answer on final page count and now we're trying to bring all retailers to the same page count."

Monday, November 26, 2012

New, Limited Edition, Version for Hyrule Historia (UPDATES)

UPDATE 4: Some orders were canceled. Please stay calm, (it's isolated!) but check out this thread for more info.

The Faux-Leather Cover for the Limited Edition
More Info from Dark Horse Here

Limited to 4,000 Copies
Shopping Links: TFAWBarnes and NobleAmazon

Other shops? Nintendo World Store, Think Geek, Forbidden Planet UK, PBM (Holland)

Keep in mind this response from Dark Horse: "B&N will get 500 Copies and it's up to them how they sell those. However, if for whatever reason B&N doesn't work out the following retailers will also have copies. This is a Limited Edition and we have to be fair to as many retailers as we can who want to sell the book."

"The limited edition of Hyrule Historia looks like it could have been pulled off the shelf of one of the sages in Hyrule. The faux-leather hardcover bears the symbol of the Gate of Time, debossed, on the cover, and gold gilded pages. The limited collector's edition of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia is perfect for the hardcore The Legend of Zelda fan "

Update: Please don't freak out about the page-count yet. Both versions are consistent in page count on Darkhorse's page (the publisher) and their shop (TFAW) and that has ALWAYS conflicted with what other stores have listed as the page count. Please see my past posts on the matter. Example: DH-LE: 248, DH-S: 248, TFAW-LE: 248, TFAW-S: 248, so I do not believe any rumor that the Limited Edition will have fewer pages. But, please, try to get Darkhorse & TFAW to comment. I've been trying for ages to no avail, except from the wonderfully nice editor that assured me it would all be in there a while back.


UPDATE:
Confirmation! So, after pestering them, and contacting the editor again making him aware that the issue had become an issue on many fan sites, Dark Horse issued a statement that sounds like they finally checked and confirms it for sure! -This was in regards to the rumor that the Special Edition version had less pages.

Dark Horse Comics: "The Editor assures us that both versions have 276 pages. When we first solicited the book to retailers and the book market we were given a less definitive answer on final page count and now we're trying to bring all retailers to the same page count."

UPDATE 2:
After months, it appears they have finally updated the page count on most of the shop listings.

UPDATE 3:
The Limited Edition of Hyrule Historia seems to have sold out at the 3 stores that I could find online links for. This means: If you do not see a "purchase" option at a store, or you only see something like a "notify me when this product becomes available"  -Then they are probably sold out! It sounds like each store only got a set amount, such as a limit of 500 copies. Amazon appears to have sold out on day 1. Barnes and Noble: late on day 1, or day 2. TFAW: Day 3 (today.) Nintendo World Store does not do online or phone orders, and I can't assume how to purchase in the store since the book is not out until next year. I can not find a listing for Hyrule Historia on Think Geek, Forbidden Planet UK, or PBM- (Please feel free to double check, I can miss things) which are the other stores Dark Horse mentioned would be getting copies. This may mean they have not tried to sell their copies yet; so you may have more opportunities to purchase the book (outside of ebay.) Please DO keep in mind that the regular edition of Hyrule Historia, which has the exact same content (and, arguably, a prettier cover- green instead brown) is STILL for pre-order and I have seen no indication that it will be limited in number in any way. I'm sure they'll keep doing print runs for as long as people want it. :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Hyrule Histroia Information (Purchasing and Release Dates)

If you would like more detailed info, check out the old Hyrule Historia Info Post and the Hyrule Historia Tag.

What is "Hyrule Historia?"
It's a book, officially released by Nintendo, that covers the whole Legend of Zelda series: from the original game up to Skyward Sword. Basically half of the book is timeline and story information, the other half is concept art from almost all these games. It also includes interviews and other information. The book's Editor is one of the series' main creators, Eiji Aonuma. It also includes a 32 page comic, a "prequel to Skyward Sword" if you will, which was done by the current manga-ka's for the series: Akira Himekawa.

Peek Inside the Japanese Versionhere's a released page in English, and here's the Skyward Sword Prequel manga.


