# Are we looking forward to Discworld - Making Money? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184 "2007-09-05T23:55:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/1 "2007-09-05T23:55:39Z")
Need I ask! The only other Moist von Lipwig title - Going Postal is, if not my favourite Discworld book, then certainly in the top three. (Top being NightWatch) I guess there was a nice little hint to this new novel in the last novel. The idea that stamps could and were being used as a form of currency. I can’t bloody wait. I have to admit that new discworld books are more eagerly anticipated than new Harry Potter books for this reader. I can’t get enough. I hope old Vimesey features somewhere in the new book. And Death too. He almost never (‘almost never’ what a neat oxymoron) fails to turn up in a Discworld book. edit: see below and add ‘get?’ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/2 "2007-09-06T00:04:26Z")
I believe the corret term is “never fails.” I can’t think of a single book he isn’t in, in some fashion or another. Although I must confess that I own, but have not read, the complete Tiffany Aching saga. _Wintersmith_ is still in the “to do” pile. I’ve had _Making Money_ ordered ever since [Amazon.uk](http://Amazon.uk) put it up. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/3 "2007-09-06T00:08:02Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I believe the corret term is “never fails.” I can’t think of a single book he isn’t in, in some fashion or another. **Although I must confess that I own,** but have not read,\*\* the complete Tiffany Aching saga.\*\* _Wintersmith_ is still in the “to do” pile. I’ve had _Making Money_ ordered ever since [Amazon.uk](http://Amazon.uk) put it up. [/QUOTE] (bolding mine) Me too. I was desperate for something to read. I ended up thoroughly enjoying them all. I’ve read wintersmith too. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/4 "2007-09-06T01:45:26Z")
_Making Money_ on preorder at Amazon, here. BTW–I didn’t like Tiffany Aching at all. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/5 "2007-09-06T09:26:50Z")
> [@](#): > > I guess there was a nice little hint to this new novel in the last novel. The idea that stamps could and were being used as a form of currency. Heading up the Mint is also the job that the Patrician offers to Reacher Gilt at the end of the book. Like the Roman Empire, he declines and falls. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/6 "2007-09-06T13:04:37Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] _Making Money_ on preorder at Amazon, here. BTW–I didn’t like Tiffany Aching at all. [/QUOTE] “Ach Crivens! You are due a kicking!” I kid, I kid. I read the Tiffany Aching books last month and I really liked the Nac Mac Feegles. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/7 "2007-09-06T14:18:36Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] I guess there was a nice little hint to this new novel in the last novel. The idea that stamps could and were being used as a form of currency. [/QUOTE] Which raises the question: So long as that’s working, why not leave it alone? Why introduce a separate paper currency? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/8 "2007-09-06T14:30:04Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Which raises the question: So long as that’s working, why not leave it alone? Why introduce a separate paper currency? [/QUOTE] It’s possible Pratchett gives a reason, but really, a lot of Discworld happenings don’t really make logical sense except in the context of parodying reality. The stamp itself was just such a thing, IMO; the process Moist went through to create it seemed overly contrived and probably wouldn’t have happened were Pratchett not setting out to parallel the current postal service. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/9 "2007-09-06T14:31:36Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Which raises the question: So long as that’s working, why not leave it alone? Why introduce a separate paper currency? [/QUOTE] Ankh-Morpork’s stamp-production capacity may not be adequate to meet the higher demand for stamps that would exist if every resident was carrying them around in quantities sufficient for everyday transactions. An average resident might send one letter a week, or even one a month, or no letters at all. (What’s the literacy rate in Ankh-Morpork?) But people buy things almost every day. As a result, there’s going to need to be a massive scaling-up of whatever machinery and process is involved in making _any_ Morporkian Dollar. Of course, that’s not an argument against using stamps as the official currency in and of itself - but so long as a massive development project is required to create a paper currency, whether or not it’s going to be stamps, there could be some good arguments against using postal stamps: 1.) Counterfeiting. The existing postage stamp designs might be relatively easy to counterfeit. So long as they’re useful primarily just for sending letters/packages, the incentive to counterfeit is limited - but that incentive grows tremendously if stamps can be used to buy bread/drugs/strippers/etc. 2.) Convenience/Durability. Stamps are small. This makes them harder to handle than a larger bill would be. It also makes them less durable - I can inflict all sorts of abuse on a dollar bill that would render a 35-cent stamp unusable. (Spilling beer, tearing, and so forth.) 