A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One (A Song of Ice and Fire Illustrated Edition)

I love it. In fact, I'm smitten. There is only one flaw in the book, as far as I can tell, and it is the fact that many of the illustrated pages are printed greyscale. I feel like 3/5 are greyscale. It's only one fault, but it grates my nerves. This is a collector's edition, and they took the time to give you these beautiful illustrations, but you can't fully appreciate some of the illustrations, because some of the details are lost without color. Some sigils might be hard to see, or house colors are impossible to figure out since they are shown in blacks, greys, and whites.This works against the placement of the illustrated pages, since the scenes pictured aren't necessarily happening on the page they're paired with. They just relate to that particular chapter. I'm assuming they did it to keep the cost down, but if that is the case, then why not provide the option to buy a more expensive, fully-colored version? That being said, I do appreciate the fair cost of this current book. You get your money's worth for the price. I would just like the option for the fully colored version.The reason above is the only thing that made me hesitate on giving this book 5 stars. I still fully recommend that everyone buy it. The illustrations are gorgeous. Gorgeous. And they fit the descriptions in the book alot more accurately, which is even more amazing since the illustrations were done by different people. I counted at least 4 different painting styles. All of the paintings beautifully captured the characters and various moments in the book.This book is still the well-written masterpiece by George Martin, only it now has a beautiful hardback cover (the best cover out of the ones available, in my opinion). If you don't own a copy of Game of Thrones, this is the one to buy. And if you do own a copy of Game of Thrones, I think you will still enjoy owning this book. Gift your old copy to a friend who has yet to discover the magic of Westeros, and pick up this version. It's definitely worth it.

This book is beautiful, and the colors are vibrant. It arrived in perfect condition. I will say though that i wished i knew beforehand that the quality of the other illustrated versions of the series went downhill after the first book. In book 3 a storm of swords the illustrations are just really bad, and you can't tell who it is or what's going on and they are not in color. The illustrated edition of a feast for crows and a dance with dragons are not available (at least from amazon). So, if you are looking to get a whole matching set of the series i wouldn't get the illustrated versions and probably just buy the whole set. I was new to the series and thought i would buy the books as i read them but since the illustrated versions aren't available after book 3 they are not going to sit pretty together on my shelf.

What a story GRRM brings to life.I was brought to the book by the HBO series and the books more than hold up.A fantastic read!

I just love how soft the pages feel. And the illustrations are beautiful. I wanted an edition that wasn’t just newspaper pages with the story but a real beautiful edition. And this is it

I love the way this book looks and feels. I have the collection in paperback, but I am old and the words are so small. The font in this one is the right size for me to read without any problems.

Absolutely enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an epic fantasy story. Exceptionally easy to follow and read.

I have tried to read the series for a few years now and always have struggled with seeing the actors in my head and the settings from the show. I was determined to find a way to get fully immersed in the books to read "the true story". The show was excellent but Martin crafted this story with his own two hands, and his hands alone. I was not able to immerse myself in the audio books or the eBook. I stumbled upon this version and thought that the hard copy would help me read this series that I love so much. The illustrated version is an experience. It helps see past the show and see the story and charters how they were meant to be. I was really able to get myself fully immersed in the story with the help of the wonderful art throughout the book. I can not wait for the second books illustrated edition to come out!

This is an excellent gift for any fan of the books! I thought there were plenty of illustrations, though some are placed in odd locations within the story content, but my two main quibbles are 1) the sticker on the back and 2) the red title band that wraps around the cover. The sticker is removable but of course leaves a residue behind - for those who don't know, after carefully removing the sticker and any paper bits left behind, use a very small amount (nickel-size) of olive oil on a paper towel and wipe over the residue using a little pressure to remove the residue. Then use another paper towel very slightly damp and wipe off the remaining olive oil. Wiping in small circles with a little bit of pressure works best. You can probably get some kind of cleaner for this but I was worried anything like that might damage the cover. Olive oil does the job with no damage, just don't get it inside the book!As to the red band, enh, not aesthetically in-line with the rest of the cover really. The cover has an old-world feel but the red band is decidedly modern, so it clashes. It's a small thing but it does spoil the presentation, IMO. Maybe future versions will be modified.

Friend loves it

The book has black and white illustrations at the start of every chapter. A few coloured illustrations are sprinkled around but there aren't many. This book is better than the illustrated editions that followed it.

Es una edición muy cuidada y bonita. Me encantaron las ilustraciones, tanto las que vienen en blanco y negro en cada capítulo como las a color. Vale la pena la compra si eres un gran fan de Game of Thrones y más si lo quieres leer en inglés también.

A edição é realmente muito bonita. Livro em capa dura e tamanho adequado para leitura dá um gosto a mais à leitura; e com essas imagens fica ainda mais empolgante. Infelizmente, como na imagem, a folha do final do livro veio colada na capa e acabou que danificou ambas.. acontece.. visivelmente é culpa de quem colou. Mas no mais EXCELENTE em todos os quesitos. Vale a pena para fãs que apreciam uma boa qualidade de livro e leitura!

J’ai cherché des photos de cette édition sur internet avant d’effectuer mon achat, afin de voir si ça valait la peine. Le rêve qu’on m’a vendu sur Google: une couverture effet cuir, l’espèce de rectangle rouge (« grrm / a game of thrones / the illustrated edition ») retirable comme une couverture en papier classique, l’extérieur des pages ayant un effet doré dessus. La décevante realité: pas d’effet doré, une couverture épaisse et avec un peu de relief, ce qui est assez cool, mais le fameux rectangle rouge ne se retire en fait pas du tout! Il fait partie de la couverture. C’est extrêmement laid et donne l’impression de tenir en main une photocopie cheap de la vraie édition spéciale. Étant donné que la plupart d’entre nous achètent cette édition pour des raisons esthétiques, c’est très décevant...Les cartes en couleur et certaines illustrations sont sympa (raison pour laquelle je donne deux étoiles au lieu d’une), mais ça s’arrête là. Autant vendre juste un album avec les illustrations plutôt que cette parodie...