Why Terry Pratchett Will Always Be Brilliant & Relevant
by Marc Burrows
In the autumn of 1983 a mere 500 copies of the new book by a largely unknown author called Terry Pratchett hit a small number of shops and libraries across the UK. It was called The Colour of Magic, and 500 copies was all that publishers Colin Smythe Ltd, a small company based out of Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire, had printed up for the home market. Pratchett’s previous releases, The Carpet People in 1971, Dark Side of the Sun in 1975 and Strata in 1981 had all been well received by critics, but their sales could generously be described as “modest”.
