Gygaxs AD&D Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading
Explore Gygax's AD&D Appendix N: a curated list of inspirational and educational books that shaped Dungeons & Dragons. Discover the must-read classics that fueled fantasy RPGs.
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Tales of the Dying Earth
by Jack Vance
All four books in "The Dying Earth" science fiction series are now available in single volume.
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Three Hearts and Three Lions
by Poul Anderson
The gathering forces of the Dark Powers threaten the world of man. The legions of Faery, aided by trolls, demons and the Wild Hunt itself, are poised to overthrow the Realms of Light. Holger Carlsen, a bemused and puzzled twentieth-century man mysteriously snatched out of time, finds himself the key figure in the conflict. Arrayed against him are the dragons, giants and elven warriors of the armies of Chaos, and the beautiful sorceress Morgan le Fay. On his side is a vague prophecy, a quarrelsome dwarf and a beautiful woman who can turn herself into a swan, not to mention Papillon, the magnificent battle-horse, and a full set of perfectly fitting armour, both of which were waiting for him when he entered the magical realm. The shield bears three hearts and three lions - the only clue to Holger Carlsen's true identity. Could Carlsen really be a legendary hero, the only man who can save the world?
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The High Crusade
by Poul Anderson
In the year of grace 1345, as Sir Roger Baron de Tourneville is gathering an army to join King Edward III in the war against France, a most astonishing event occurs: a huge silver ship descends through the sky and lands in a pasture beside the little village of Ansby in North East Lincolnshire. The Wersgorix, whose scouting ship it is, are quite expert at taking over planets, and having determined from orbit that this one was suitable, they initiate standard world-conquering procedure. But this time it's no mere primitives the Wersgorix seek to enslave - they've launched their invasion against Englishmen! In the end, only one alien is left alive - and Sir Roger's grand vision is born. He intends for the creature to fly the ship first to France to aid his King, then on to the Holy Land to vanquish the infidel!
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The Broken Sword
by Poul Anderson
Thor has broken the sword Tyrfing so that it cannot strike at the roots of Yggdrasil, the tree that binds together earth, heaven and hell. But now the mighty sword is needed again to save the elves in their war against the trolls, and only Scafloc, a human child kidnapped and raised by the elves, can hope to persuade Bolverk the ice-giant to make Tyrfing whole again. But Scafloc must also confront his shadow self, Valgard the changeling who has taken his place in the world of men.
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The Face in the Frost
by John Bellairs
A dark power is growing in the depths of two wizard kingdoms. The powerful Prospero and his sidekick Roger Bacon must navigate the magical realm to defeat their ancient enemy. "Authentic fantasy by a writer who knows what wizardry is all about." --Ursula LeGuin "The tale is rich, hilarious, inventive, filled with infectious good-humor, grisly horror, slithering evil, bumbling monarchs, and various & sundry menaces of the supernatural variety." --Lin Carter
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A Treasury of Edgar Rice Burroughs
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Collected here in this oversized omnibus edition are nine novels of adventure by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs was the undisputed master of pulp fiction. His characters Tarzan and John Carter are still household names today. Now you can thrill to his other fine novels which include At the Earth's Core, Pellucidar, The Outlaw of Torn, The Efficiency Expert, The Monster Men, The Oakdale Affair, The Land That Time Forgot, The Lost Continent, and The People that Time Forgot. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
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The Complete Compleat Enchanter
by Lyon Sprague De Camp
Due to popular demand, Harold Shea of The Compleat Enchanter has had new adventures which have been published separately as The Enchanter Completed. Now, Baen Books presents a single volume of all the adventures of Harold Shea, master logician and wizard without peer.
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Quest for Cthulhu
by August Derleth
An omnibus volume contain two chilling tales of mythic horror--based on the cycle of tales created by the late H. P. Lovecraft--features "The Whippoorwills in the Hills," in which the hideous deity Yog-Sothoth stalks the forests of New England, "the Sandwin Compact," and "The Seal of R'lyeh," as well as the novel The Trail of Cthulhu. Original.
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The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
by Robert E. Howard
Conan is one of the greatest fictional heroes ever created– a swordsman who cuts a swath across the lands of the Hyborian Age, facing powerful sorcerers, deadly creatures, and ruthless armies of thieves and reavers. “Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities . . . there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars. . . . Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand . . . to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.” In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years before his tragic suicide, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. Collected in this volume, profusely illustrated by artist Mark Schultz, are Howard’s first thirteen Conan stories, appearing in their original versions–in some cases for the first time in more than seventy years–and in the order Howard wrote them. Along with classics of dark fantasy like “The Tower of the Elephant” and swashbuckling adventure like “Queen of the Black Coast,” The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian contains a wealth of material never before published in the United States, including the first submitted draft of Conan’s debut, “Phoenix on the Sword,” Howard’s synopses for “The Scarlet Citadel” and “Black Colossus,” and a map of Conan’s world drawn by the author himself. Here are timeless tales featuring Conan the raw and dangerous youth, Conan the daring thief, Conan the swashbuckling pirate, and Conan the commander of armies. Here, too, is an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of a genius whose bold storytelling style has been imitated by many, yet equaled by none.
