The special edition book I desire the most is The Lords of Silence. I loved the story! Everything about it is TOP notch. I have it in hardcover and in the illustrated version. The special edition would be the showcase of my Black Library.
That’s a great grail to have! You haven’t set your sights low, that’s for sure, those tend to command a pretty penny on the secondary market and aren’t always easy to source even then,
I would have loved to get the "Space Wolf" special edition, I still have my 1st edition copy of the paperback from the 2000's I bought from Borders Books along with "Pawns of Chaos" at the time, its beautiful and would have looked great on my shelf if I could ever find a reasonable price lol
The Box Set is definitely a pricey option, but have you looked at the 20th Anniversary Edition? The books in that series all have a great aesthetic, and it’s probably a LOT less damaging to the wallet!
Wish I could get my hands on the special edition twice dead king box, that looked cool as hell, and necrons are one of my favorite races. Speaking of, bummed I wasn’t able to get the special edition wicked and warped, but I’m glad I got the hardcover at least
I wasn’t collecting the deluxes hard when that box came out, and kick myself for not getting it when I had the chance either! I’d love to see a Necron-themed Mega Limited Edition box, the ones with all the trinkets and display candy. The last one we got was Trollslayer, so I’m hopeful we’ll see a new one (Necron or otherwise) soon!
I don't wanna join the giveaway but I gotta drop, Daenyathos. Apperantly it had a special edition release way before I got into warhammer and it has so many illustrations in it. I guess you can even call it the first Illustrated edition.
I had to go look that one up, and it’s a beautiful edition! Limited to 1000 copies is pretty wild, too. Prices are all over the place, but looks like a couple can be grabbed for around USD $200. A nice grail to chase!
Yeah well I live in Türkiye so even if I can pay for that much (which I totally can because I'm wealthy) I'm still scared with the recent import laws. Apperantly they messed it up a lot which blocks the enterance of a lot of items. For example my friend wanted to send me a forge world resin Contemptor legion chest piece and it had to be shipped back because and I'm quoting the lady from the customs department "we don't accept toys anymore in shipping" from what little I understand apperantly books are fine but I don't wanna risk it you know.
Well done, you just sold me on it! Since Audible is in the last leg of a giant sale right now, that was an easy buy to make, too. I’d also love to see AoS get more special editions.
While I was lucky enough to get a copy of Rynn’s world even through the ‘rynns world disaster’ that occurred during the preorder, I was not lucky this weekend while trying to get the wicked and the warped.
My white whale from the BL would be the first ‘horus rising’ special edition thats limited to 1250 and signed… Horus rising has a deep emotional value to me, and one day I’ll shell out the 600 dollars or more and get one.
That’s a great one. Have you seen the Lodge Coins they made awhile back? Might be a nice accessory for the shelf while you wait to get that Horus. A nice coin holder is pretty cheap and really can class up a collectible.
I didn’t even know this was a thing! Now I have to plunder eBay in the hopes of finding them… I didn’t fully understand the weight behind the character of Garviel Loken until the series came to an end, and me damn near 20 years older. Be the voice of reason amongst your brothers, even if it means standing alone.
It's funny how so much of these books can hit different at different times, too. Here's a link to one I saw on eBay that's going for a very reasonable price if you're in the US: https://www.ebay.com/itm/127842720843
Mighty kind of you, sir! I’ll definitely be picking one of these up. I was lucky enough to get into warhammer right before the heresy started, so seeing it evolve into what it is now has truly been an epic journey. I was lucky enough to get one of the siege of terra novels in limited edition when they were released and it’s the pride of my collection.
Thanks for the great reporting as always, Jay. As a AoS lore-head the lack of new fiction has been worrying me, one can only hope the 5th ed. rumours are mistaken. I have really come to love and enjoy the Mortal Realms as a setting, it would be such a shame to squander it for some pastiche of the Old World.
