DEATH of capital letters

[Jan Van Quirm]

simmonds - there's a gritty, 'economically depressed' city in the NE of England called Hull. There's lots of witty banter along the lines of 'I've just been to Hull and back' hence the elaboration and nothing to do with heaven in any sense

[Dotsie]

I would guess that simmonds knows that, and the "doesn't make sense" refers to the American translation As in, you can go to Hull then to another city, or you could go to heaven and hell, but why would you go to Hull then heaven?

[simmonds91]

I didn't know about the "witty banter" Jan van quirm referred to, if the Americans changed the wording in a way that made use of the witty banter so everyone knew about it then it could work, as it is it makes no sense to someone like me who didn't/doesn't know about this joke about hull.

[Dotsie]

Nah, in the UK southerners think that all the northern cities are depressed. They're afraid of us

[Square12]

I've only ever been through Hull and even then only once on the way back from Scarborough on the day of Diana's funeral. Top tip if you ever need to drive half way across the country do it on the day of a national treasures funeral. Easiest run we ever had, thanks Parisian tunnel!

[simmonds91]

I don't plan on travelling anywhere once i'm dead though....

[Who's Wee Dug]

How will you get to the cemetery then.

[ferulebezel]

For some reason I'm not allowed to start new topics. I'm guessing it is because I just registered so I'm asking this in a related topic.

In the American editions Death speaks in small caps in the earlier books, yet in the later editions he changes to all caps, which I think lacks a certain grace. Is this just lazy typesetters or is there a reason for it?

[Tonyblack]

Welcome to the site, ferulebezel!

Death has always spoken in Caps in the UK books from the start. I'm not sure why Harper Collins didn't do the same with the early US version, and I hadn't heard of this before. I can only assume that it was a mistake with the typesetters.

[Tonyblack]

Regarding your not being able to start a new thread - I'm pretty sure I'm right in saying that you will be once you've made three posts and your username stops being orange. We've had a lot of spammers trying to sell us kitchens with their first posts recently.

[Dotsie]

Death has always spoken in Caps in the UK books from the start. I'm not sure why Harper Collins didn't do the same with the early US version, and I hadn't heard of this before. I can only assume that it was a mistake with the typesetters.

I feel that it is in small caps in the UK though, I know I've read text like that. All large caps would look like shouting, which Death is too cool to do

Welcome to the site!

[Tonyblack]

As far as I can tell, Death makes his first appearance in Colour of Magic in the Corgi paperback version on page 62 (although the passage starts right at the bottom of page 61). His first word in in the following sentence:

RINCEWIND? Death said, in tones as deep and heavy as the slamming of leaden doors, far underground.

This was the first Discworld book I read and that sentence made a clear impression that Death wasn't shouting. It also gave a clear impression of just HOW he was talking.

[Dotsie]

So did he go from big caps to small caps then?

[Tonyblack]

No, this is the bit where Death is surprised to have been jostled by Rincewind as he has an appointment that night with Rincewind, 500 miles in Psephopololis. He goes on to offer Rincewind the use of a very fast horse - which Rincewind declines. "SOD YOU, THEN, Death said." What is somewhat surprising is that Death then, in his annoyance, stops the heart of a fish salesman. "But he didn't take much pride in it."

He later goes on to hand Broadman, the landlord of the (then) Broken Drum, a lighted taper in the cellar as Broadman is trying to torch the place. And Death still uses capital letters.

I would add that they are not "big" or "small" caps, but caps that are the right size for the other text on the page.

[Dotsie]

No, I meant in later books. At some point he speaks with a large capital at the beginning of the sentence, followed by smaller caps for the remaining letters. If you see what I mean. It does look better than all large caps.