D&D General Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons, collection of essays published by MIT Press

[MNblockhead]

Came accross this by chance when searching for something else. I don't recall seeing (and a search didn't return any results) this mentioned on any thread in ENWorld, so I thought I would post about it for other D&D history nerds.

Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons, Edited by Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter and José P. Zagal.

Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons

On the fiftieth anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, a collection of essays that explores and celebrates the game's legacy and its tremendous impact on gam...

mitpress.mit.edu

Also available for pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Years-...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1706964488&sr=8-1

Description from the book's page on the MIT Press site:

On the fiftieth anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, a collection of essays that explores and celebrates the game's legacy and its tremendous impact on gaming and popular culture.

In 2024, the enormously influential tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons—also known as D&D—celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, editors Premeet Sidhu, Marcus Carter, and José Zagal have assembled an edited collection that celebrates and reflects on important parts of the game's past, present, and future. Each chapter in Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons explores why the nondigital game is more popular than ever—with sales increasing 33 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite worldwide lockdowns—and offers readers the opportunity to critically reflect on their own experiences, perceptions, and play of D&D.

Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons draws on fascinating research and insight from expert scholars in the field, including: Gary Alan Fine, whose 1983 book Shared Fantasy remains a canonical text in game studies; Jon Peterson, celebrated D&D historian; Daniel Justice, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture; and numerous leading and emerging scholars from the growing discipline of game studies, including Amanda Cote, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, and Aaron Trammell. The chapters cover a diverse range of topics—from D&D's adoption in local contexts and classrooms and by queer communities to speculative interpretations of what D&D might look like in one hundred years—that aim to deepen readers' understanding of the game.

I've pre-ordered the Kindle versions and will try to remember to come continue the discussion in this thread once I've received and read it.

 

[Clint_L]

Thanks for the head's up - it's on my Wishlist!

 

[bedir than]

speculative interpretations of what D&D might look like in one hundred years

This essay should be a lot of fun

 

[zenopus]

Today is the release date for this book!

And I'm especially pleased to announce that Tony Rowe and I have written a chapter for it about the work of J. Eric Holmes on the first D&D Basic Set in 1977 (popularly known as Holmes Basic)...!

It's now available for order from various booksellers; read more about the book and find the link on the Zenopus Archives blog here:

Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons

 

[Reynard]

I wonder ifvthere will be an audio version.

 

[Cadence]

Just ordered it!

 

[Kobold Stew]

This essay should be a lot of fun

"How to make a Warlord in 18e."
"How to fix the 18e Monk."
"Flanking in 18e: how 15e did it better."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And I'm especially pleased to announce that Tony Rowe and I have written a chapter for it about the work of J. Eric Holmes on the first D&D Basic Set in 1977 (popularly known as Holmes Basic)...!

Can I just say how much I admire your laser focus on your preferred (well, I assume it's your preferred) version of the game and all of the heavy lifting you've done on it for years?

I don't know if you're a professional scholar, but I really admire the focused scholarship you've contributed over the years (decades?).

 

[Clint_L]

Today is the release date for this book!

Amazon is making Kindle users wait until November. Boooo!

 

[el-remmen]

Am I missing where I can see a preview of the ToC?