If I could have a special edition of any BL book in my library I think I would have to go with The Dead Kingdom by John French. I have The Hollow King special edition and it's a thing of dark gothic beauty, so having an equally illustrious companion volume for the sequel would be perfect.
I would also second Destouches' comment for a special edition of Skavenslayer. I have the "mega" special edition of Trollslayer and it is truly epic, but a Thanquol-themed equivalent for Skavenslayer would surely blow it out of the water, yes-yes!
Thanks for the kind words, Joe! I would LOVE to see a Thanquol-themed Mega Limited Edition, or really anything for Skaven.
Have you seen the covers Cubicle 7 did for The Enemy Within campaign’s limited editions? Here’s an image that has a good picture of it, I love the aesthetic and it will be adorning my Skaven shelf someday!
Great article. I started reading my copy of the Minka Lesk omnibus on Saturday to see if I actually like Hill's writing enough to TRY to snatch up a copy of Bjorn on Saturday. Happily enough, I'm really enjoying Cadia Stands so far. I prefer it to Robert Rath's The Fall of Cadia.
It's difficult to narrow down but I would love to have the Special Edition of Pariah just because it's so beautiful. I haven't read my paperback of it yet so I may amend my answer to wanting it because it's another Abnett banger but for now, I'll stick with pretty. May as well add Penitent because, why not?
It may not count as a special or limited edition but I would love to get my hands on The Lords of Silence Illustrated and annotated version. I hear great things about it and once again, it does look very pretty.
Finally, I'd go with something from ADB. Haven't read them yet but I am looking forward to reading his Black Legion series and Spear of the Emperor. Spear of the Emperor in particular looks very nice.
Some great choices, and glad to hear you’re enjoying Minka Lesk. His Bookkeeper’s Skull is one I really enjoyed, too, because he fills it with little rustic touches that say he either has lived on a farm before, or is just a heckuva researcher.
This might be a good time to chase that grail, too. I expect Penitent and Pariah’s LE’s to skyrocket as soon as Pandaemonium is announced.
The special edition book that id like to have would be the Lords of Silence. Death guard are my favorite chaos faction so its an easy choice for me. Plus it just looks cool and is a great story.
Agree on all counts! This one definitely looks like the people’s choice here in the comments. If you haven’t picked up the book’s Illustrated and Annotated Edition, Wraight’s commentary is terrific!
I will go with something not very popular for the Special Edition wish, 'Angron: Slave of Nuceria', the book that got me really crazy about Horus Heresy.
That’s a great choice, Rakib, because the World Eaters are one of those factions that just don’t have a lot of deluxe editions to begin with. The Alpha Legion got some love this year, maybe it’s time to give the butcher’s nails a turn!
Special edition: Skavenslayer. Gortrek & Felix certainly deserve their special edition and while Trollslayer was fun, Skavenslayer was where the series really found itself. Also William King annotations would be great.
Man, another great issue. I was wondering what’s going on with Sigmar.
Anyway, special edition wise I’d love to see special editions of my beloved horror imprint. Specifically one of Unholy Tales of Horror and Woe anthology. You just know that would be gorgeous and macabre.
Thank you for the kind words! I was glad to see a new announcement for AoS this past week, hopefully we’re just in a temporary dip. And a special release from Warhammer Horror would have my wallet out in a heartbeat!
I know its probably a basic answer, but i would love to get a copy of the "Lords of Silence" special edition. The art looks phenomenal: it is delightfully disgusting and its oozing with personality, really sells the vibe of the novel itself. Also, from the little i have seen, the authors comments are a goldmine.
Do you mean by chance the Illustrated and Annotated Edition? Wraight did a deck of a job with the annotations, to be sure. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either that or the earlier Special Edition!
If I had to pick a Limited/Special Edition it would have to be a tie between Dante by Guy Haley and Spear of the Emperor by ADB. Dante was the second 40k novel I ever read and Spear of the Emperor is just ADB doing ADB things. Both novels in their LE’s are so gorgeous I nearly feel compelled to fan my face while admiring them.
