Oh wow, that is pretty cool. I will be ordering a deluxe, thanks for the heads up.

When you see the book, you may spot in the acknowledgments a nod "To the community on the Acaeum, the premier website for Dungeons & Dragons collectors." So on behalf of the authors, thanks to everyone here for years of dedicated research into the history of D&D.

Several people here contributed images or sources directly to this project - stratochamp, grodog, Collector's Trove, ExTSR, and so on. Many others here sold product to me and others that ended up being scanned for the project.  So really, thanks!

My copies arrived today, I've been flipping through the standard edition this evening

Allan.

aia wrote in Art & Arcana:  A Visual History of D&D:Hey Allan, am i wronb or the release date i read was 23rd?!? How dif you manage to have the book today?

Contributor copies (includes me) and reviewer/press copies (not me) were mailed early, Axel.

Allan.

Comparing product details, there are 18 more pages in the B&N edition ... thanks for the heads-up  

gyg wrote in Art & Arcana:  A Visual History of D&D:To my eternal joy I was gifted and copy of the super duper version (suitable note of thanks to follow when I can find words enough.)

I keep trying to write a review or some kind of objective missive about this bit it always seems a but trite and hollow. Bottom line is; if you are a member here then you should own this. Frankly it is just a wonderful physical artifact. Don't delay, buy one today.

Ditto!
I am however in trouble... Yesterday it arrived and with disappointment i found that it is in shrink... Now i have it on my desk and i am still on the edge whether or not to open it... I am too curious... At the end i thi k i will remove the shrink (and my doubts) in the weekend!
Ciaoo

I got a review copy and wrote a (n Italian language) review of the book. It's a fine book that I heartily recommend!

Ah... now I am forced to spend more money!  lol  This looks nice!    Cool that the Acaeum got credited.

~Kat  ^_^

What I liked:

- OD&D art and products, original ToH adventure, stories of TSR and pre-TSR building the business
- a pretty even-handed account, based on what I think I know, of the challenges during early 80s growth and Gygax's loss of control.
- picture of Stratochamp & his library of 'god's copies'
- Curt Gould with the Holmes cover painting. Wow.
- considering Gygax's role founding GenCon for which it seems he deserves more credit. Who launches one culture shifting phenomenon, much less two. Double wow.

What I could have missed:

- boy the text got defensive during the 4e period, talking about how the game *had* to transform to support digital play. I think there could have been more critical analysis.
- the 5e marketing copy, err, summary was pretty thick: "Mud tracked all the way from the swamps of Blsckmoor soak the boots of adventurers in this new generation". Ick.

But the art, and the little featuettes of the artists, really really fantastic.