A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award. The novella Blood of the Dragon, comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel, was nominated for the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novel. In January 2011 the novel became a New York Times bestseller and reached #1 on the list in July 2011.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Thrones