Dungeons and Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History

Beautiful and interesting book! Full of colour illustrations throughout and lots of interesting notes and details. I’ve spent hours flicking through this book and will spend many more hours still. Lovely hardback version, was on a deal when I purchased.

A superb book filled with the history and artwork of D&D throughout the years, from the humble beginnings of the game to the giant of the industry it is today! Covers every aspect of the games journey through the various editions, computer games, settings and tv shows. Quality is fantastic and the nostalgia brought back seeing some of the art brought a tear to this old grognards eye!

The publishers must be making a loss on this book. It is high quality and there is a lot of it. If you are like me and have a thing for fantasy artwork from the 80s and 90s then this is perfect for you. It also tells the history of D&D through the art which I found really interesting. Could not recommend this book enough

Very interesting and detailed insight to the history of the beloved game. Covers all areas from the beginning, the comics, the minis and the video games. The artwork is well displayed and there are umpteen great personal stories to accompany the art. 5/5 Brilliant present for any D&D nerd!

Super cool book. Arrived in decent condition, though the front cover had slight damage on the edge, but nothing particularly noticeable. A lot bigger than I'd anticipated, and a lot heavier. It's definitely a good buy, and would recommend if you'd like inspiration, or to read about and appreciate the artwork for D&D. Looking at this and the collectors (which I didn't get), I couldn't see any justification, as you don't get much more for the large price point. Unless you'd like to spend another £40-£60 for a few posters, etc, I wouldn't recommend that version.

Brilliant book. Came in great condition direct from Germany. Loads of fantastic art in this book and a great brief history into D&D. Recommended for any D&D fan. I've only JUST started to look into this table top game, so I found the book very informative without being overwhelming.

In 1974 Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created a different type of tabletop game. Dungeons and Dragons became the world's first and most popular roleplaying game. For thirty-four years it ruled supreme and unchallenged, until a problematic fourth edition and the rise of the rival Pathfinder game knocked it off its perch. However, with its fifth edition the game has regained its crown. A key ingredient to the game's success has been the phenomenal roster of artists who have worked on the game for almost forty-five years. Art & Arcana is a visual history of the Dungeons and Dragons game, taking in every edition and campaign setting the game has produced, as well as many of its novels, calendars and video games. Artwork from the very first prototypes right through the latest 5th Edition expansions and modules is featured, along with lengthy histories and interviews with key personnel. Arts & Arcana is massive: more than 440 pages in length, it features over 700 separate pieces of artwork along with a significant amount of text detailing the history of the game in some depth. It starts with Gygax and Arneson playing miniatures wargames in Wisconsin in the late 1960s and rapidly hitting on the idea of moving from large armies of lots of figures to small parties of just a few figures exploring dungeons, and later wilderness and towns. Dungeons and Dragons was born, with Gygax and Arneson founding the company TSR to sell it all over the world. From there the game exploded, selling millions of copies and inspiring spin-off novels, board games and a TV show. Several times the management of the game became fraught and complicated, with Gygax forced out in a corporate takeover and TSR later collapsing before being rescued by Wizards of the Coast. The game's struggles in the face of competition from video games and card games such as Magic: The Gathering are also documented, not to mention the attacks on the game in the press by fundamentalist Christians in the 1980s. The book brushes over arguably the game's nadir, the problematic 4th Edition (2008-13) and the rise of rival products to challenge the game's supremacy, but it does end strongly with the game's return to recent prominence in a new era of podcasts, YouTube videos and Twitch streams. The one constant throughout the book is artwork. The initial artwork for the game was simplistic, sourced for very little money from whatever artists were on hand. As the game boomed in sales, so the quality of the artwork increased dramatically, with iconic artists like Larry Elmore, Clyde Caldwell and Keith Parkinson joining the company. Later on younger artists arrived with radically different styles, ready to reassess the game for its later editions. As well as artwork for the core game, they also produced art for tie-in novels and video games. The result is a splendid coffee table book and the perfect gift for a fan of Dungeons and Dragons specifically or fantasy artwork in general. In fact, it's a tribute to the artistic strength of Dungeons and Dragons that so many brilliant pieces of artwork aren't even in the book, as there wasn't enough room. In fact, that's probably the book's biggest weakness (along with the somewhat dry and mostly controversy-ducking text): the sheer amount of material produced for D&D over the past forty-five years means that some elements get fairly short shrift in this book. Ravenloft feels a bit hard-done by in particular. There's also, somewhat bemusingly given their prevalence in and for the game, very little material on maps, although perhaps there's enough material there for a completely separate book later on. If you can accept the fact that the book isn't exhaustively complete (and isn't meant to be, and would be far too unwieldy even if it was), there's still a huge amount to enjoy here, and the book forms probably the best and most concise history of the D&D game to date for the beginner. Art & Arcana (****½) is available now in the UK and USA.

This is a wonderful, full colour, comprehensive (as much as it can be!) historical retrospective on AD&D as it grew into 5e. Lots of illustrations, great information and a fab read. Well worth a peek!