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Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre: The Best of H. P. Lovecraft
by H. P. Lovecraft
“H.P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.”—Stephen King “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”—H.P. Lovecraft This is the collection that true fans of horror fiction must have: sixteen of H.P. Lovecraft’s most horrifying visions, including: The Call of Cthulu: The first story in the infamous Cthulhu mythos—a creature spawned in the stars brings a menace of unimaginable evil to threaten all mankind. The Dunwich Horror: An evil man’s desire to perform an unspeakable ritual leads him in search of the fabled text of The Necronomicon. The Colour Out of Space: A horror from the skies—far worse than any nuclear fallout—transforms a man into a monster. The Shadow Over Innsmouth: Rising from the depths of the sea, an unspeakable horror engulfs a quiet New England town. Plus twelve more terrifying tales!
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The Moon Pool
by Abraham Merritt
On the island of Ponape in the South Pacific, the cold light of a full moon washes over the crumbling ruins of an ancient, vanished civilization. Unleashed from the depths is the Dweller, a glittering, enigmatic force of monstrous terror and radiant beauty that stalks the South Pacific, claiming all in its path. An international expedition led by American Walter Goodwin races to save those who have fallen victim to the Dweller. The dark mystery behind the malevolent force is Muria, a forgotten, mythic world deep within the earth that is home to a legendary people intent on reclaiming what was theirs long ago. This commemorative edition of The Moon Pool features an introduction by Robert Silverberg, a review of the first edition, and a glossary of the Murian language.
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Elric The Stealer of Souls (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melnibone)
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The Blue Star
by Fletcher Pratt
Lalette Asterhax could not escape her destiny. She was a hereditary witch in a world where witchcraft was banned by ecclesiastical and temporal powers. And any man who possessed her would then gain possession of her precious Blue Star and all the powers it could bestow. Rodvard Bergelin was a reluctant revolutionary ... a rogue who had a date with destiny. Although he lusted after a rich baron's daughter, Rodvard was ordered to seduce the saucy witch-maiden. Then all the magical powers of that strange blue jewel would be his ... for as long as he remained faithful to Lalette "A magnificent job of writing ... a gem-perfect example of a branch of pure fantasy so rare nowadays." --Damon Knight"
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The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.
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The Lord of the Rings
by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
Presents the epic depicting the Great War of the Ring, a struggle between good and evil in Middle-earth, following the odyssey of Frodo the hobbit and his companions on a quest to destroy the Ring of Power, in a special anniversary volume containing the corrected text of all three volumes of the seminal fantasy trilogy, complemented by maps and cover art by acclaimed artist Alan Lee. Simultaneous.
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Interplanetary Odysseys
by Stanley G Weinbaum
INTERPLANETARY ODYSSEYS .."...One of the novas of the SF cosmos." The New Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction Interplanetary Odysseys collects together all of Stanley G. Weinbaum's tales set on the planets and moons of our own solar system. With their colony cities and fast, easy space travel, these stories from the great romantic tradition of SF remain entertaining, readable and relevant. Weinbaum was noted as the first SF writer to create believable aliens that were a product of their own planetary environments and eco-systems. The lead story, the classic "A Martian Odyssey," demonstrates this talent perfectly and with the nine other tales included here it gives readers new and old a chance to relive the sense of wonder that sprang from the glory days of science fiction.
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Jack of Shadows
by Roger Zelazny
The Earth no longer rotates. Science rules the dayside of the globe. Magic rules the World of Night, and Jack of Shadows, Shadowjack the Thief, who broke the Compact and duped the Lord of High Dudgeon, walks in silence and in shadows to seek vengeance upon his enemies.
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The Great Book of Amber
by Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber have earned their place as all-time classics of imaginative literature. Now here are all ten novels, together in one magnificent omnibus volume. Witness the titanic battle for supremacy waged on Earth, in the Courts of Chaos, and on a magical world of mystery, adventure, and romance.
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The Sword of Rhiannon
by Leigh Brackett
Archaeologist-turned-looter Matthew Carse is flung back in Mars' history by the sword of a fallen god, where he allies with the Sea Kings and their psychic allies against the tyrannical people of the Serpent.