Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes

A deeply moving and personal portrait of the extraordinary life of Sir Terry Pratchett, written with unparalleled insight and filled with funny anecdotes, this is the only official biography of one of our finest authors.


WINNER OF THE 2023 LOCUS AWARD FOR NON-FICTION
WINNER OF THE BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION AWARD FOR BEST NON-FICTION
FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST RELATED WORK
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD FOR BEST NON-FICTION

'Sometimes joyfully, sometimes painfully, intimate . . . it is wonderful to have this closeup picture of the writer's working life.' - Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Observer

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At the time of his death in 2015, award-winning and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett was working on his finest story yet - his own.

The creator of the phenomenally bestselling Discworld series, Terry Pratchett was known and loved around the world for his hugely popular books, his smart satirical humour and the humanity of his campaign work. But that's only part of the picture.

Before his untimely death, Terry was writing a memoir: the story of a boy who aged six was told by his teacher that he would never amount to anything and spent the rest of his life proving him wrong. For Terry lived a life full of astonishing achievements: becoming one of the UK's bestselling and most beloved writers, winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal and being awarded a knighthood.

Now, the book Terry sadly couldn't finish has been written by Rob Wilkins, his former assistant, friend and now head of the Pratchett literary estate. Drawing on his own extensive memories, along with those of the author's family, friends and colleagues, Rob unveils the full picture of Terry's life - from childhood to his astonishing writing career, and how he met and coped with what he called the 'Embuggerance' of Alzheimer's disease.

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Praise for Rob Wilkins:

'Spins magic from mundanity in precisely the way Pratchett himself did.' - Telegraph

'As frank, funny and unsentimental as anything its subject might have produced himself.' - Mail on Sunday


‘No one, after Pratchett's wife, Lyn, and daughter, Rhianna, knew the author as well as Wilkins. I wept through the last 20 pages - beautifully done - charting Pratchett's decline in a way that is both sensitive and unsparing’ The Times

'Always readable, illuminating and honest. It made me miss the real Terry' Neil Gaiman

‘A wonderful and inspirational story ... Writers and readers alike will be enchanted and inspired by Pratchett’s life’ Reader review, *****

‘Absolutely wonderful … engaging, moving, and at times (many times) laugh-out-loud funny’ Reader review, *****

‘This stirring and unflinching portrait is painted with caring fondness and loving compassion’ Reader review, *****