Appendix N - What Is Its Real Influence, What Purpose Does It Now Serve

[True Black Raven]

This is (hopefully) going to grow into the definitive Appendix N thread. Hyperbolic, maybe, but let's see where this goes and then decide.

Part One

First up what are the questions?
1. Appendix N - what is it?
2. Appendix N - what is it not?
3. Appendix N - was it an influence on OD&D?
4. Appendix N - was it an influence on Blackmoor?
5. Appendix N - where did it come from?
6. Appendix N - does it serve a purpose now? and
7. Appendix N - what purpose, if any, does it serve now?
8. Appendix N - what pre D&D books/authors were left out, that should have been included?
9. Appendix N - what are the post OD&D books that should be included?

If you have other questions, please ask them and I will update this first post with them.

Next Up Part Two 

[True Black Raven]

Part Two - what previous threads have overtly  discussed Appendix N on this forum.

 1. the sources and resources of the "original" legendaria! Points to Ponder!
 2. How Complete Is Your Appendix N Reading? Remember Appendix N is found in the 1st Ed AD&D Dungeon Master Guide
 3. Hiero's Journey by Sterling Lanier from Appendix N This book inspired Gamma World, and my OD&D, This thread only had the initial post? ? ?
 4. Appendix N of Xul - annotated version An Original Murkhill member spells out his own Appendix N and annotates it. We should all do this.
 5. Appendix N: The Literary History of D&D by Jeffro Johnson - Excellent book, some hyperbole and it caused some people to uncontrolled rage. Go figure!
 6. Appendix N / Jeffro Johnson / Useful / Inspiring / Context - Mostly just PDs comments at the time.
 7. Ye Olde School Appendix N - What is your personal list? An interesting thread that ended way too soon, much like all the threads in this list.
 8. Rob's Appendix N
 9. Appendix N for Sci Fi
10. Is Appendix N relevant anymore?
11. Evening Bell Appendix N—poems, fragments, prose
12. Fairy Tales (EB) -- Appendix N
13. Blog named Yore "THE 100-BOOK APPENDIX N READING LIST" 2012

If there are any threads that you think I missed, let me know and they can be added to this list.

Next up Part Three which is a Quote from each of these threads to help with framing the discussion.

Part Four will be the discussion.

[True Black Raven]

Jan 24, 2015 15:07:37 GMT -5 tetramorph said:

D&D itself is a cultural phenomenon (or set of phenomena) that has influenced our contemporary popular culture with regards to the very legendaria that it engages! It has become, as an industry, "self-referential."

As an Old Schooler, desiring the verisimilitude of a more "war games" feel, I regret this.

For example, I refuse to have "Liches" in my campaign. Vampires are the Lords of the Undead (duh!). I do not want a Gygaxian creation messing up the inherited legendaria! (I know I am being too purest, but, well, I am Old School!)

Like many other questions that Old Schoolers ask, I now ask this:

What if we froze the legendaria that D&D engaged in January 1974, before the game itself influenced itself in a kind of weird "feed back loop"?
What was that legendaria? How many sources and genres did it engage? This goes beyond "Appendix N."
How did it game-i-fy that legendaria and the various interesting tit-bits derived therefrom in its rules set? How successfully did it do so?
An obvious example, worthy to become its own thread, would be so-called "Vancian Magic."

How many others?

In terms of genres, I can think of: pulp fiction, "higher" fiction, fairy tales, folk tales, "B" movies, medieval Romances, their various receptions and rewrites -- the list goes on and on.

But this is interesting to me!

I would love a kind of "annotated" LBBs that described what aspect of the received legendaria G or A were game-i-fying!

Jan 26, 2015 7:39:36 GMT -5 Necromancer said:

This is a very interesting topic indeed, tetramorph . I've given it a lot of thought, but perhaps from a more personal point of view instead - I've been thinking about my own references and influences when I first started playing RPG's as a kid, how they affected my play and my view on fantasy in general, and how they have changed and developed through the years. I'd say there's a number of factors affecting this matter, such as what time one started to play (70's, 80's etc), at what age one started playing (it's probably quite a difference between starting out as a kid aged 10 or 12 compared to the later teens), where you were living (big city or countryside, US or elsewhere etc), and which game it was. But that is perhaps a slightly different topic, possibly better suited for another thread, so I won't go deeper into it here at the moment.

