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"All of the above authors, as well as many not listed, certainly helped to shape the form of the game. For this reason, and for the hours of reading enjoyment, I heartily recommend the works of these fine authors to you."
Gary Gygax, 1979

Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading is a section at the back of the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide (1e) (1979), p.224 listing authors and works which influenced the creation of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

List of authors

Gygax cites the following authors in particular as having shaped the form of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Of these, he lists the most notable as L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Ronald E. Howard, Jack Vance, H.P. Lovecraft, and A. Merritt.

Poul Anderson

Poul Anderson published numerous works of science fiction and fantasy between 1948 and 2001. Appendix N lists Anderson's works Three Hearts and Three Lions (1961), The High Crusade (1960), and The Broken Sword (1954, revised 1971).

Three Hearts and Three Lions follows a World War II resistance fighter who finds himself sent back in time to mythic France. Its influences on D&D include the Law vs Chaos alignment system, trolls with the ability to regenerate wounds, and the nixie and swanmay. Gygax also attributed his elves to French myth rather than Tolkien, which may have been inspired by this novel. Dwarves and wizards also appear in this book.

TSR later adapted Anderson's The High Crusade into a boardgame in 1983. Michael Moorcock, who also appears in Appendix N, cited Anderson's The Broken Sword as one of his influences.

John Bellairs

John Bellairs published numerous fantasy works between 1966 and 1991.

Appendix N cites The Face in the Frost (1969), in which a wizard must study his spellbook in order to cast spells.

Leigh Brackett

Leigh Brackett published numerous science fiction stories between 1940 and 1978. Brackett also worked on the screenplay for Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back, although this movie would not be released until 1980, the year after the Dungeon Masters Guide.

Fredric Brown

Fredric Brown published numerous science fiction and fantasy stories between 1936 and 1965.

His short story The Arena (1944) is credited as inspiration Star Trek episode Arena (1967), in which Captain Kirk fights the Gorn on Cestus III. However, according to the reference book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, writer Gene L. Coon had not been aware of the similarity.

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs published numerous novels from 1911 to 1950. He is noted for creating Tarzan and the John Carter stories.

Appendix N particularly cites the Pellucidar series, an action-adventures series which may have gone on to inspire D&D's Hollow Earth setting; the Mars or Barsoom series, in which 19th century human John Carter finds himself adventuring on Mars; and the Venus series. The US copyright on many of these works has expired.

Lin Carter

Lin Carter published numerous works of fantasy and science fiction between 1965 and 1988.

Appendix N cites the World's End or Gondwane series, first published 1969-1977, a fantasy series set hundreds of millions of years into the future.

L. Sprague de Camp

L. Sprague de Camp published over 100 works between 1937 and 1996, including science fiction, fantasy and historical fiction.

Appendix N particularly cites Lest Darkness Fall (1941), in which a 20th century American is sent back in time to ancient Rome; and The Fallible Fiend (1973), in which a demon of the Twelfth Plane is summoned to the Prime by a human sorcerer.

It also cites collaborations between de Camp and Pratt: Carnelian Cube, in which an archaeologist travels between alternate dimensions; and the Harold Shea stories, where the protaogonists travel to alternate realities, including those of Norse mythology.

August Derleth

August Derleth published over 100 books and 150 short stories between fantasy, horror and science fiction between 1926 and 1971.

Lord Dunsany

Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, better known as Lord Dunsany, published numerous works between the late 1905 and 1954. Numerous writers have cited Lord Dunsany as an influence, including H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard and J.R.R. Tolkien.

His most notable fantasy work is The King of Elfland's Daughter (1924, reprinted 1969).

P.J. Farmer

Philip José Farmer published numerous works of science fiction and fantasy between 1952 and 2009, including almost 60 novels and over 100 short stories and novellas.

Appendix N particularly cites the World of the Tiers series, a science fiction series set in artificially-constructed pocket universes. Like the demiplanes of D&D, these worlds are visited via gates. The series features a solar system where the sun revolves around the planet, much as the solar system of Oerth.

Gardner Fox

Gardner Fox wrote several novels and more than 4,000 comics, including over 1,500 for DC Comics. He cited A. Merritt and Edgar Rice Burroughs as inspiration.

Appendix N particularly cites the Kothar series, which inspired the lich; and the Kyrik series.

Robert E. Howard

Robert E. Howard is best known as the author of the Conan the Barbarian series. Howard's bibliography includes numerous other works of fantasy, horror and historical fiction, some of which is currently in the public domain.

Appendix N cites Howard's Conan the Barbarian series as a major influence on Dungeons & Dragons.

Sterling Lanier

Sterling E. Lanier is perhaps best known as the editor who convinced Chilton Books to publish Frank Herbert's Dune in 1965. Appendix N cites Lanier's novel Hiero's Journey, in which a priest explores the mutant wastes of North America.

Fritz Leiber

Fritz Leiber is the author who coined the term sword and sorcery. He published numerous works between 1934 and 1992.

Appendix N particularly cites the Fafhrd & Gray Mouser series, which heavily influenced the fantasy genre.

