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aaronr's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent history and collection of visual art for D&D. A trip down memory lane and motivation for future adventures!
dllh's review against another edition
4.0
D&D isn't something I was into as a kid, and in fact I've only developed an interest as my own tween has become interested. This visual history was really fascinating, and I enjoyed seeing how the game and its art evolved into what it is today.
dlsmall's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5…So many youthful memories from V1 AD&D and even Dragonlance days. Of course the Tomb of Horrors section just takes me back to Ready Player One.
alfajirikali's review against another edition
3.0
This showcases some tremendous ephemera from the early Gygax days and provides a beautiful visual history of the game and its offshoots.
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Art & Arcana is a gorgeous and informative tome that could've used a bit more polish (I noted quite a few typos, and I'm a bit concerned about the cracking noise my copy sometimes makes when I open it). It details the history of art (and by extension product development) in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise from the TSR days to the Wizard of the Coast/Hasbro days. A must read for avid D&D fans, and the many full page, full-color illustrations make this a worthwhile book to look at for general fantasy art fans. I do feel, as a relatively new fan (started TTRPGs with 3.5 and have been playing mainly 5e since 2016), that after the Gary Gygax days things seem less detailed.
Content Warnings
Some of the female character designs in earlier editions are very sexualized for my taste. Also, there's a pedo-joke illustration by the pre 1981-Purge art staff on display in chapter 2.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Awesome but exhausting. And it started out as a story and ended as an info dump. I didn't quite realize how much of D&D I missed. When someone called me out in 9th grade study hall for reading [b:Dune|234225|Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1)|Frank Herbert|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434908555s/234225.jpg|3634639], they were looking for another D&D player. And a month or two later and I was DM'ing from what I remember. Certainly I was buying the original AD&D hardback books. I didn't realize that this was only a few month after that silliness where the college student went missing. And then there were years and years of campaigns and modules and rule changes. And whatever. Also this book was just plain too heavy to read. But wow it made me want to try to buy up old D&D modules and miniatures for cheap if I could find them.
ronsos's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible, visually impressive work featuring the entire history of D&D.
ashleylm's review against another edition
5.0
Put me in the "loved it" category. Yes, in the final few pages there was quite a lot of "at last, we've achieved gaming rules perfection," but up until that point the authors seemed quite open-minded about the plusses and deficiencies of the company and its games throughout its history. And oh, the art!
It's a large book (both in size of each page and number of pages) so it can (a) display the art at a decent scale, and (b) show quite a lot of it, while (c) including enough text so that you do feel you're reading a history, and not merely viewing a coffee table book of pretty pictures.
I pretty much devoured the first half in a single (long) sitting, then polished off the rest in stolen moments over the next two days. There's no better compliment to a book than that I'd rather be reading it than anything else.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
It's a large book (both in size of each page and number of pages) so it can (a) display the art at a decent scale, and (b) show quite a lot of it, while (c) including enough text so that you do feel you're reading a history, and not merely viewing a coffee table book of pretty pictures.
I pretty much devoured the first half in a single (long) sitting, then polished off the rest in stolen moments over the next two days. There's no better compliment to a book than that I'd rather be reading it than anything else.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
thecanadagoose's review against another edition
4.0
Let's start with the fact that Dungeons and Dragons is the archetypal tabletop role-playing game, and inspired every role playing game that came after it. [b:Art & Arcana|37880631|Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana A Visual History|Michael Witwer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523484062l/37880631._SX50_.jpg|59524789] gives a complete and comprehensive history of this amazing game. Like it's title suggests, it's not just a history (although, this is very thorough with lots of interesting facts) but also shows the evolution of the artwork over the years.
Each chapter takes you through each edition of D&D, from the original release (written by [a:Gary Gygax|137917|E. Gary Gygax|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Dave Arneson|245682|Dave Arneson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1474258778p2/245682.jpg], through to the current 5th Edition owned by Wizards of the Coast. We find out about the inception of the game from the world of miniature wargaming, and the slow but steady expansion into the widely played game of today.
It is not just a tome celebrating the successes of the game, included are the many problems that D&D faced as it tried to stay afloat as a business. From the issues faced with the media believing the game promoted Satanism, to the internal struggle felt by a fledgling business; the book follows the whole of the game's history, all of the lows and all of the many many highs.
This isn't just a random collection of pictures; each section is specifically selected to lead you through the development process of the game, with many pieces of artwork from the period. You can see the evolution of the artwork over time, which flows in line with the fortune of the company. The artwork is beautiful and intricate, and even people who have never played a game of D&D in their life will be able to enjoy it. There are also specific double page spreads on the artistic evolution of famous monsters and characters, which was one of the sections I most enjoyed.
This is a brilliant and nostalgic book, and there is something here for anyone who has ever played a game of D&D. The artwork is phenomenal, and is joined by a detailed and interesting history of a game that has held many generations captivated. Well worth a read!
Each chapter takes you through each edition of D&D, from the original release (written by [a:Gary Gygax|137917|E. Gary Gygax|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Dave Arneson|245682|Dave Arneson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1474258778p2/245682.jpg], through to the current 5th Edition owned by Wizards of the Coast. We find out about the inception of the game from the world of miniature wargaming, and the slow but steady expansion into the widely played game of today.
It is not just a tome celebrating the successes of the game, included are the many problems that D&D faced as it tried to stay afloat as a business. From the issues faced with the media believing the game promoted Satanism, to the internal struggle felt by a fledgling business; the book follows the whole of the game's history, all of the lows and all of the many many highs.
This isn't just a random collection of pictures; each section is specifically selected to lead you through the development process of the game, with many pieces of artwork from the period. You can see the evolution of the artwork over time, which flows in line with the fortune of the company. The artwork is beautiful and intricate, and even people who have never played a game of D&D in their life will be able to enjoy it. There are also specific double page spreads on the artistic evolution of famous monsters and characters, which was one of the sections I most enjoyed.
This is a brilliant and nostalgic book, and there is something here for anyone who has ever played a game of D&D. The artwork is phenomenal, and is joined by a detailed and interesting history of a game that has held many generations captivated. Well worth a read!