A couple of years ago my older brother passed. He was very much into Warhammer 40k and had quite the collection of both minis and books. I brought his wh40k stuff to my place and started going through it. At this point I had never read a black library book or painted a mini, so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. So I picked up a book with a cool cover and started reading, and you already know what that book did to me lol (we have all been there). I have been hooked ever since!
So as a kind of homage to my brother and his old collection I would love a limited edition of that very first book that I read: Daemon World by Ben Counter. I know it is pretty mid and not even very wh40k coded, since it has a more fantasy flavour to it. But it has a special place in my heart and bookshelf.
Thanks for sharing your origin story, Tonan, though I am sorry to hear of your loss. I have a lot of love for those early, oft-overlooked books as well, and I’m right there with you in thinking it would be cool to see some special releases of them!
For a limited or special edition, I’d have to go with “Bloodlines” by Chris Wraight. The man has no shortage of fantastic offerings from his brilliant work with the White Scars in the Heresy to his Vaults of Terra and Watchers of the Throne series. He’s undoubtedly established himself as one of the premier black library authors, but his kickoff to the Warhammer Crime imprint (RIP) was my introduction to him and holds a special place in my heart for being a prime example of compelling stories that can be told in this world without massive battles or Astartes. Here’s to hoping we’ll see more Agusto Zidarov stories in the future and to a fantastic blog. Keep up the great work!
Oh man, that’s a GREAT choice. When I REALLY started diving into the Black Library, Bloodlines was one of those I just got hooked on, the pages almost turning themselves. The opening to it is just so creepy and compelling, intersecting with law enforcement in a similar way that the movie SE7EN did. Thanks for the kind words!
The special edition book I desire the most is The Lords of Silence. I loved the story! Everything about it is TOP notch. I have it in hardcover and in the illustrated version. The special edition would be the showcase of my Black Library.
That’s a great grail to have! You haven’t set your sights low, that’s for sure, those tend to command a pretty penny on the secondary market and aren’t always easy to source even then,
Champagne tastes, beer budget.....lol
I would have loved to get the "Space Wolf" special edition, I still have my 1st edition copy of the paperback from the 2000's I bought from Borders Books along with "Pawns of Chaos" at the time, its beautiful and would have looked great on my shelf if I could ever find a reasonable price lol
The Box Set is definitely a pricey option, but have you looked at the 20th Anniversary Edition? The books in that series all have a great aesthetic, and it’s probably a LOT less damaging to the wallet!
Wish I could get my hands on the special edition twice dead king box, that looked cool as hell, and necrons are one of my favorite races. Speaking of, bummed I wasn’t able to get the special edition wicked and warped, but I’m glad I got the hardcover at least
I wasn’t collecting the deluxes hard when that box came out, and kick myself for not getting it when I had the chance either! I’d love to see a Necron-themed Mega Limited Edition box, the ones with all the trinkets and display candy. The last one we got was Trollslayer, so I’m hopeful we’ll see a new one (Necron or otherwise) soon!
I don't wanna join the giveaway but I gotta drop, Daenyathos. Apperantly it had a special edition release way before I got into warhammer and it has so many illustrations in it. I guess you can even call it the first Illustrated edition.
I had to go look that one up, and it’s a beautiful edition! Limited to 1000 copies is pretty wild, too. Prices are all over the place, but looks like a couple can be grabbed for around USD $200. A nice grail to chase!
Yeah well I live in Türkiye so even if I can pay for that much (which I totally can because I'm wealthy) I'm still scared with the recent import laws. Apperantly they messed it up a lot which blocks the enterance of a lot of items. For example my friend wanted to send me a forge world resin Contemptor legion chest piece and it had to be shipped back because and I'm quoting the lady from the customs department "we don't accept toys anymore in shipping" from what little I understand apperantly books are fine but I don't wanna risk it you know.