Basic Information on the History of the Book's Release:
There is a Japanese version of the book that came first. In December of 2011 it was available for pre-order (Japan only.) Many fans thought it would be a limited edition run for the 25th anniversary of Zelda. The pre-order sold out instantly. After a long wait, more copies were printed; it can no longer be considered a limited run. The book is still currently available in Japanese. (The end of the post has info on purchasing the Japanese version)

Eventually, Nintendo of America approached Darkhorse (Comics/Publishing) and they agreed to bring it out in English. You can pre-order the English version now. The release date is/was January 29, 2013 for most shops.

A Note: It looks like the release date is being moved around a little bit by the publisher's shop. I would not be worried about this at all: I'm just thinking that this might mean newer orders might be shipped a little bit later due to demand. I could also be wrong and/or they could just have the wrong info listed. If you pre-ordered it from TFAW, the publisher's store, a while back: you got a slightly earlier release date of January 16, 2013. They now have a release date of February 12, 2013So... I'm basically just saying I'm not sure how this affects orders or orders made on other shops.

Explanation of the Covers:
There are 3 4 covers that you might see. This is what they are so there's no confusion as to what is what:



Limited Edition's Cover:
The Limited Edition English Version is a newer development. You can find info on that version of the book  at this link.



Where to Buy the English Version:
(cost and release dates usually vary from shop to shop and country to country.)
Note: We do not currently know if it will be localized into languages other than English. But, the English version IS available in other countries. The English version is the same version of the book no matter which country you buy it in. I will provide shopping links below. (If you know of good shops for other countries, please email me the links (or leave them in the comments) so I can add them to this list.)

The base price/list price is $34.99 USD. (Many shops have a great discount price on the pre-orders.) The ISBN in every country is 978-1-61655-041-7. It's hardcover, 9x12 inches, full color, the cover is stamped foil, and it's a total of 276 pages. 

The page count varies on different sites.* (this is old info; see the update just below this paragraph) Just know that I've checked with the Editor of the book for the English version and that he's confirmed that it should have all the same stuff the Japanese version has. The Japanese version has 272 pages. So it will at least have 270 pages. If you see 280 pages listed for the English one: those may be filler pages or .. it may have slightly more content? I can't really speculate on that much. I don't know why some shops have 280 pages listed. If you see 248 pages, that is an OLD number that they have forgotten to update on their shop: again, that is a confirmed fact from the book's Editor.

*Update: I was right ;)
Dark Horse Comics: "The Editor assures us that both versions have 276 pages. When we first solicited the book to retailers and the book market we were given a less definitive answer on final page count and now we're trying to bring all retailers to the same page count."

-- Amazon
-- Walmart

 Canada

 The UK




 Italy

 Australia
-- ??? Until I know more, just do an ISBN search on AU bookstores.

 Mexico
-- ??? Until I know more, just do an ISBN search on local bookstores.


Ordering "Offline" and Other Importing Methods:
You can also ALWAYS call a bookstore in your town and see if they can order it/import it for you. For example: Kinokuniya is very reputable, I use them a lot, and they have many world-wide locations. I call them when I use them, but you can probably email them too.

Note: Glitterberri, a fan-translator for the Legend of Zelda series, is helping with the localization. (So, yes, someone who is very familiar with the series will be working on the English version.)


Read it in Other Languages:
Since the English release is pending, I will not be posting links to English fan-localization efforts on this page. Until there is release info for other languages, I will provide links to fan translations for any other language. If you know of other sites with translations, please email me the links (or leave them in the comments) so I can add them to this list.

German:

Spanish:

French:


  Info for purchasing the original Japanese version:
This is the original version of the book that was released in Japan and is in Japanese. This is NOT the english version I've posted info for above.

Purchase: Amazon.co.jp has (expensive) international shipping
Purchase: Shogakukan, the book's publisher, only ships within Japan but, if it's in stock at the publisher's shop, THEN many local bookstores, like Kinokuniya, can import it for you.  The shipping should be much cheaper this way. Kinokuniya also, very often, has it in stock on their shelves in their actual stores. That means NO shipping fee.

Currently IN 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: 272 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 (roughly $40.00)

Note: The Japanese version is actually slightly smaller in size (dimensions) than the English one.This means that there's not much of a reason you would need to worry about buying the Japanese one unless you're just a collector. I do not know what the difference in print quality will be like yet though, I'm just hoping the English one will use even better paper-stock & printing. 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Official English Hyrule Historia Cover Released



I saw this so much earlier today on Facebook (thank you yet again Feri!) but I didn't have time to look into it so I figured it was just something a fan had made. But, it's official. Anyway, I love it, I wanted it to look more like the Book of Mudora, so I'm super thrilled it's green and gold, ...and I wish I had time to post more: via Darkhorse via IGN 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

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.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

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.

