The APPENDIX N PROJECT

As you probably know, the appendix N is a list of "inspiration and educational reading" contained in the AD&D DMG. 

Reading the books listed will help you to get a glimpse into Gygax's mind and understand the origins of D&D and its settings.

I've been delving into a few of those books, and reviewing them in this blog. Some are great, some are weak. There are a few obvious omissions. Some people say this is simply a list of books Gygax had on his shelf, or his favorites, while others say the list is extremely curated and important.

This post organizes my reading of Appendix N stuff and will provide you a guide to delve into it if that is what you're looking for.

The entire text of the Appendix N is reproduced in the end of this post, with links to my reviews.

Valerie Valusek

The Basic D&D list

Tom Moldvay's Basic D&D has also an "Inspirational Source Material" list on B62. Here is a good analysis. 

There is significant overlap between the two lists. Appendix N includes a few authors not listed in Moldvay including Frederic Brown, August Derleth, Margaret St. Clair, and Stanley Weinbaum. [...]

Where Moldvay’s list eclipses Appendix N is in its completeness and attention to detail. [...] Gygax states that in some cases he meant to cite specific works, but when no works were listed he simply recommends all of a given author’s writings. [...] Moldvay appends “et. al” to at least as many authors as does Gygax, but always lists at least one, if not multiple, actual book titles for the reader.

Moldvay’s list is more comprehensive, while still managing to be confined to a single page in the basic rulebook. Some big names I’m very fond of jump out at me immediately: Moldvay lists Karl Edward Wagner (Bloodstone, Death Angel’s Shadow, and Dark Crusade), E.R. Eddison’s The Worm Ouroboros, Lloyd Alexander (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldon, the Castle of Llyr), Talbot Mundy’s Tros of Samothrace, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment, and T.H. White’s The Once and Future King. None of these appear on Appendix N. Perhaps most noteworthy, Moldvay also lists Clark Ashton Smith (Xiccarph, Lost Worlds, Genius Loci). Many have pondered why Gygax did not include the third of the Weird Tales holy trinity along with REH and Lovecraft, as Smith’s lush, ornate prose recalls something of Gygax’s writing style, and his dark necromancers and evil spellcasters seem like they could easily have stepped out of The Vault of the Drow.

Here is the entire list, with links to Wikipedia.

I will not delve too into Moldvay's list here, but will keep this is mind when the Appendix N lists an author but no books.

The 1976 list

Apparently, there was an earlier (1976) version of the Appendix N in "The Dragon". The most notable difference is the inclusion of Algernon Blackwoods. I don't see a huge influence in D&D, but he is an author I very much enjoy and recommend (try The Wendigo).

Where to start? My TOP TEN

If you want to explore the Appendix N, you could start with Gygax's favorites: 

de Camp & Pratt, R. E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, H. P. Lovecraft, and A. Merritt.

My own favorites would be a different list, of course. I didn't include:

- de Camp & Pratt, as I haven't read it.

- A. Merritt, as I haven't enjoyed it as much as the others in my list (but read this).

Here is my current top ten; I will update it as I go. This is in no particular order. 

Some authors are better known for short stories that you can read in any order - I just selected a few of my favorites, but pick any collection of short stories you like, preferably containing these.

- Moorcock, Michael. Elric of Melniboné.

- Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring.

- Vance, Jack: The Eyes of the Overworld. 

- Anderson, Poul. The Broken Sword.

- Burroughs, Edgar Rice. A Princess of Mars.

- Leiber, Fritz. Favorites: “Ill-Met in Lankhmar”, “Lean Times in Lankhmar”, “Bazaar of the Bizarre”.

- Dunsany, Lord. Start with The Book of Wonder, especially "The Hoard of the Gibbelins", "How Nuth Would Have Practised His Art upon the Gnoles"; I am re-reading Dunsany's work to give more specific advice.

- Lovecraft, H. P. Favorites: The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness, The Colour out of Space, The Shadow over Innsmouth, The Dunwich Horror, In the Walls of Eryx.

- Howard, R. E. Favorites: Red Nails, The Tower of the Elephant, Queen of the Black Coast, The People of the Black Circle, Worms of the Earth. 

And two authors that are not in the appendix N (see About Clark Ashton Smith and Ursula LeGuin, below).

- Smith, C. A.. Favorites: The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis, The Beast of Averoigne, The Tale of Satampra Zeiros, The Empire of the Necromancers, The Isle of the Torturers, The Abominations of Yondo.

