Friday, June 08, 2007

Deluxe edition cover art!

Oh my goodness, we finally have Deluxe edition (U.S.) cover art!

Later edit:
I have been reading some wonderfully creative theories! My own contribution to the nuttiness is in the comments.

From the Scholastic Press Release: David Saylor, Vice President, Creative Director, Scholastic described the art as:

Set during a highly dramatic sunset, Harry, Hermione, and Ron–clothes in tatters–cling atop a flying dragon in this astonishing artwork created by Mary GrandPre for the deluxe edition. As mist creeps down towering hillsides to a village below, questions arise about where the trio is headed and what has led them to this spellbinding moment.


The covers were revealed this morning by Arthur A. Levine on the Today Show (NBC). According to their webpage, "Arthur said the image on the cover is one of his favorite scenes in the book and he specifically asked that it be the image of the deluxe cover."

Usually there is also bonus art inside the deluxe edition. According to the press release, Here’s what we still haven’t seen yet:

* never-before-seen full color frontispiece art on special paper.
* "Illustration Showcase" insert that features near scale reproductions of Mary GrandPre's chapter openers
* bonus black-and-white illustration that appears at the end of the "Illustration Showcase"

The deluxe edition will be a total of 816 pages; the suggested retail price is $65.00 and the print run will be 100,000 copies.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

But share your theories, Lisa! :) I'm sure you have tons!

I don't understand the discussion about if the dragon is Norbert: I am sure it is an Antipodean Opaleye. And thanks they have said it is the trio! If not, we would be now discussing about if he is Draco, she is Ginny or a new character :P

Unknown said...

Penny over at HP Prognostications has suggested that the dragon is Draco as an animagus, and that got me thinking -- the animagus twist would explain why the dragon is friendly.

So, what if Hagrid got his dragon after all? What if a certain opal-wearing giantess is an opal-eyed dragon animagus? They will probably see Mme. Maxime at Bill & Fleur's wedding. the Animagus theory would also explain why the dragon doesn't really look like any of the ones listed in Fantastic Beasts.

Heh. You wanted my theory. I don't normally indulge in ones that are off the wall, but this cover is such a shock that anything seems possible.

Regarding Norbert, I can argue both ways. On one hand, the landscape looks Norwegian, and we have only seen drawings of Norbert as a baby. However, GrandPre has drawn him accurately before so I don't see why she would stop now -- and this dragon doesn't have a large enough ridge on its back. GrandPre's artwork is somewhat abstract, but I can't think of any time when she has strayed from the text.

This dragon looks Chinese to me (the snout, the head fringe, the beard), but the coloring is wrong; it seems closest to an Antipodean Opaleye.

Anonymous said...

okay, i totally forgot... if you're an animagus, it's possible to turn into a magical creature, or just a regular creature? what about patroni? can a patronus be a magical creature? sorry if my questions diverged from the topic a bit. :)

i like your theory, Lisa. really really interesting. i forgot Madame Maxime loved to wear opals!

Unknown said...

I have *no* idea if people can have a magical animagus. I don't believe that Jo has said either way.

I may abandon my Maxime theory though. I am getting more convinced it is Aberforth because of the connection between Opaleyes and goats.

Anonymous said...

Oh my God :-s I hadn't connected the Opaleye thing with Aberforth's goats. casual or intencionally?

I can't believe we are so close to the end... I didn't believe in the Animago's theory, but the goat thing has make me thing...

Anyways... a Patronus CAN be a magical creature. Look Dumbledore's Patronus, a phoenix. But all the animagos we know are common animals :s

Now I am confussed! :P