Prydain, the mythical land inspired by ancient Wales and the setting for award-winning author Lloyd Alexander’s (1924–2007) five-volume fantasy series, the Chronicles of Prydain, is often one of the first magical places discovered by young readers seeking tales of adventure and escape.It’s only fitting then, that two of Prydain’s and Alexander’s biggest fans are key contributors to the new 50th-anniversary editions from Henry Holt of series-starter The Book of Three, originally published in 1964.

“Lloyd is such an enduring gem on our backlist, it was obvious to us all that we would commemorate the anniversary somehow,” says editor Noa Wheeler. “When I first got here and saw his name on my Rolodex it made my job so much more real – more than my first paycheck or anything else. Our publisher Laura Godwin asked me to do it and I was very honored to say yes.”

When envisioning the anniversary edition, Wheeler sought a blend of traditional and new elements that would pay homage to the original books – “they’re so timeless and readable,” she notes – and also attract new readers. That’s where author and fellow Alexander devotee Shannon Hale comes in. She wrote an introduction to The Book of Three recalling her discovery of the Prydain books as a lonely child in the library and how they later inspired her to write her own first novel, The Goose Girl (Bloomsbury, 2003). “Shannon has been very vocal about her love and admiration for Lloyd Alexander,” says Wheeler. “And we think her readers will enjoy these books; there’s some overlap there.”

Additional bonus materials in the anniversary edition include an author Q&A, the first chapter of the sequel The Black Cauldron, and the story “Coll and His White Pig,” an entry from The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain, which is a later standalone volume that collects stories spotlighting some of the characters in the series. “Lloyd had such a big personality and a gentle wit,” says Wheeler. “We wanted to have more of him in the book.”

For The Book of Three’s new cover design, Wheeler says they used the Evaline Ness art from the 1964 edition and recreated it as a gold and black stamp on a red cloth background. The pages are deckle-edged and the endpapers contain a refreshed map of Prydain. “We rescanned from the oldest copy of the book we had, and now it looks crisp and beautiful.” The book is being simultaneously published as a trade paperback under the Square Fish imprint and features a cover that showcases a smaller version of the black-and-gold artwork, as well as a foil-stamped title and a “50th Anniversary Edition” emblem.

The five Prydain books were published in consecutive years back in the day, and Holt plans to add anniversary editions at that pace as well. “They will all have introductions by different people,” Wheeler explains, “and when we chose the color of the cloth for The Book of Three, we chose them all, which will make them look great as a set eventually.” The subsequent books will also be released in simultaneous editions. “The hardcover is clearly a gift book,” Wheeler says, “and the paperback gives readers another, more affordable choice.”

A national consumer advertising campaign focusing on public radio and a major school and library outreach effort are part of the celebratory marketing in place this fall. And on October 11, in partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia (Alexander’s hometown), Holt will host an event that includes the debut of the Rare Book Department’s exhibition of archival material related to the book’s creation and publication, , a keynote lecture about Alexander’s work by fantasy author Tamora Pierce, and a discussion with Sharyn November, Alexander’s goddaughter, who is senior editor at Viking Children’s Books and editorial director of Firebird Books.

Reflecting on this observance of The Book of Three’s milestone, Wheeler says, “This book is an emblem of what Holt both was and is. Lloyd began and ended his [children’s book] career here, with Time Cat (1963) and The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio (2007). He is such an important author we want him to be continuously read.”