Awhile back, we told you about the incredible-looking 272-page hardcover book called The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia that was released in Japan earlier this year… but had since been slated for its own North American release.
The book is now scheduled on Amazon.com to ship on January 29th, 2013, though the pre-orders for the book have still been enormously successful and have shot it to the top of the Amazon bestseller chart. Now that the release date for this book is swinging closer, Dark Horse Books has confirmed that the Western edition will have a new cover on release.
Speaking to IGN, Dark Horse editor Patrick Thorpe had this to say about the change:
“This is the official cover for the North American version of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia. The logo and gold colored design elements will be gold foil stamped. The large symbol on the cover is the Gate of Time from Skyward Sword. We felt that it was appropriate for a number of reasons. Hyrule Historia is a history book, not only about the development of the games, but the history of Hyrule as well. We wanted the reader to feel like they were stepping through the gate, back in time, and experiencing all aspects of the Legend of Zelda. As keen-eyed Zelda fans will tell you, the three symbols surrounding the triforce are the symbols of the three goddesses who… well, I’ll let you read the book to find out their signifance. But we loved the gate’s symbol because it is fraught with meaning, much of which is explained in different sections of the book, and appear again and again throughout the series. One of the other reasons is that there are Skyward Sword sections that bookend Hyrule Historia. It felt appropriate to put a symbol from the 25th anniversary game on the cover. I hope that you all like it as much as we do.”
And here’s the new trailer about the book!
