Terry Pratchett virgin here. Where do I start?

[Littlefiendsusan]

Over the last few days I've come across Granny Weatherwax in various places and learning about her has piqued my interest in TP.
So, which book would I best start off with? I have absolutely no idea!

Thanks to these recommendations I am starting on Equal Rites.

I've always thought Pratchett was hinting Vetinari was a vampire. He doesn't really eat, he doesn't seem to age, and there are hints in The Fifth Elephant that he has a past with Lady Margolotta, and also that he's improbably old. Anybody else pick that up?

I just love how the Unseen University gets all the tiny minded petty bureaucracy associated with any large institution or company bang on

"like most people with no grasp whatsoever of real economics, Mustrum Ridcully equated 'proper financial control' with the counting of paperclips"

"His mental approach to it could be visualised as a sort of business flowchart with, at the top, a circle entitled "Me, who does the telling" and, connected below it by a line, a large circle entitled "Everyone else"

"It was possible, if you kept on talking at the Archchancellor long enough, that some facts might squeeze through"

Personally, I'd try and read them in release order. If you start off with later ones the very early ones don't read anywhere near as well.

The first couple are very unfocused in hindsight and far more rooted in traditional fantasy rather than the social commentary/parody the series became and it really does help if you read them in order to see how he refined the Discworld generally.

The witches series is pretty great throughout as are the Guards and Moist Von Lipwig books.