A Stroke of the Pen
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  • Published: 3 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9780857529640
  • Imprint: Doubleday
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $32.99

A Stroke of the Pen

The Lost Stories

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
3 Oct 2023
EBook
5 Oct 2023
Audiobook
5 Oct 2023
Hardback
5 Nov 2023
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A beautifully packaged, illustrated collection of twenty rediscovered early short stories by award-winning and bestselling author, Sir Terry Pratchett.

A truly unmissable, beautifully illustrated collection of unearthed stories from the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett: award-winning and bestselling author, and creator of the phenomenally successful Discworld series.

Twenty early short stories by one of the world's best loved authors, each accompanied by exquisite original woodcut illustrations.

These are rediscovered tales that Pratchett wrote under a pseudonym for newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. Whilst none are set in the Discworld, they hint towards the world he would go on to create, containing all of his trademark wit, satirical wisdom and fantastic imagination.

Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Ministry of Nuisances with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and go on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork...

A STROKE OF THE PEN is a must-have collection for fans of all ages.
  • Published: 3 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9780857529640
  • Imprint: Doubleday
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $32.99
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About the author

Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal, as well as being awarded a knighthood for services to literature. He died in March 2015.

terrypratchett.co.uk

portrait photo of Terry Pratchett

Also by Terry Pratchett

Good Omens
I Shall Wear Midnight
The Shepherd's Crown
The Wee Free Men
A Hat Full of Sky
Wintersmith
The Time-travelling Caveman
See all

Praise for A Stroke of the Pen

This delightful collection is inventive, entertaining and a little quirky, often with a twisty end… a fun read… The wit, wisdom and intelligence are interspersed with a lively dose of naivete, with entertaining results.

Independent

This delightful collection is inventive, entertaining and a little quirky, often with a twisty end… a fun read… The wit, wisdom and intelligence are interspersed with a lively dose of naivete, with entertaining results.

Independent

Expect comic fantastical fragments riffing on everything from cave people to Father Christmas.

Guardian, Best Books for Autumn

Expect comic fantastical fragments riffing on everything from cave people to Father Christmas.

Guardian, Best Books for Autumn

You always feel the push of the inimitable Pratchett behind them — funny, sharp, warm, wise and always so, so readable

Daily Mail

You always feel the push of the inimitable Pratchett behind them — funny, sharp, warm, wise and always so, so readable

Daily Mail

One for the completists

SFX

One for the completists

SFX

Biggest books for autumn

The Times

Biggest books for autumn

The Times

A treasure trove glittering with lost gems

Financial Times

A treasure trove glittering with lost gems

Financial Times

This delightful collection is inventive, entertaining and a little quirky, often with a twisty end

Press Association

This delightful collection is inventive, entertaining and a little quirky, often with a twisty end

Press Association

A new Pratchett! Clear the bestseller decks: this book is heading for the top.

Guardian

A new Pratchett! Clear the bestseller decks: this book is heading for the top.

Guardian

Terry Pratchett’s short tales from the 70s and 80s reveal a young talent bursting with invention and wit… there’s much here to delight the open-minded, the fantasy aficionado and the Pratchett completist

Observer

Terry Pratchett’s short tales from the 70s and 80s reveal a young talent bursting with invention and wit… there’s much here to delight the open-minded, the fantasy aficionado and the Pratchett completist

Observer

Funny, fantastical and slyly smart

Mail on Sunday

Funny, fantastical and slyly smart

Mail on Sunday

The wit, wisdom and intelligence are interspersed with a lively dose of naivety, with entertaining results

Herald

The wit, wisdom and intelligence are interspersed with a lively dose of naivety, with entertaining results

Herald

A Stroke of the Pen shows [Pratchett] at a stage when he was stopping at the first or second tree. Soon he would plunge into the forest

The Sunday Times

A Stroke of the Pen shows [Pratchett] at a stage when he was stopping at the first or second tree. Soon he would plunge into the forest

The Sunday Times

Shows the beginnings of one of the UK’s best fantasy writers… A treat for seasoned fans and newcomers

The Sun, Pick of the Week *****

Shows the beginnings of one of the UK’s best fantasy writers… A treat for seasoned fans and newcomers

The Sun, Pick of the Week *****

Enjoyable literary bonbons

i Paper

Enjoyable literary bonbons

i Paper

Delicious, bite-sized stories

My Weekly

Delicious, bite-sized stories

My Weekly