The first two are standalone, yes. They're also different in style to the rest as Pratchett had yet to find his voice for the series. However, they do introduc

The first two are standalone, yes. They're also different in style to the rest as Pratchett had yet to find his voice for the series. However, they do introduce two very important characters that remain some of the most popular in the series. I would call that a false dichotomy, Colin. Most of the books are standalone, technically, yes; but consider this: most people who look at the reading order wouldn't know why they should read the witches novels nor the watch novels - so why not just start at the beginning and let it unfold as the author wrote them?