People are interested in history because it informs us of not only where we came from, but what our future may hold. So too it lets us look back and study how and why things came to pass the way they did. While history is what happened in the past, it is a teacher which informs us in the present.
Art & Arcana: A Visual History is an exploration of the history of Dungeons & Dragons viewed through the prism of its visual identity. From the very first monsters scrawled out by local enthusiasts to the intricate creations of professional artists, the ever changing look of D&D is catalogued and discussed.
I use the term visual identity quite deliberately. Looking at images of the book online it would be easy to mistake this for an art book. True, it has an art book element to it, but the title deals with so much more than just the illustrations which have graced the various editions of D&D. It dives into the entire visual media output of Dungeons & Dragons since its inception.
This starts with the, by current standards, quite primitive illustrations and production quality of the first editions of D&D. The book doesn’t just show what the images from this time were, but goes into quite intimate detail about those who created these early works and how they became involved in the games production.
The story then weaves its way through the rapid popularity of Dungeons & Dragons, the formation of TSR, the loss of Gary Gygax from the business, the sale to Wizards of the Coast and finishing with the creation of the current edition. These events are represented by the work produced in each period, exploring how the games visuals shift as Dungeons & Dragons reacts to internal and external influences.
While this includes a large selection of illustrations, monster designs and various game related materials it also looks at the other media Dungeons & Dragons has experimented with. From the various D&D children’s toys and accessories, press adverts, colouring books, video games, comics, the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon and much more. No stone is left unturned in pursuing the artistic lineage of the game.
Anyone who has read The Campaigner’s game feature each issue will be familiar with the format of the book. The chronology and details of events are followed, and where possible, those people who were involved are probed for their thoughts and recollections. Coupled with the various reproductions of key artworks, it provides an insightful and interesting look into the inception and evolution of Dungeons & Dragons.
Because the history of the game is so long, and there are many possible threads to follow, the book contains discrete and individualised sections with their own unique look. These help to inform the reader when the historical narrative is being left, and a particular subject is being explored in detail. For instance, Evilution provides a handy double page spread of the various incarnations of a monster throughout the years.
Art & Arcana manages to strike a good balance between telling the history of D&D, and showing the visuals which made it so engaging. So much so that people who just want to read and understand the journey of the game are just as much catered for as those who prefer to look at a bunch of cool pictures. And the way it is sectioned means that it is as interesting to flick through to both.
The artworks that have been chosen are interesting, providing good examples of particular artists work or how some pieces were treated when applied to products. While the early pieces have a unprofessional naivety to them, those chosen are tempered with reference images, photographs and other materials from that time. A good decision, as almost 50 pages of images that are just slightly off may have been a bit much for even the most hardy to endure.
So too the written portions are really well done. A lot of time has obviously gone into laying down the chronological events of Dungeons & Dragons, and then pinpointing the key moments to highlight. An impressively large number of those involved, from the very beginning up until today, have provided their input. Which means that the reader gets a much more insightful look into the details than a generalised history could provide.
From a production standpoint the books is fantastically executed. Every piece of artwork is reproduced with care, the paper is sturdy with a nice gloss feel, and it is all bound together into a coffee table book style hard cover. Plus the red and black cover with gold foiling just looks so impressive.
The only part I found questionable was the last part of the history, where it discusses the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons. While I understand that Wizard of the Coast had a hand in this book, the majority of the chapter is quite self-congratulatory. And while I don’t disagree that the latest edition if an amazing piece of work, the forced positivity doesn’t seem like it will age well.
There are also some sections I would have liked to have seen a lot more from. Such as more Evilution spreads, or more Arteology explorations of the stories and influences behind particular key pieces of art.
Still, Art & Arcana: A Visual History is an amazing read. Whether you want to dive into the history, or just skim through all the artwork. Exploring a subject like this from the visual perspective is a perfect fit for Dungeons & Dragons and really helps to communicate why it was, and still is, the behemoth it has become.
Art & Arcana: A Visual History is written by Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson and Sam Witwer. It is published by Ten Speed Press and Wizards of the Coast and is available now online or from good book retailers.