- Le Guin, Ursula K. - A Wizard of Earthsea.

Well, "top eleven" I guess...

Most books in my list are reasonably easy to find. Some of these books are in the public domain; you can find them for free online. Some short stories are also available online.

About "series"

The appendix N suggests a few series, e.g., "Mars series". Obviously, you do not need to read the whole series; start with the first book or a few short stories (as suggested above) and continue if you like the writing.

I did the same for my own reviews, writing my impression of the first/best stories rather than judging the series as a whole.

About Clark Ashton Smith and Ursula LeGuin

As I've mentioned elsewhere, the Appendix N has a few obvious omissions, the most notable being Clark Ashton Smith. Despite not being included, he is a favorite of mine and influenced many appendix N authors, and probably Gygax too.

Ursula LeGuin, on the other hand, is just a favorite of mine. The Wizard of Earthsea was one of my first fantasy books and it held up on a second reading decades later. Maybe not hugely influential to D&D, but I find the quality above average.

Both authors are included in the "Basic D&D list".

Inspiration versus literature

Some books in the list are good literature. Others are just fun. Some are not particularly fun or well-written, when compared to the best, but might still be worth checking out because they provide pieces of inspiration for Gygax or for your own game: monsters, settings, etc.

In my list of favorites, I tried to balance these three factors - which are mostly subjective - with the most obvious "these were the books I've enjoyed the most".

Which are YOUR favorites?

Let me know in the comments!

The original APPENDIX N...

...is reproduced below, with links to my impressions/reviews.

APPENDIX N: INSPIRATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL READING
“Inspiration for all the fantasy work I have done stems directly from the love my father showed when I was a tad, for he spent many hours telling me stories he made up as he went along, tales of cloaked old men who could grant wishes, of magic rings and enchanted swords, or wicked sorcerors [sic] and dauntless swordsmen.
Then too, countless hundreds of comic books went down, and the long-gone EC ones certainly had their effect. Science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies were a big influence. In fact, all of us tend to get ample helpings of fantasy when we are very young from fairy tales such as those written by the Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang. This often leads to reading books of mythology, paging through bestiaries, and consultation of compilations of the myths of various lands and peoples.
Upon such a base I built my interest in fantasy, being an avid reader of all science fiction and fantasy literature since 1950.
The following authors were of particular inspiration to me. In some cases I cite specific works, in others, I simply recommend all of their fantasy writing to you. From such sources, as well as any other imaginative writing or screenplay, you will be able to pluck kernels from which will grow the fruits of exciting campaigns. Good reading!
Anderson, Poul: THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE HIGH CRUSADE; THE BROKEN SWORD
Bellairs, John: THE FACE IN THE FROST
Brackett, Leigh
Brown, Frederic
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: “Pellucidar” series; Mars series; Venus series
Carter, Lin: “World’s End” series
de Camp, L. Sprague: LEST DARKNESS FALL; THE FALLIBLE FIEND; et al
de Camp & Pratt: “Harold Shea” series; THE CARNELIAN CUBE
Derleth, August
Dunsany, Lord
Farmer, P. J.: “The World of the Tiers” series; et al
Fox, Gardner: “Kothar” series; “Kyrik” series; et al
Howard, R. E.: “Conan” series
Lanier, Sterling: HIERO’S JOURNEY
Leiber, Fritz: “Fafhrd & Gray Mouser” series; et al
Lovecraft, H. P.
Merritt, A.: CREEP, SHADOW, CREEP; MOON POOL; DWELLERS IN THE MIRAGE; et al
Moorcock, Michael: STORMBRINGER; STEALER OF SOULS; “Hawkmoon” series (esp. the first three books)
Norton, Andre
Offutt, Andrew J.: editor of SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS III
Pratt, Fletcher: BLUE STAR; et al
Saberhagen, Fred: CHANGELING EARTH; et al
St. Clair, Margaret: THE SHADOW PEOPLE; SIGN OF THE LABRYS.
Tolkien, J. R. R.: THE HOBBIT; “Ring trilogy”
Vance, Jack: THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD; THE DYING EARTH; et al
Weinbaum, Stanley
Wellman, Manley Wade
Williamson, Jack
Zelazny, Roger: JACK OF SHADOWS; “Amber” series; et al
The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp & Pratt, R. E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, H. P. Lovecraft, and A. Merritt; but 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.”
– E. Gary Gygax, 1979, AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 224