New “Dungeons & Dragons Museum” Book (First Look)
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It’s been 50 years since Dungeons & Dragons first exploded onto the scene, becoming a pop culture powerhouse along the way. With 2024 ringing in the game’s golden anniversary, we’ve already seen a number of historical retrospectives, including The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons and even a TIME Magazine DnD cover.
Now, we have yet another blast from the past in the form of Dungeons & Dragons Museum, an illustrated coffee table book chocked full of photos and illustrations from D&D history. The book (which will be released on October 24th, 2024) is available from local book shops, game stores and on Amazon.
So is this trip down memory lane a critical hit? Below, we dive all the details.
What is the “Dungeons & Dragons Museum” book about?
Dungeons & Dragons Museum: Celebrate 50 Years of the Epic Fantasy Role-playing Game is a 96-page hardcover visual reference produced by Bonnier Books and Wizards of the Coast. The book includes images and art taken throughout D&D history and covers everything form the game’s origins 1974 to more recent iteration like the 2023 release of the Honour Among Thieves film and the Baldur’s Gate III video game. It also includes a ton of source material from every edition of the game, with some of the most iconic images of monsters and characters.
It’s worth noting that despite the name, the book has no relation to the actual Dungeons & Dragons Museum located in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
How is the “D&D Museum” book different from “The Making of Original D&D”?
2024 has seen the release of two books that explore the history of D&D. The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 was published in June 2024 and is a dense archive of reprinted materials with some commentary from D&D historian Jon Peterson and Wizards of the Coast designer Jason Tondro
Conversely, the Dungeons & Dragons Museum coffee table book is more of a lighter, entry-level work that’s perfect for casual and dedicated fans alike. It’s more about the influence of the game and its history at a high level rather than delving into the minutiae of early drafts and correspondence between the game’s creators. Dungeons & Dragons Museum also looks at the complete 50 year history of the game rather than the seminal early years explored in The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons.
How much is the “Dungeons & Dragons Museum” book?
Dungeons & Dragons Museum retails for $29.99 USD. This is comparable to other similar books such as Lore & Legends (a book that explores the mythology of the D&D universe).
You may also be able to find copies for a little cheaper online or at your local game store and often these types of books are discounted a few months down the road.
Final Thoughts
It’s great to see that the history of D&D is being brought back into the spotlight for both new and existing fans. And while Dungeons & Dragons Museum doesn’t seem like it covers any ground that hasn’t been explored before in more dense historical books, if nothing else, it’s a visually stunning look at D&D’s greatest critical hits.
You can pick up your copy now from your local book store, game store or on Amazon.
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
