Brandon Sanderson’s Dragonsteel Books opened pre-orders for The Eye of the World leatherbound edition on December 19, 2024, marking the beginning of what will be a multi-year project to produce premium editions of Robert Jordan’s complete Wheel of Time series. The book is priced at $185 and is expected to ship in late 2025.
This is a landmark moment for fantasy book collectors. Complete leatherbound sets of major fantasy series are rare. The logistics of producing fourteen volumes (plus a prequel) over what Sanderson estimates will be 14 years is daunting. But if anyone can pull it off, it’s Dragonsteel—a company that’s built its reputation on delivering high-quality collector’s editions that fans actually want to own.
What Makes This Edition Special
In a YouTube video unveiling the edition, Sanderson explained the philosophy behind the project. He held up the official Wheel of Time leatherbound that Tor produced years ago—a plain leather binding with no embossing, no distinctive cover art, just a textbook-like presentation. It retailed for $250 in 2010 money.
“This is $250, and that’s in 2010 money, $250,” Sanderson said, holding the Tor edition. “These were selling for $250, I think, each. And this is not the publisher trying to rip you off. There just was not an industry for these.”
He explained that production costs were so high and distribution so limited that even at $250, Tor barely made a profit. The books were expensive to produce, bookstores were reluctant to stock them, and the market for premium fantasy editions simply didn’t exist at scale.
Dragonsteel changed that model. By selling directly to consumers and building a community of collectors willing to pre-order, the company can produce higher-quality editions at lower prices than traditional publishing could manage.
“Let’s make the book that I thought I was buying,” Sanderson said, describing the Dragonsteel approach. The Eye of the World leatherbound features:
New cover art and interior illustrations by Petar Penev
Refreshed chapter icons honoring Michael C. Nielsen’s originals
Blind embossing on the cover for tactile detail
Gold gilded edges
Acid-free paper
Two-toned ink for chapter ornaments
Stunning endpapers featuring Darrell K. Sweet’s original cover art
A ribbon bookmark
Robert Jordan’s signature preserved in print as a tribute
The book measures 9 5/8” x 6 3/8” x 2 3/4” and weighs 4.3 pounds. It’s a substantial object, designed to feel like an heirloom rather than just another book.
The Long Road Ahead
Sanderson was clear about the timeline. “We are in this for the long haul. This is going to consume a giant portion of the resources at Dragonsteel for the next 14 years.”
There’s no release date yet for The Great Hunt, the second book in the series. Given the production time required, it’s reasonable to expect roughly one volume per year, though later books are significantly longer and may require more time or even be split into multiple volumes.
This is an extraordinary undertaking. Most publishers wouldn’t commit to a project with that kind of timeline. Market conditions change. Companies go out of business. Consumer tastes shift. But Sanderson has built Dragonsteel specifically to support long-term projects like this, and the success of his own leatherbound editions (Elantris, Mistborn, The Way of Kings) demonstrates there’s a sustainable market.
For collectors, this is both exciting and daunting. A complete set will cost approximately $2,590 (assuming $185 per volume and no price increases over 14 years, which is optimistic).
Why The Wheel of Time Matters
Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is one of the pillars of modern fantasy. The Eye of the World, published in 1990, introduced readers to a world of intricate magic systems, political intrigue, and epic scope that would define the genre for decades.
Jordan’s world-building is meticulous. The magic system feels structured and logical in ways that influenced an entire generation of fantasy writers, including Sanderson himself. The cultures, religions, and political systems of Jordan’s world are developed with a depth that rewards close reading.
The series follows Rand al’Thor and his friends from the Two Rivers as they’re drawn into a conflict that will determine the fate of the world. The scope expands with each book, introducing new nations, new characters, and new layers of complexity. By the middle volumes, The Wheel of Time had become less a quest narrative and more a sprawling political epic with dozens of viewpoint characters and intersecting plotlines.
Jordan died in 2007 with the series unfinished. Sanderson, chosen by Jordan’s widow Harriet McDougal, completed the final three volumes based on Jordan’s notes and outlines. The collaboration was respectful and successful, giving the series the ending it deserved.
In his YouTube video, Sanderson spoke about his personal connection to the series. “I picked up Eye of the World, I believe it was fall of 1990. I had become a reader the year before, the school year before. So probably I was 14 when I discovered fantasy novels.”
He described finding the book at Cosmic Comics in Lincoln, Nebraska, on the bottom shelf of the new releases section. “I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a big book.’ And I had learned by then that you like the big books because they only cost like a dollar more than the small books, but they were twice as long, right?”
That gorgeous Darrell K. Sweet cover caught his attention. He took it home and loved it. “I felt a certain possessiveness over it, because I’m like, this little book that I discovered, little did I know that everyone was discovering it at the same time.”
As the series progressed, it became Sanderson’s favorite. “It’s really when 4, 5, and 6 happened that The Wheel of Time became my favorite series... I think that’s where I first recognized what I wanted to be as a writer in those books.”
The Collector’s Market
The market for premium fantasy editions has exploded in recent years. Subterranean Press, Centipede Press, Folio Society, Castalia Library and others produce limited editions that sell out quickly and appreciate in value. Dragonsteel has become a major player in this space, with leatherbound editions of Sanderson’s own works commanding high prices on the secondary market.
But complete sets are rare. Most publishers produce one or two volumes and move on. The commitment required to produce an entire series is unusual.
If Dragonsteel succeeds, collectors will have something genuinely special: a complete, matching set of premium editions of one of fantasy’s most important series, produced with care and attention to detail, designed to last for generations.
The risk is real. Fourteen years is a long time. Economic conditions could change. Dragonsteel could face financial difficulties. Consumer interest could wane. But Sanderson’s track record suggests this is achievable. His company has delivered on every major project it’s undertaken. The Wheel of Time leatherbounds are the most ambitious yet, but they’re not impossible.
A Tribute to Jordan
Sanderson emphasized that this project is about honoring Jordan’s legacy. The decision to include Jordan’s signature in the book, preserved in print, was deliberate.
“There’s a story behind this decision,” Sanderson said in the video, directing viewers to an Instagram post where he explained further. The signature is a tribute, a way of ensuring that Jordan’s presence is felt in every volume.
The collaboration with Harriet McDougal, the Jordan estate, and Tor Publishing Group was extensive. “Working in close collaboration with Harriet McDougal, the Jordan estate (Bandersnatch), and Tor Publishing Group, our creative team has spent years immersed in every detail of this edition,” the product description notes.
Pre-orders for The Eye of the World leatherbound are open now at DragonsteelBooks.com. The book is expected to ship in late 2025. There’s no word yet on when The Great Hunt will be available, but Sanderson has committed to producing the entire series.
For Wheel of Time fans, this is a chance to own a definitive edition of a series that shaped modern fantasy. For collectors, it’s an opportunity to invest in what will eventually be a complete premium set of one of the genre’s most important works.
Fourteen years is a long time. But if Dragonsteel delivers, it will be worth the wait.
What do you think? Is a 14-year commitment to produce a complete leatherbound set realistic, or are there too many variables that could derail the project?
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Not at that price. Never at that price for anything, I don't care how "pimped" it is, the value is (or is not) in the writing.
Many of us make fun of excessive gold and diamond chains or big, spinning rims, or $250 dollar sneakers.
What is this edition other than spinning rims and gold chains? Gilded edges and leather covers are not going to make the writing any better or worse, I promise you.
You can buy a leatherbound version of The Hobbit, new or like new, for $40. The. Hobbit. Not content to kiss the feet of his DEI overlords, Sanderson has now fully transitioned into corporate shill, trying to make bank on the hard work of a better man.