The game of Dungeons & Dragons has a long and storied history, one with as many twists and turns and as much drama as any decent campaign a Dungeon Master might dream up. Starting off as a few pamphlets of arcane rules made by wargamers for wargamers, the game leveled up through the years until it became the monolith it is today. At this point, even your grandmother knows what D&D is, although she probably still thinks it’s Satan’s game. (Oh, 1980s Satanic Panic, I do so dearly miss you!) D&D’s success was far from a given. The fact that it has survived (and thrived) for well over forty years is a miracle in itself. The game’s popularity has waxed and waned over the years, but somehow it always comes back. Its history is the stuff of legend, and a big part of that history is the evolution of its artwork. Each edition of D&D has its own look and feel, and every D&D book since the beginning has its share of iconic art. And now, at long last, we have a collection of this art, along with the chronicle of its evolution, in one hefty, beautiful tome. Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History is an oversized book, solid and well put together, weighing in at just over five pounds. It’s printed on heavy, glossy paper that showcases the artwork in fine detail. The table of contents reveals nine chapters, each cleverly named after a D&D spell and focusing on the different editions of the game and significant events in the game’s history. Flipping past the TOC, we find a vintage advertisement opposite a forward by True Blood and Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello, a D&D aficionado and YouTuber. Then, after another introduction, we finally get into the meat of the book. Although the focus of the book is art, we get a little insight into the genesis of D&D. It started with a game called Chainmail, created by Gary Gygax, a gamer whose enthusiasm for wargames in general and the medieval period in particular moved him to create his own games. When he added a fantasy supplement to Chainmail (so that one’s medieval foot soldiers, knights, and lancers could be backed up by wizards, elves, and dragons), fellow wargamer David Arneson adapted those rules for his Blackmoore campaign. Blackmoore, in addition to staging massive battles, took individual heroes into the dungeons below the titular castle, where they could battle monsters and find treasure to fund their ongoing wars. It was an ingenious departure from the standard wargame, and it set Gygax’s imagination on fire. The two men worked together on a new set of rules, which soon became the original version of Dungeons & Dragons. As we move through chapter one, we are treated to some primitive, but charming, early D&D artwork. TSR, the company Gygax formed to publish D&D, didn’t have money to pay artists, so they relied on any friends or family who displayed a modicum of artistic talent. These artists often copied earlier works, even comic book panels. From there, we move on to the next chapter, which features art from “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” first edition. The game had become more sophisticated, and TSR made the unprecedented step of releasing high-quality, hardcover game manuals. The art was still primitive, but it was definitely a step up from the amateur sketches on display in the original pamphlets. In addition to a chronological journey through the various editions of D&D, we are invited to bear witness to the evolution of various monsters and characters through recurring features such as “Evilution” and “Many Faces of…,” These two-page spreads contain different versions of creatures spanning each edition. It’s fascinating to see how the characters changed through the years as the art become more and more sophisticated. Another feature throughout the book, “Deadliest Dungeons” highlights some of the classic Dungeons TSR (and later Wizards of the Coast) published over the years. For those that owned or played through iconic adventures like “Tomb of Horrors” or “Keep on the Borderlands,” the nostalgia is palpable. For more than four hundred pages, we are walked through every edition of D&D, from the five numbered editions, to the various boxed “Basic” and “Expert” sets that catered to a younger, less sophisticated audience. The artwork tells the story of changing direction of the game: the characters shift from the scruffy mercenaries and treasure hunters of first edition, to the more heroic warriors and wizards of second and third, to the over-the-top action superheroes of fourth, and finally back to the more down-to-earth adventure-seekers of fifth edition. We are treated to advertising, spin-offs and licensed products, dice and miniatures, maps, video game screenshots, beautiful scenery from classic D&D settings, and more. It’s truly a feast for the eyes and a lightning bolt to the imagination. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. I’ve taken it in page by page, reading all the text and gazing lovingly at the artwork. It brings me back to my youth, and my geeky days playing first and second edition D&D in my friends’ parents (and sometimes grandparents’) basements. And now I’m playing fifth edition with some of the same friends, groups of new friends, and even (sometimes) my college-age daughter and my young nieces. D&D is here to stay, and it’s inspiring the imagination and creativity of a new generation, just as it did for mine. And truly, what could be better than that?

A must for whoever loves rpg and expecially D&D.

Fantezi ve karanlık fantezi türünde çok önemli bir yeri olan D&D'un tarihini, sanat çalışmaları ile destekleyerek anlatan harika bir kitap. Baskı ve cilt kalitesi de aynı şekilde mükemmel.

Uma obra definitiva e luxuosa que celebra cinco décadas de D&D. Esta edição especial é um tesouro de arte, histórias e nostalgia, perfeitamente encapsulando a evolução e o impacto cultural do jogo. Imprescindível para fãs e colecionadores.

El libro es una maravilla. Ya seáis coleccionistas acérrimos de D&D o simples aficionados a los juegos de rol, se trata de una compra obligada. Dejando de lado el factor nostalgia, el libro en sí tiene unas calidades soberbias. Cuenta con tapas duras sólidas y muy bien rematadas (sin esquinas machacadas o mal envueltas) y con dorados en el lomo de los de antes. El papel es grueso con un acabado satinado, de calidad. Además, la encuadernación acompaña: es lo suficientemente sólida como para soportar el peso de tantas hojas de papel de alto gramaje y, si lo tratáis como merece, tiene toda la pinta de durar muchos años en buenas condiciones. No se trata únicamente de un libro de ilustraciones. Muy al contrario, el recorrido que hace por la historia de D&D es muy exhaustivo y la elección de las ilustraciones muy acertado (aunque siempre os quedaréis con ganas de más, eso es inevitable). Un producto que no puede faltar en el tesoro de todo buen aficionado/coleccionista de juegos de rol.