Dungeons & Dragons / Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana

inspired the earliest groups of gamers and computer programmers, and set into motion a revolution of creative and technical innovation. The numbers of actors and directors who credit the game with providing them inspiration is immense, from Vin Diesel and Stephen Colbert to Rainn Wilson and the late Robin Williams. Celebrated director Jon Favreau suggested the game gave him a really strong background in imagination, storytelling,understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance. National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates agrees, suggesting the game helped introduce him to the powers of imagination. All this is to say, the story of D&D is as important now as it has ever been, and with the recent success of 5th edition and an array of D&D-inspired blockbuster books, shows, and films surfacing, from Ready Player One to Stranger Things, its history will become increasingly visible and relevant.

Nothing conveys the story of D&D better than its visuals. At a time when fantasy and science fiction were, at best, fringe diversions, D&D was creating a culture of do-it-yourself fantasy world-building through its immersive narrative environments, given life by its ever-evolving illustrations and artwork. It depicted monsters, magic, swords, and sorcery in a way that taught fans a visual vocabulary of the unreal, fixing in the minds of a whole generation how to picture the fantastic. The relationship between Dungeons & Dragons and its artwork goes beyond symbiosis, but to outright reliance one simply couldn t exist without the other. The art informed the game, and the game informed the art. Beginning as amateur, homebrew sketches used to illustrate to the initiated simple concepts such as maps and the physical appearance of monsters, characters

during the early days of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and it s been decades since I ve seen the wonders that enthralled me during that magical time. At last, familiar treasures from the depths of the vault are here. They can make you cry depending on how deep you went. This is an incredible tome of power."
John Romero, co-creator of DOOM
 
This is a time machine. Poring over these images forty years after I first held the Basic Set in my hands, I m overwhelmed by the same ineffable feelings I had back in 1977.  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS unlocked something in my twelve year old brain an exhilarating sense of possibility that set my future course as a game designer and writer. This book inspires me all over again"
Amy Hennig, creator of the Uncharted series

This fascinating deep dive into the world of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS will thrill both the connoisseur of role-playing games, as well as anyone interested in visual histories. I found so much information to inspire daydreams for months. I can t wait to add this to my library of all things geeky.
Deborah Ann Woll, actor and D&D enthusiast

"This tome of awesomeness [...] You can only begin to imagine the amounts of hours that this team of top notch authors poured into this. They gained unparalleled access to the archives of Wizards of the Coast and the personal collection of some of the top collectors. Needless to say this book will detail and illustrate the long and wonderful journey of Dungeons and Dragons from its humble beginnings to the cult status it obtained to this day. This has never been achieved in a book before making it the must-have D&D collectible."
  Fabienne Payet, Outright Geekery

In the early 1980s, I spent lots of time working and gaming with D&D co-creator Gary Gygax during his lost Los Angeles period; I went on to work closely with TSR until its end. For me, this is more than a book.  It s a time machine back to a fantastic, fabulous time when anything was possible. For anyone who wants to understand the pure magic of D&D and where it came from, get this book at all costs.
  Flint Dille, Screenwriter/Game Designer

"Can t give a higher recommendation than the highest for this amazing book! I ve seen the preview and I was blown away page after Page! GET THIS BOOK!"  
  Stefan Pokorny, Founder and CEO of Dwarven Forge

This book is an exotic, magical, and fun trip into the world of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS whether you ve ever held a twelve-sided die or not.  
James Gunn, writer-director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie series

This is no simple art book. Authors Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Petersen, and Sam Witwer have combined their lifetimes of love and experience with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS to create a comprehensive history of both the role-playing game and its legendary creators The visual history does, of course, include all artwork you ve dreamed of.
Kelly Knox, Nerdist
 
With over 400 pages, Art and Arcana is the most comprehensive D&D history you will find anywhere. Like a treasure-filled cavern, it's packed (and we mean PACKED) with enough facts, quotes, images, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to choke a fully grown Demogorgon.
Josh Weiss, SyFy.com

"It's incredible . . . this thing is a gateway into another dimension.
Boing Boing