August 1 marks the 20th anniversary of George R.R. Martin's first A Song of Ice and Fire novel, A Game of Thrones . To celebrate its life and success, publisher Bantam Spectra and Martin have announced the publication of a special, illustrated edition of the novel.

<em>via <a href="http://grrm.livejournal.com/496185.html" target="_blank">George R.R. Martin and Bantam</a></em>

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A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition will naturally have the same story as the originally released book, but the publisher has added a host of new touches — comedian John Hodgman has written a new introduction, while a total of 73 black and white illustrations, and 8 full color pieces, will be included in the new edition. Martin wrote about the upcoming edition on his blog , reminiscing about when the first book in the series debuted and the unexpected growth of the series to its present-day standing.Some of the illustrations are taken from elsewhere, like the Ice & Fire calendars or Game of Thrones card and board games, but 38 of the pieces are entirely new and never-before-seen."With gorgeous full-page illustrations to open every chapter, the mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure of this magnificent saga come to life as never before," according to the Bantam press release.There's a huge list of participating artists, which includes the likes of John Picacio, Paul Youll, Gary Gianni, Didier Graffet, Victor Moreno, Michael Komarck, Arantza Sestayo, Magali Villeneuve, Ted Nasmith, Levi Pinfold, and Marc Simonetti.A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition will be available October 18.Martin hasn't offered any update on The Winds of Winter , but in May, the writer offered a sneak peek at an excerpt from the novel. HBO also recently provided an update about the ongoing adaptation of Martin's novels, noting that the series will conclude with the eighth season

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