Philip Pullman’s new book La Belle Sauvage gets accidental early release in the Netherlands

Fans have waited 17 years for the follow-up to His Dark Materials

Philip Pullman, novelist (Rex Features)

While Philip Pullman fans have waited over a decade for the sequel to His Dark Materials, it seems that some were luckier than others with an accidental early release.

Dutch publisher Uitgeverij Prometheus sent out copies of La Belle Sauvage, the first instalment of Pullman’s upcoming Book of Dust trilogy, to bookshops in the Netherlands last week. Although the official worldwide release date is confirmed for 19 October, the publisher lists theirs as 4 October on their website.

Translated as Het boek van Stof, the early Dutch release was brought to Pullman’s attention by a fan on Twitter - who was unaware until this point.

The author’s agent Caradoc King told The Guardian: “We are aware that some copies of the Dutch edition have been made available in Holland and action has been taken to recall these immediately.”

Prometheus editor Job Lisman assured fans that, to his knowledge, no early release copies were actually sold.

The Book of Dust trilogy arrives 17 years after His Dark Materials concluded with the Amber Spyglass in 2000. Closely linked to the original trilogy, the upcoming new books have been dubbed not as a sequel or prequel, but as an “equal” by the author, set to stand “beside” the story and characters of His Dark Materials, with Lyra “at the centre of the story”.