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amnesiack's review against another edition
4.0
As an art book, this is top notch (5 stars). As a history of D&D, it's very inconsistent (3 stars). The TSR years are full of detail and minutia, but the closer it gets to the modern era, the less interesting and detailed the chapters become. The 4th edition chapter is little more than a half-hearted apology, and the 5th edition chapter reads like ad copy written by WotC's marketing department. It makes the final third of the book very vapid and shallow compared to the rest. There are plenty of reasons for this, I'm sure, but it's disappointing nonetheless.
jason_pym's review against another edition
5.0
This is a surfeit of nostalgia and escapism. I've read it cover to cover twice, now starting on the third go through. When I was young, maybe 9, 10, I got the Red Box (with the same red dragon as on the books cover) and fell in love with role playing games. I never played enough, and it was rarely Dungeons and Dragons, but this is a beautifully put together book with just enough of everything. We've got the little plastic throwaway toys that inspired the rust monster and bullette. There's the computer games, terrible early art next to the comic books the pictures were cribbed from, Dragon magazine covers, old ads and comics from the 70s and 80s, Erol Otus art, news cuttings from the Satanic Panic, a dungeon map bath towel.... So much great stuff, a little bit of everything and not too much of any one thing.
Real life took over a long time ago so I don't have the hours and hours that rpgs require, but just flicking through a few pages now and then is enough to get that same warm feeling. Fantastic stuff.
Real life took over a long time ago so I don't have the hours and hours that rpgs require, but just flicking through a few pages now and then is enough to get that same warm feeling. Fantastic stuff.
itcamefromthepage's review
slow-paced
4.5
This was outstanding, a great history on Dungeons and Dragons which does not mince words when it comes to the classic stuff.
Unfortunately the frank and direct look into the faults of DnD kinda disappear around 4th edition, with the book being a little bit more complementary than I would like.
Still a wonderful collection of art and a great history of the franchise.
Unfortunately the frank and direct look into the faults of DnD kinda disappear around 4th edition, with the book being a little bit more complementary than I would like.
Still a wonderful collection of art and a great history of the franchise.
dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History chronicles the history and evolution of Dungeons & Dragons, specifically the art.
I was a heavy D&D player from ages 14 to about 25 so this piqued my interest. Fortunately, my wife bought it for me for Christmas.
This weighty tome chronicles the history of Dungeons and Dragons, from the original pamphlets printed up by Gary Gygax in the 1970s through the most recent edition. It's not an in depth history, focusing more on the look and feel of the art over the years, from high school chuckleheads Gygax knew in Lake Geneva to heavy hitters like Larry Elmore and Erol Otus and beyond.
I knew most of the behind the scenes stuff from other books up until 3.5. Fourth edition's resemblance to World of Warcraft makes a lot more sense now. Is fifth edition still hung up on using miniatures? This book wasn't clear...
Anyway, the art is the star of the show, as it should be in a book of this type. The book is easily two thirds artwork spanning the lifetime of the game. Some of it was new to me but other pieces were as familiar as a ragged character sheet. I recently watched Eye of the Beholder, a documentary covering a lot of the same territory on Prime Video. I recommend watching that as well.
To be honest, my only gripe with this book is that it could have easily been 1000 pages bigger. There are a lot of memorable pieces from 2nd and 3rd edition that didn't make the cut. Hell, Spelljammer and Planescape got 2-3 pages apiece and Dark Sun fared about the same.
Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History is an essential coffee table book for any longtime Dungeons and Dragons fan. Five out of five dragons.
I was a heavy D&D player from ages 14 to about 25 so this piqued my interest. Fortunately, my wife bought it for me for Christmas.
This weighty tome chronicles the history of Dungeons and Dragons, from the original pamphlets printed up by Gary Gygax in the 1970s through the most recent edition. It's not an in depth history, focusing more on the look and feel of the art over the years, from high school chuckleheads Gygax knew in Lake Geneva to heavy hitters like Larry Elmore and Erol Otus and beyond.
I knew most of the behind the scenes stuff from other books up until 3.5. Fourth edition's resemblance to World of Warcraft makes a lot more sense now. Is fifth edition still hung up on using miniatures? This book wasn't clear...
Anyway, the art is the star of the show, as it should be in a book of this type. The book is easily two thirds artwork spanning the lifetime of the game. Some of it was new to me but other pieces were as familiar as a ragged character sheet. I recently watched Eye of the Beholder, a documentary covering a lot of the same territory on Prime Video. I recommend watching that as well.
To be honest, my only gripe with this book is that it could have easily been 1000 pages bigger. There are a lot of memorable pieces from 2nd and 3rd edition that didn't make the cut. Hell, Spelljammer and Planescape got 2-3 pages apiece and Dark Sun fared about the same.
Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History is an essential coffee table book for any longtime Dungeons and Dragons fan. Five out of five dragons.
koreilly's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting to both read about the history of Dungeons and Dragons and it's parent company TSR throughout the years but obviously its much more engaging to flip through this thing and see the evolution of the game in real time. The early years where the art looks like it could've been cribbed from a High School art class (and very well might have been as they hired some teenage artists in their early years) to the smooth, realistic sleek, hollywood-style art they use today.
Everyone has a preference but I feel like they hit their stride in the 80s and 90s leading right up to the creation of the Dark Sun campaign. That was when D&D still ruled the culture. After that you see their art become more reactive to the zeitgeist chasing trends moreso with edgy comic book style art and then the less interesting digital art they use today.
The writing itself is informative if a little dry as obviously this is an official D&D product and won't get into the murky drama and backstabbing that is at the core of the D&D origin and TSR's later corporate mismanagement. Still a good overview that will give you better insights than just browsing Wikipedia!
Everyone has a preference but I feel like they hit their stride in the 80s and 90s leading right up to the creation of the Dark Sun campaign. That was when D&D still ruled the culture. After that you see their art become more reactive to the zeitgeist chasing trends moreso with edgy comic book style art and then the less interesting digital art they use today.
The writing itself is informative if a little dry as obviously this is an official D&D product and won't get into the murky drama and backstabbing that is at the core of the D&D origin and TSR's later corporate mismanagement. Still a good overview that will give you better insights than just browsing Wikipedia!
theshadowplay's review against another edition
5.0
This book was everything I expected and more. Chock full of great art. Chock full of history.
I only have minor minor nitpicks. The story of D&D is almost too effusive in it's love for the game. But I guess this is a love letter, not a critical examination so I shouldn't fault it for that. Also, despite being a huge amazing tome, I still felt there needed to be more. I WANT MY FAVORITE D&D PIECES! NOTHING BY STEPHEN FABIAN?!?! I could've had double the content and still wanted more I suppose.
I only have minor minor nitpicks. The story of D&D is almost too effusive in it's love for the game. But I guess this is a love letter, not a critical examination so I shouldn't fault it for that. Also, despite being a huge amazing tome, I still felt there needed to be more. I WANT MY FAVORITE D&D PIECES! NOTHING BY STEPHEN FABIAN?!?! I could've had double the content and still wanted more I suppose.
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!