You wouldn’t think any more could be said about the history of Dungeons & Dragons.  Just check out books like Art & Arcana (reviewed here) or Lore & Legends (reviewed here).  But apparently those just scratched the surface.  This week sees the release of what promises to be “the ultimate record of how Dungeons & Dragons came to be.”  In The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons–1970-1977, available here at Amazon, Wizards of the Coast uncovers material never released to the public, including a reprint of creator Gary Gygax’s first draft of the original D&D game from the 1970s.  The book reproduces a collection of rare documents, with commentary by frequent D&D contributor Jon Peterson.

Some of the early published writings included in the book are those 1974 original D&D “white box” booklets and supplements.  Other content includes dozens of articles and documents that lay the foundation for modern D&D, including unpublished correspondence between Gygax and D&D co-designer Dave Arneson.

For diehard fans of the early days of D&D, look for several magazine and fanzine articles, many of which are no longer easily accessible.  Readers can flip through facsimiles of all the first printings of the Original D&D roleplaying game, compiled in a single book for the first time in D&D’s publishing history.

Here is a look at some of the ephemera reproduced inside the book:

Now available from Wizards of the Ghost, order your own copy of The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons–1970-1977, available here at Amazon.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg