<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLER - <b><b>Perfect for fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's <i>Game of Thrones--</i>an epic history of Westeros and the lands beyond, featuring hundreds of pages of all-new material from George R. R. Martin </b></b></b> <p/>If the past is prologue, then George R. R. Martin's masterwork--the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time--warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with <i><i>The World of Ice & Fire</i></i>. <p/>This lavishly illustrated volume is<i> </i>a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's <i>Game of Thrones</i>. In a collaboration that's been years in the making, Martin has teamed with Elio M. Garc a, Jr., and Linda Antonsson, the founders of the renowned fan site Westeros.org--perhaps the only people who know this world almost as well as its visionary creator. <p/>Collected here is all the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation, and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers, including <p/> - full-color artwork and maps, with more than 170 original pieces<br> - full family trees for Houses Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen<br> - in-depth explorations of the history and culture of Westeros<br> - 100% all-new material, more than half of which Martin wrote specifically for this book <p/>The definiti