It's Arrived

 

A boxful of actual real-life dead-tree versions of the Picador edition has arrived. 

It's always a funny thing, getting actual book copies. The feeling is at once familiar and strange. 

Familiar, as, by now, I practically know the book by heart (especially as I've been recording the audiobook); strange, because, for the first time, it's no longer a concept but a real thing, with size, and weight. 

First impressions? It's beautifully designed. I could show you the gorgeous endpapers, but one must retain an air of mystery - really, you'll need to buy a copy yourself. 

Second, it's chunkier than I had imagined. It might be a (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, but that's a very long history.