I would love a special edition copy of Dynasty of monsters maybe with a harlequin-esque cover to reflect the great romance novel it secretly is?
Well done, you just sold me on it! Since Audible is in the last leg of a giant sale right now, that was an easy buy to make, too. I’d also love to see AoS get more special editions.
While I was lucky enough to get a copy of Rynn’s world even through the ‘rynns world disaster’ that occurred during the preorder, I was not lucky this weekend while trying to get the wicked and the warped.
My white whale from the BL would be the first ‘horus rising’ special edition thats limited to 1250 and signed… Horus rising has a deep emotional value to me, and one day I’ll shell out the 600 dollars or more and get one.
That’s a great one. Have you seen the Lodge Coins they made awhile back? Might be a nice accessory for the shelf while you wait to get that Horus. A nice coin holder is pretty cheap and really can class up a collectible.
I didn’t even know this was a thing! Now I have to plunder eBay in the hopes of finding them… I didn’t fully understand the weight behind the character of Garviel Loken until the series came to an end, and me damn near 20 years older. Be the voice of reason amongst your brothers, even if it means standing alone.
It's funny how so much of these books can hit different at different times, too. Here's a link to one I saw on eBay that's going for a very reasonable price if you're in the US: https://www.ebay.com/itm/127842720843
Mighty kind of you, sir! I’ll definitely be picking one of these up. I was lucky enough to get into warhammer right before the heresy started, so seeing it evolve into what it is now has truly been an epic journey. I was lucky enough to get one of the siege of terra novels in limited edition when they were released and it’s the pride of my collection.
Thanks for the great reporting as always, Jay. As a AoS lore-head the lack of new fiction has been worrying me, one can only hope the 5th ed. rumours are mistaken. I have really come to love and enjoy the Mortal Realms as a setting, it would be such a shame to squander it for some pastiche of the Old World.
If I could have a special edition of any BL book in my library I think I would have to go with The Dead Kingdom by John French. I have The Hollow King special edition and it's a thing of dark gothic beauty, so having an equally illustrious companion volume for the sequel would be perfect.
I would also second Destouches' comment for a special edition of Skavenslayer. I have the "mega" special edition of Trollslayer and it is truly epic, but a Thanquol-themed equivalent for Skavenslayer would surely blow it out of the water, yes-yes!
Thanks for the kind words, Joe! I would LOVE to see a Thanquol-themed Mega Limited Edition, or really anything for Skaven.
Have you seen the covers Cubicle 7 did for The Enemy Within campaign’s limited editions? Here’s an image that has a good picture of it, I love the aesthetic and it will be adorning my Skaven shelf someday!
https://image.nobleknight.com/c/jpg1500/cb72419a.jpg
Great article. I started reading my copy of the Minka Lesk omnibus on Saturday to see if I actually like Hill's writing enough to TRY to snatch up a copy of Bjorn on Saturday. Happily enough, I'm really enjoying Cadia Stands so far. I prefer it to Robert Rath's The Fall of Cadia.
It's difficult to narrow down but I would love to have the Special Edition of Pariah just because it's so beautiful. I haven't read my paperback of it yet so I may amend my answer to wanting it because it's another Abnett banger but for now, I'll stick with pretty. May as well add Penitent because, why not?
It may not count as a special or limited edition but I would love to get my hands on The Lords of Silence Illustrated and annotated version. I hear great things about it and once again, it does look very pretty.
Finally, I'd go with something from ADB. Haven't read them yet but I am looking forward to reading his Black Legion series and Spear of the Emperor. Spear of the Emperor in particular looks very nice.
Some great choices, and glad to hear you’re enjoying Minka Lesk. His Bookkeeper’s Skull is one I really enjoyed, too, because he fills it with little rustic touches that say he either has lived on a farm before, or is just a heckuva researcher.
This might be a good time to chase that grail, too. I expect Penitent and Pariah’s LE’s to skyrocket as soon as Pandaemonium is announced.
