I have both versions pre-ordered. :)

Me too.

If you haven't pre-ordered the limited edition, you're probably SOL.  I believe all major retailers have cut off pre-orders (I think Amazon did within 24 hours of it being announced - and that was before the 4,000 number was made public).

Does anyone know if the book concerns itself with the development of the games themselves. In other words, does it focus on the creative process? Or is it more focused on the characters, story, and timeline of the series?

I have no interest in the latter but might be interested in the former.

All of the above, Pixies.
The book compiles just about every piece of development and finalized artwork from the series that Nintendo was able to find in their documents. There are production sketches, alternate character designs, finished manual pieces, some dungeon layout concepts and more.

You can see a couple of photos I took of the Japanese version in the gallery here: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/3119

I pre-ordered the Standard Edition because Amazon has it for $15 less plus I had a $10 gift card. I need to wean myself off of special editions that cost way too much...

Cool. Thanks for the info!

Yeah I can do without the special edition, I've already given away some older special edition stuff because it's just not that important to me anymore, but something like this I would be interested in at a reasonable price.

Wow, vintage PGC user/pass worked :)
I think I'm gonna camp out at the Nintendo World Store for this one. I called them up to see if they're taking preorders, but it looks like it's a first-come first-served thing. They didn't have a set release date either.

Urk! My addiction is just ramping up! And this isn't helping one bit!

I soured to special editions after God of War III Ultimate Edition then Castlevania: Lord of Shadows Limited Edition. Neither we're worth the extra $40 and $20 respectively.

I don't mind the 1st run special editions that don't cost extra like The Last Story and Code of Princess. If it's a game I really want, I'll preorder for the bonuses. I just don't think I can spend more on silly extras that aren't worth the additional cost. I know the Hyrule Historia Limited Edition would have greater resale value, but I'm buying it to have and the fancy cover and gold gilded pages aren't worth $20+ to me.

LOL, no chance in hell I would pay $70. Even $50 would be a stretch to justify (even if it was real leather and not just fake leather).

Wow, I think I remember you. Well, the username at least. Crazy...

There's a lot of old folks coming out of the bushes ever since that Wii U was released.

i know, this place feels like home again

This book seems to be going relatively cheap on Amazon UK currently. I was tempted, but in the run up to the Holidays I honestly can't justify the purchase.

If you ordered through B&N, they're cancelling pre-orders without telling anyone. :(

Means I'm SOL.  Anyone planning to get one at NWS want to pick me up a copy? :D

If you remind me I may be able to snag one up for you, no promises though.