Tower of the Hand

The A Dance with Dragons paperback wasn't the only newcomer to hit bookstores yesterday. The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister was also released. This new book collects the most famous and infamous lines uttered by Tyrion throughout the first five books of A Song of Ice and Fire, with illustrations by Jonty Clarke. As George R. R. Martin helpfully points out, it makes for a good stocking stuffer. Wit & Wisdom is available now in hardcover and digital format.

Art of Ice and Fire reprinted. Fantasy Flight Games has finally reprinted The Art of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, a collection of ASOIAF-inspired works from acclaimed artists like Ted Nasmith and John Howe. Originally published in 2005, the hardcover had been hard to find of late (or pricy), so it's nice to see it available again in retail stores and on Amazon.com. A second volume featuring new art is being planned for 2011. [h/t jaimes bumboy]

2011 calendar on sale. The Song of Ice and Fire 2011 calendar is now available wherever calendars are sold (Amazon.com is selling it for $10.88). The calendar features thirteen beautiful illustrations by acclaimed fantasy artist Ted Nasmith, depicting castles from all across the Seven Kingdoms. Some pictures from the 2011 calendar can be seen below.

Casterly Rock	Winterfell	Sunspear	Riverrun

Castle Black	Dragonstone	Harrenhal	Highgarden

King's Landing	Oldtown	Storm's End	The Eyrie

io9 provided the first exclusive looks at some of Nasmith's castles. Adam Whitehead previously posted shots of the castles in the Ice and Fire Facebook group. The Eyrie is also depicted on the calendar's cover. A thirteenth castle is included as a double-page centerfold.

John Picacio was originally commissioned to provide art for this calendar, but-- to avoid the production problems that plagued the 2009 calendar-- George R. R. Martin and new publisher Bantam Spectra opted to use Nasmith's work this year, much of which was already completed for other works. Picacio's art will be used in the 2012 calendar.

Green Ronin RPG Sale. In celebration of their recent ENnie Award wins at Gen Con, Green Ronin Publishing is offering significant discounts on its A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying product. The hardcover will cost you $25, but you can also get the PDF for only $10. The sale lasts for only a week, so act now. (via Westeros.org)

Calendars reach expiration point. It's no secret the ASOIAF calendars have been plagued with problems. Some buyers are just now getting their 2009 calendars. So no one should be surprised that George R. R. Martin has decided to terminate his contract with Dabel Brothers, stopping production on all future calendars. The final straw came when illustrator Michael Kaluta withdrew from the 2010 edition. It is likely this marks the end of the calendar experiment, after only one year.

Tom Canty's AFFC Gallery. Tom Canty has set up an online gallery of all the images he created for the limited edition A Feast for Crows. Look in sets 2 and 3 for the more interesting pieces. [via Westeros.org]

An Eleven Month Year. It's the first day of February, yet George R. R. Martin has just confirmed that many people who ordered the A Song of Ice and Fire 2009 calendar have not received them. Some of you have asked us where your calendars are, but we didn't realize the significance of the problems until now. This was supposed to be one of those harmless licenses that got fans a pretty calendar and GRRM a little bit of cash, all without taking time away from his writing. To his credit, GRRM shares your frustration and appears to be doing plenty to get this calendar moving. Has anyone gotten their calendar yet or are you still waiting? Will you think twice before ordering anything from Dabel Brothers again?