Friday, August 17, 2012

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

***

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!

***

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!"

***

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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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.


***

International Release Info from my main page for it:

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. 

***

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

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 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.

***

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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Amazon's United States Pre-oder "Guarantee on Price," copied from their site:

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Pre-order Price Guarantee! Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you'll receive the lowest price. Here's how (restrictions apply)
  • "Here's How:" Pre-order Price Guarantee
    Amazon.com's price for not-yet-released items sometimes changes between the time the item is listed for sale and the time it is released and shipped. Whenever you pre-order a book, CD, video, DVD, software, or video game, the price we charge when we ship it to you will be the lowest price offered by Amazon.com between the time you placed your order and the end of the day of the release date. A pre-order price guarantee message will appear on your Order Summary during the checkout process. If you use 1-Click ordering, pre-order price protection will be automatically applied. The order summary in Your Account will reflect the lowest price within 24 hours of the price change.
    Terms and Conditions:
    • Pre-order Price Guarantee applies only to items sold by Amazon.com, and not to items (or prices) offered by other sellers on our site. Does not apply to any products purchased at Amazon.com's other sites, including Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.co.jp, Amazon.ca, or any other web site operated by Amazon.com or its affiliates.
    • Pre-order Price Guarantee applies only to not-yet-released books, CDs, videos, DVDs, software, and video games sold by Amazon.com. It does not apply to other product lines or to items that have already been released.
    • Pre-order Price Guarantee applies only to qualifying items displaying the offer message on their product detail pages. Items that do not display the offer message do not qualify, regardless of the nature of the items.
    • If your order enters the shipping process before the release date and the price is lowered before the end of the day of the release date, we will automatically refund your credit card for the difference between the price you were charged and the release-date price. If you did not use a credit card to pay for your order, please contact Customer Service.



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

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. [...]

***END INSERT***

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Hyrule Historia English Preorder Info:

Hyrule Historia in English! (updated)

IGN is saying it's confirmed through Darkhorse!
*crosses fingers*




UPDATES!
First, let's see if we can get 10,000 people to like this page JUST to show Darkhorse how happy they're about to be for publishing this book for us. It's very close: ZELDA FANS UNITE!

* There are plans for it to come to USA, (Darkhorse most likely covers Canada,), UK, Australia, UK, and parts of Europe.


"Hyrule Historia" info Via "ZeldaDungeon" and the English Publisher for "Darkhorse" "Diamond Book Distributors:"
"ISBN-13: 978-1-61655-041-7
Price: $34.99 ($38.99 CAN)
Publisher: Dark Horse
Imprint: Dark Horse Books
Writer: Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma
Artist: 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."




Wednesday, April 11, 2012

#HyruleHistora

Someone got a response from Nintendo of America's customer service about Hyrule Historia. It's kind of whatever. I don't think it means much and I'd rather take it as a challenge to get it through that we really want this book! We do, right? Let's go for it!

How you can help on Facebook:
First join this Facebook page so we can show exactly how many fans want it.



Then let Viz know! Viz Media is, supposedly, owned in part by Shogakukan. They published the book. So, (just like the Zelda manga) if anyone is to release it in English, it would probably be Viz. Let's try to get their attention. Post about it on their facebook page.



How you can help on Twitter:
#HyruleHistoria @VIZMedia and @NintendoAmerica & send them a link to this Facebook Page so they can see how many of us there are!

And if you want to do anything else: write other divisions, plead more personally to Nintendo in an email, then please go do it!

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Speaking of the book, it's IN STOCK on Amazon Japan again. They do ship internationally, but it will almost double the price of the book from $40 to nearly $80. If you can't pay that much: You can try ordering it from a bookstore like Kinokuniya. That will mean that there is only domestic shipping to pay for, or NO shipping fee at all if you can pick it up at one of their locations. Just get them this info: Hyrule Historia, ISBN-13: 978-4092271593 by Shogakukan. They're very reputable, I've dealt with them for years. They will at least let you know if they can't get it for you and it shouldn't be like the Play-Asia debacle.

[a huge thanks to Jonathan for writing the letter and motivating me again!]