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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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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PRE-ORDER: Ships January 16 or 29, 2013
Hardback: 272 pages (confirmed by editor)
Product Dimensions: 9x12 inches
PRE-ORDER: Ships January 29, 2013
Hardback: 272 pages (confirmed by editor)
ISBN-10: 1616550414 (same as US)
ISBN-13: 978-1616550417 (same as US)
Product Dimensions: 9x12 inches
List Price: 38.99 CDN
PRE-ORDER: Ships January 29, 2013
Hardback: 272 pages (confirmed by editor)
ISBN-10: 1616550414 (same as US)
ISBN-13: 978-1616550417 (same as US)
Product Dimensions: 9x12 inches
Japanese Title: ハイラル・ヒストリア ゼルダの伝説 大全: 任天堂
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. :)
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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.
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.
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- 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:
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:
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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!
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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Canada: Amazon.com
UK: Amazon.com
Japan: Amazon.co.jp 
US: