A stroke of the pen : the lost stories

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Title:

A stroke of the pen : the lost stories

Added Title:

How it all began...

Fossil beach.

Real wild west.

How Scrooge saw the spectral light (Ho! Ho! Ho!) and went happily back to Hamburg.

Wanted: a fat jolly man with a red woolly hat.

Partridge in a post box.

New Father Christmas.

Great Blackbury pie.

How Good King Wencesles went pop for the DJ's Feast of Stephen.

Dragon quest.

Gnomes from home.

From the horse's mouth.

Blackbury weather.

Blackbury jungle.

Haunted steamroller.

Money tree.

Blackbury thing.

Mr. Brown's holiday accident.

Pilgarlic towers.

Quest for the keys.

Author:

Pratchett, Terry, author.

Gaiman, Neil, writer of foreword.

Summary:

These rediscovered tales were written by Terry Pratchett under a pseudonym for British newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. The stories have never been attributed to him until now, and might never have been found—were it not for the efforts of a few dedicated fans. As Neil Gaiman writes in his introduction, “through all of these stories we watch young Terry Pratchett becoming Terry Pratchett.” Though none of the short works are set in the Discworld, all are infused with Pratchett's trademark wit, satirical wisdom, and brilliant imagination, hinting at the magical universe he would go on to create. 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 embark on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork . . . -- Amazon.

Edition:

First edition.

Contents:

How it all began... -- The fossil beach -- The real wild west -- How Scrooge saw the spectral light (Ho! Ho! Ho!) and went happily back to Hamburg -- Wanted: a fat jolly man with a red woolly hat -- A partridge in a post box -- The new Father Christmas -- The great Blackbury pie -- How Good King Wencesles went pop for the DJ's Feast of Stephen -- Dragon quest -- The gnomes from home -- From the horse's mouth -- Blackbury weather -- The Blackbury jungle -- The haunted steamroller -- The money tree -- The Blackbury thing -- Mr Brown's holiday accident -- Pilgarlic towers -- The quest for the keys -- The quest for the keys, by Pat and Jan Harkin.

Physical Description:

xv, 220 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Genre:

Short stories.

Christmas fiction.

Author(s):

Gaiman, Neil,

Publisher:

Harper,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9780063376199

9780063376205

Publication Information:

New York : Harper, 2023.

Call Number:

PRATCHETT

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003679811	New Adult Fiction	PRATCHETT Terry	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"If you read just one of Pratchett's books, you'll want to read everything he wrote. That now includes A Stroke of the Pen." -- Washington Post

A delightfully funny, fantastically inventive collection of twenty newly unearthed short stories by Sir Terry Pratchett, the award-winning and bestselling author of the phenomenally successful Discworld fantasy series. This special trove--featuring charming woodcut illustrations--is a must-have for Pratchett fans of all ages and includes a foreword by Neil Gaiman.

As Neil Gaiman writes in his introduction, "through all of these stories we watch young Terry Pratchett becoming Terry Pratchett." Though none of the short works are set in the Discworld, all are infused with Pratchett's trademark wit, satirical wisdom, and brilliant imagination, hinting at the magical universe he would go on to create.

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 embark on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork . . .

Irresistibly entertaining, A Stroke of the Pen is an essential collection from the great Sir Terry Pratchett, a "master storyteller" (A. S. Byatt) who "defies categorization" (The Times); a writer whose "novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies" (Independent UK).

Author Notes

Terry Pratchett was on born April 28, 1948 in Beaconsfield, United Kingdom. He left school at the age of 17 to work on his local paper, the Bucks Free Press. While with the Press, he took the National Council for the Training of Journalists proficiency class. He also worked for the Western Daily Press and the Bath Chronicle. He produced a series of cartoons for the monthly journal, Psychic Researcher, describing the goings-on at the government's fictional paranormal research establishment, Warlock Hall. In 1980, he was appointed publicity officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board with responsibility for three nuclear power stations.

His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. His first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. He became a full-time author in 1987. He wrote more than 70 books during his lifetime including The Dark Side of the Sun, Strata, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Mort, Sourcery, Truckers, Diggers, Wings, Dodger, Raising Steam, Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Tales, and The Shephard's Crown. He was diagnosis with early onset Alzheimer's disease in 2007. He was knighted for services to literature in 2009 and received the World Fantasy award for life achievement in 2010. He died on March 12, 2015 at the age of 66.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The late, great Sir Terry Pratchett (1948--2015) famously had his hard drive crushed by a steamroller after his death to prevent the posthumous publication of any unfinished work. Now, however, "uber-fans" Pat and Jan Harkin have unearthed a treasure trove of Pratchett's early writing published in the 1970s under the pseudonym Patrick Kearns. The result: a collection of 20 excellent, often laugh-out-loud early works. Pratchett's fans will be particularly delighted with "The Quest for the Keys," which contains the first mention of the Discworld series' Morpork, as well as the set of short stories focusing on Father Christmas leaving a job vacancy--"Wanted: A Fat, Jolly Man with a Red Woolly Hat" and "The New Father Christmas"--which will remind readers of Pratchett's Hogfather. The collection also includes a touching foreword from Pratchett's good friend and Good Omens collaborator Neil Gaiman, and a concludng essay from the Harkins explaining their methodology and their discoveries. Pratchett devotees will be moved and gratified by this unexpected gift and even casual readers will be utterly charmed. There isn't a bad story in the bunch. (Oct.)