We are a little late in getting this story to everyone, but we can only report news as we are able to find it. We recently obtained some information in regards to the US release of the upcoming historical publication known as “The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia”. For those that have not yet heard about the book, it was a publication that was originally released in Japan about a year ago, that is getting a release in North America in a few weeks. Not only that, but there is a special edition in the works as well. Details about the actual book, production history and how to place your order are below the cut, so if you are a Zelda fan, you’ll definitely want to check it out.

“The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia” is a page book that features official Legend of Zelda artwork as well as a complete history of the entire Zelda universe. The book was originally published in Japan on December 21, 2011 by Shogakukan Publications. Starting with an introduction by Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary producer and video game designer of popular Nintendo franchises such as Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong and The Legend Of Zelda, the book is divided into three sections. The first section is called “The Origin Story”, and it describes the events that were covered in Skyward Sword in complete and exquisite detail. The second segment is known as “A Complete History of Hyrule”, which takes a look and gives a complete overview of the storyline of each game individual game program. This section also suggests a complete Zelda Timeline, including some clarification about the confusion the placement of certain games in the franchise. (That is most definitely worth the price of admission alone!) The remainder of the book is a plethora of artwork spanning the 25 years of the franchise, and it shines as it contains concept artwork that has never been seen by the public before, including the development of the character Link in the Twilight Princess game. It also features 32 pages of the Skyward Sword manga by Akira Himekawa.

Dark Horse Books worked with Nintendo to bring this book to the masses, and when the 273 page book finally gets released in North America, it will actually be available in two different editions. The standard edition is a hardcover offering, featuring a very attractive green cover, that is bound to make even the most die hard fans of the series fall in love all over again. So much so in fact, that the book is currently in the top 175 Amazon Best Sellers Ranking as of this writing. This standard edition carries the ISBN numbers of 1616550414 and 978-1616550417.

But where the book really shines is in its limited edition offering. While the content inside of the book is exactly the same as the standard version, the external presentation is certainly worthy of writing home about. The faux leather hardcover binding features the symbols of the Gate of Time, debossed, on the cover, and gold gilded pages. This limited edition offering is only going to have a small number of physical publications, 4000 in total to be exact. So you will definitely want to act as fast as you can to pre-order your copy when it becomes available. This limited edition carried the ISBN numbers of 1616551615 and 978-1616551612.

The standard edition is scheduled to be available for purchase on January 29, 2013, and will have a list price is $34.99. Currently, the book is available for pre-order from Amazon at the discounted price of just $19.43, but it is unknown how long that price will last. The limited edition is scheduled to be shipped on February 12, 2013, and will have a list price of $69.99. At this time, the book is not available for pre-order, but you can sign up via Amazon to receive word on exactly when you can place your order, which is highly recommended, considering the limited number of copies being published.

Amazon Link For Standard Edition:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Legend-Zelda-Hyrule-Historia/dp/1616550414

Amazon Sign Up Link For Limited Edition:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Legend-Zelda-Historia-Collectors/dp/1616551615/

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