Today is the release date (in North America) for The Lands of Ice and Fire, a book (sort of) that contains maps of George R. R. Martin‘s Westeros, the setting for A Game of Thrones and its sequels.

George explains that this isn’t an atlas; in fact, it’s “not an actual book at all, but a book-shaped box containing a whole bunch of gorgeous, glossy, fold-out maps of Westeros, Essos, and the lands and seas from A Song of Ice and Fire.” (I hadn’t been sure.) Among the maps is an eagerly anticipated world map. George clarifies that “it’s not a complete world map, no. The idea was to do something representing the lands and seas of which, say, a maester of the Citadel might be aware … and while the maesters know more about Asshai and the lands beyond than a medieval monk knew about Cathay, distance remains a factor, and past a certain point legends and myths will creep here.”

The maps are the work of fantasy cartographer Jonathan Roberts. Sample images at io9 and Tor.com.

Buy at Amazon | publisher’s page

Previously: The Lands of Ice and Fire: Westeros Atlas Coming in October.