TSR later included deities and characters from the setting of Fafhrd & Gray Mouser in Deities & Demigods{{UnknownBook}}, Legends & Lore (1e) (1984) and Legends & Lore (2e) (1990). TSR further published an entire series of books based in the setting, including Lankhmar: City of Adventure (1e) (1985), LNA1 Thieves of Lankhmar (1990), LNR1 Wonders of Lankhmar (1990), LNA3 Prince of Lankhmar (1991), LNR2 Tales of Lankhmar (1991), LNQ1 Slayers of Lankhmar (1992), Lankhmar: City of Adventure (2e) (1993), Rogues in Lankhmar (1994), Avengers in Lankhmar (1995), Cutthroats of Lankhmar (1995), and Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar: The New Adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (1996)

The long-running Dragon Magazine column Bazaar of the Bizarre was named for the magic emporium in Lankhmar.

H.P.Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft is best known as a horror author and creator of the Cthulhu mythos. Lovecraft's influences included A. Merritt, the fantasy works of Lord Dunsany, and his own nightmares.

The gods of the Cthulhu mythos appeared in the first printing of Deities & Demigods (1e) (1980), p.43-48, but were removed from the second printing for copyright reasons. Direct references to the Cthulhu mythos would later be made in Elder Evils (2007), and Cthulhu is mentioned by name in the Player's Handbook (5e) (2014).

Lovecraft's works likely inspired the Far Realm, a twisted place of insanity.

A. Merritt

Abraham Merritt published numerous works of fiction between 1917 and 1943.

Appendix N particularly notes Creep, Shadow! (1934), The Moon Pool (1919), and Dwellers in the Mirage (1932).

Other works of Merritt, including The Metal Monster (1920), are out of copyright in the US.

Michael Moorcock

Michael Moorcock] is a fantasy author who has published works from 1957 to the present day.

Appendix N particularly cites Stormbringer (1965) and Stealer of Souls (1963) of the Elric of Melniboné series; and the Dorian Hawkmoon series, especially the first three books: The Jewel in the Skull (1967), The Mad God's Amulet (1968), and The Sword of the Dawn (1968).

Andre Norton

Andre Norton published science fiction and fantasy from 1934 to 2005.

In 1976 Gary Gygax invited Norton to play Dungeons & Dragons. She subsequently wrote the Greyhawk novel Quag Keep (1979).

Andrew J. Offutt

Andrew J. Offutt] edited the Swords Against Darkness series of fantasy short story anthologies between 1977 and 1979.

Appendix N specifically cites Swords Against Darkness III (1978), plausibly the latest released at the time Appendix N was written. It includes The Guest of Dzinganji by Manly Wade Wellman, who also appears in Appendix N.

Fletcher Pratt

Fletcher Pratt wrote fantasy and science fiction between 1941 and 1951, including the Harold Shea stories and the novel The Carnelian Cube in collaboration with L. Sprague de Camp, who also appears in Appendix N.

Also specifically cited is The Blue Star (1952), depicting an alternate world of witchcraft.

Fred Saberhagen

Fred Saberhagen published fantasy, horror and science fiction between 1964 and 2005. Appendix N specifically cites Changeling Earth (1973), reprinted in 1979 as Ardneh's World.

Margaret St. Clair

Margaret St. Clair published eight science fiction novels between 1956 and 1974, as well as numerous short stories. Appendix N cites The Shadow People (1969); and Sign of the Labrys (1963), which depicts Wicca and the occult.

J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R Tolkien is the author of The Hobbit (1937) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954-1955), both of which are cited in Appendix N.

D&D was influenced by Tolkien's works via Gary Gygax's 1972 wargame Chainmail, which itself drew several fantasy creatures from Leonard Patt's fan-made 1971 wargame Rules for Middle Earth.[1] Creatures originating in that game include the dwarf, elf, halfling (originally hobbit), orc, treant (originally tree-ent), troll, and of course the dragon, although many of these also had other inspirations outside of Tolkien. Chainmail also included the wraith and balrog, later changed to balor.

Further Tolkien influences include the ranger class, who draws inspiration from the character Aragorn, and the werebear, likely inspired by the shapechanger Beorn.

Gygax frequently downplayed Tolkien's influence on Dungeons & Dragons following a legal threat from Saul Zaentz, who owned the merchandising rights to Tolkien's mythos.

Jack Vance

Gygax cites The Eyes of the Overworld, The Dying Earth, et al.

Stanley Weinbaum

Manley Wade Wellman

Jack Williamson

Roger Zelazny

Gygax cites Jack of Shadows, the Amber series, et al.


Other influences

In addition to the listed authors, Gygax cites the rambling fantasy tales told by his father, comic books (including EC Comics), movies (science fiction, fantasy and horror), fairy tales (including Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang), historic reference books on mythology and medieval bestiaries.

Reception and influence

In 2019, Tim Kask spoke highly of the authors included in Appendix N, describing them as still some of the best swords & sorcery fiction, and judging their influence on Dungeons & Dragons to be significant. However, he admitted that much excellent fantasy has been published since then which would equally useful to a modern audience:[2]

"When we published this, when we compiled it, we did it as an aid to game masters everywhere that were desperately looking for ideas to steal, to amalgamate, to modify, to incorporate, to do a borg on, and make their own adventures. So we were saying, 'Hey, we really like these books! We think you will too.' Now, today—have you read the Potter books? Fine. Adapt it to D&D. Easily done."
"Appendix N gives us a common ground to understand what those of us that were involved in the creating read as our source material that we mined for ideas. It's hardly any magic item in there that we didn't read about somewhere else or read something like it and then modify it, hardly. There probably are some, but hardly."

The inclusion of Appendix N encouraged subsequent editions of Dungeons & Dragons to include lists of recommended inspirational reading.

References

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