Young Mort despairs of finding a suitable career in his provincial village, until one day he is rather unexpectedly hired by a bony figure in a cowl – Death, it seems, is in need of an apprentice. Introduced to the chilly truth behind the workings of the universe, the inherently curious Mort cannot help but meddle with the laws of time and space. The resulting chaos means all manner of trouble for the stability of reality, not to mention his burgeoning love life...

Mort was originally published in 1987 and is the fourth in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books (which includes 41 full length novels in total). It's the first to focus on the character of Death, who in the previous releases only made a brief appearance.

As with all Folio Society editions, this isn't a book for those who have never read a Pratchett novel; this is more a gift for that Discworld fan, or for yourself if you're a collector of Discworld books.

The book comes housed in a black cardboard slipcase with an illustration of Mort dressed as Death. The book has a velvet finish feel to it with a black and white illustration of Mort riding Binky (Death's horse). The spine also includes silver foil lettering. There are also a handful of full colour illustrations dotted throughout the pages.

For fans of the late Pratchett, and the wonderfully universe he created, this is an essential purchase - a souvenir to be lovingly treasured.

Technical specifications: Bound in cloth with an inset paper label printed with an image by the artist; Set in Caslon; 240 pages; Black & white title-page illustration; 6 colour illustrations; Printed endpapers and slipcase; 9 ½" x 6 ¼".

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Nick Smithson