The special edition book that id like to have would be the Lords of Silence. Death guard are my favorite chaos faction so its an easy choice for me. Plus it just looks cool and is a great story.
Agree on all counts! This one definitely looks like the people’s choice here in the comments. If you haven’t picked up the book’s Illustrated and Annotated Edition, Wraight’s commentary is terrific!
I will go with something not very popular for the Special Edition wish, 'Angron: Slave of Nuceria', the book that got me really crazy about Horus Heresy.
That’s a great choice, Rakib, because the World Eaters are one of those factions that just don’t have a lot of deluxe editions to begin with. The Alpha Legion got some love this year, maybe it’s time to give the butcher’s nails a turn!
Special edition: Skavenslayer. Gortrek & Felix certainly deserve their special edition and while Trollslayer was fun, Skavenslayer was where the series really found itself. Also William King annotations would be great.
A Skavenslayer Illustrated and Annotated Edition would be an absolute dream, excellent choice! GW would be just printing money with these…
Man, another great issue. I was wondering what’s going on with Sigmar.
Anyway, special edition wise I’d love to see special editions of my beloved horror imprint. Specifically one of Unholy Tales of Horror and Woe anthology. You just know that would be gorgeous and macabre.
Thank you for the kind words! I was glad to see a new announcement for AoS this past week, hopefully we’re just in a temporary dip. And a special release from Warhammer Horror would have my wallet out in a heartbeat!
Great article!
I know its probably a basic answer, but i would love to get a copy of the "Lords of Silence" special edition. The art looks phenomenal: it is delightfully disgusting and its oozing with personality, really sells the vibe of the novel itself. Also, from the little i have seen, the authors comments are a goldmine.
Do you mean by chance the Illustrated and Annotated Edition? Wraight did a deck of a job with the annotations, to be sure. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either that or the earlier Special Edition!
If I had to pick a Limited/Special Edition it would have to be a tie between Dante by Guy Haley and Spear of the Emperor by ADB. Dante was the second 40k novel I ever read and Spear of the Emperor is just ADB doing ADB things. Both novels in their LE’s are so gorgeous I nearly feel compelled to fan my face while admiring them.
Those are both good choices! I’ve never been a huge BA guy in particular, but they have some of the most lush deluxe edition designs around.
A couple of years ago my older brother passed. He was very much into Warhammer 40k and had quite the collection of both minis and books. I brought his wh40k stuff to my place and started going through it. At this point I had never read a black library book or painted a mini, so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. So I picked up a book with a cool cover and started reading, and you already know what that book did to me lol (we have all been there). I have been hooked ever since!
So as a kind of homage to my brother and his old collection I would love a limited edition of that very first book that I read: Daemon World by Ben Counter. I know it is pretty mid and not even very wh40k coded, since it has a more fantasy flavour to it. But it has a special place in my heart and bookshelf.
~ Rest easy J.
Thanks for sharing your origin story, Tonan, though I am sorry to hear of your loss. I have a lot of love for those early, oft-overlooked books as well, and I’m right there with you in thinking it would be cool to see some special releases of them!
For a limited or special edition, I’d have to go with “Bloodlines” by Chris Wraight. The man has no shortage of fantastic offerings from his brilliant work with the White Scars in the Heresy to his Vaults of Terra and Watchers of the Throne series. He’s undoubtedly established himself as one of the premier black library authors, but his kickoff to the Warhammer Crime imprint (RIP) was my introduction to him and holds a special place in my heart for being a prime example of compelling stories that can be told in this world without massive battles or Astartes. Here’s to hoping we’ll see more Agusto Zidarov stories in the future and to a fantastic blog. Keep up the great work!
Oh man, that’s a GREAT choice. When I REALLY started diving into the Black Library, Bloodlines was one of those I just got hooked on, the pages almost turning themselves. The opening to it is just so creepy and compelling, intersecting with law enforcement in a similar way that the movie SE7EN did. Thanks for the kind words!