3.) Prestige. A special dollar bill might feel more like “real money” than an ordinary stamp. That’s important - if people don’t think a stamp is real money, they won’t use it, and they won’t accept it unless Morporkian law demands they do so, and there’s real enforcement. If you want people to actually _use_ the new currency, making it look like what people think currency should look like is a good first step. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/10 "2007-09-06T14:41:06Z")
Not to mention the fact that gummed stamps would be very…_tricky_ to remove from a g-string after a sweaty pole dance. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/11 "2007-09-06T14:44:39Z")
**silenus** , you is funny. 🙂 I didn’t even know this was in the works, so thank you for posting about it. I will most certainly read it. I don’t like all of his books, most of the Witches series bores me to death (I did like Witches Abroad) but Vimes, Rincewind, and now I love Moist! So I am definitely looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/12 "2007-09-06T14:47:10Z")
Just got an email from Amazon–release date delayed. 9/28, or later. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/13 "2007-09-06T16:34:30Z")
I’m certain that the novel will somehow incorporate the fact that paper money- indeed banks, stock exchanges and much of the economy itself- is a polite lie that only works because enough people believe in it and usually don’t ask too many questions. This was presaged in **Going Postal** as well, where the money men get together to bail out the looted bankrupt Clacks network. Maybe Lipwig will start a rumor that some foreign emperor has vast reserves of gold and issue “receipts” for the gold that somehow never get redeemed for actual gold. And as I said in a previous post, it will probably be simpler to let the counterfeiters serve as the engraving bureau. ---
**Author:** ![Offkenter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f08c70/32.png) [@Offkenter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Offkenter)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/14 "2007-09-06T20:55:30Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Just got an email from Amazon–release date delayed. 9/28, or later. [/QUOTE] That’s odd. Their pre-order listing still shows Sept 18 [Amazon - Making Money](http://www.amazon.com/Making-Money-Discworld-Novels-Pratchett/dp/0061161640/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6254774-5620140?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189111917&sr=8-1) So does Harper-Collins’ ( the USA publisher) Terry Pratchett web site [terrypratchettbooks.com](http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/) Did the email say why? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/15 "2007-09-06T21:28:39Z")
[QUOTE=Offkenter] That’s odd. Their pre-order listing still shows Sept 18 [Amazon - Making Money](http://www.amazon.com/Making-Money-Discworld-Novels-Pratchett/dp/0061161640/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6254774-5620140?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189111917&sr=8-1) So does Harper-Collins’ ( the USA publisher) Terry Pratchett web site [terrypratchettbooks.com](http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/) Did the email say why? [/QUOTE] Nope. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/16 "2007-09-06T23:01:55Z")
The UK edition is due October 9 or thereabouts. Now I won’t have to drool at the US editions for quite so long before my copy arrives. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/17 "2007-09-06T23:50:16Z")
We always end up doing some stamping dies for Terry’s books and usually by that time they’re about two weeks away from the shelves. I haven’t seen the art yet but it could come in any time now. WooHoo! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/18 "2007-09-07T09:19:57Z")
Is the High Priest an Ioan? Really looking forward to this. We’ll probably only get it in December, though. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/19 "2007-09-07T15:17:37Z")
[QUOTE=photopat] We always end up doing some stamping dies for Terry’s books . . . [/QUOTE] What are “stamping dies” (in this context)? ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184/20 "2007-09-07T17:05:11Z")
I hope Miss Dearheart gets more character development than poor Sybil did after hooking up with the protaganist. I like her almost as much as Moist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-looking-forward-to-discworld-making-money/418184.md?page=2)