[True Black Raven]

Jan 23, 2015 16:43:40 GMT -5 The Semi-Retired Gamer said:

I love the Appendix N reading list from the original DMG. I have never set with the goal of reading everything on the list but I have read a decent amount from Tolkien, Howard, and others. I think my favorite might be Howard's Conan stories with their snake cults, ancient gods, etc. How about you?

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 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

[True Black Raven]

Apr 9, 2015 14:49:03 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

I don't know how many people have read Hiero's Journey(1973) (How Complete Is Your Appendix N Reading?) and the sequel The Unforsaken Hiero(1983) by Sterling Lanier. What I am curious about is if you have read these books have you or would you use them as inspiration for a campaign. If you have not read them, does the blurb below stir any interest in using them as the inspiration for a campaign. They were written 10 years apart and they scream for a third book as nothing was resolved and all the story threads hang unfinished, to me it seems odd there is no third book since the author lived 24 years after the second book was written. If this does interest you, how would you handle the telepathy/psionics?

Welcome to North America, 5000 years after the death. The ruins of the civilized world are overgrown with post-holocaust forest and deadly desert wasteland. The five Great Lakes have merged to form a vast inland sea.

Evolution has reshaped much of the plant and animal kingdoms into terrifying and unknown life forms with powers so vast, the mind struggles to distinguish dreams from reality until the results become horrifyingly clear.

In what was once the Canadian west, the small Metz Republic, led by the scholar-priests of the Abbeys, is struggling to recapture the glow of knowledge, order and civilization, but the savage forces of the Brotherhood of the Unclean seem determined to crush anything that stands in the way of its evil plans for total domination. There is hope for the outnumbered Metz, but it depends on a long lost secret that must be recovered from deep within dangerous Brotherhood territory. If anyone can discover and return with this knowledge, it is Per Hiero Desteen, telepath, warrior and priest.

Hiero's Journey chronicles that daring quest. Setting out, he is soon joined by other strange and mysterious characters.

Hiero and his companions face unimaginable danger and perils at every turn, and must overcome the sinister and powerful dark forces, if civilization is to survive. On and on they go with nothing left but sheer will, with thousands of years of evil straining to crush them for eternity. On and on they fight, yet nothing can prepare them for the surprise that awaits them at their destination !!!

Read this at your own risk, as your mind may be assailed for weeks or even months at a time after you finish reading this book by images of unspeakable creatures, or by the never ending challenges and heart stopping danger Hiero and his brave band faced, relentlessly battling to save the future of the mankind.

Also on a somewhat similar note have you read The Horseclan series by Robert Adams and how would that influence your campaign.

[True Black Raven]

Dec 8, 2015 8:13:04 GMT -5 Necromancer said:

Quite some time has passed since I first mentioned my ambition to make an annotated version of my so called "Appendix N" for the Xul campaign setting. Well, finally it's here...! I've decided to divide it into several posts in order to make the disposition clearer, thus easier to quote and/or comment upon.

Enjoy!

This Appendix N covers
ART:
BOOKS:
COMICS:
MOVIES:
TV series:
MUSIC:

Dec 13, 2015 10:53:22 GMT -5 Necromancer said:

Dec 11, 2015 14:46:45 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

This is really sweet, Necromancer , I really like what you have done here.

Thank you, Admin Pete ! It's been bugging me that it has taken me so long to write down and post this annotated version, but now it's done and it feels good. I hope it provides a more in-depth view on the sources of inspiration I've used.

You will want to go read this thread. 

[True Black Raven]

May 23, 2017 20:54:41 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

tetramorph posted these links over at ODD74 and I took the liberty of posting it here too. Thanks to tetramorph for this.

May 23, 2017 14:20:51 GMT -5 tetramorph said:

Hey has anybody seen this?

www.amazon.com/Appendix-Literary-History-Dungeons-Dragons-ebook/dp/B01MUB7WS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495462060&sr=8-1&keywords=appendix+n

I bought it and I am reading it and enjoying it. It seems to be a kind of literary counterpart to Playing at the World.

I looked around for other threads before starting this one and was surprised to find none (that could just be my inability to find it!).

oakesspalding talks about it on his blog:

saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/05/jeffro-johnsons-appendix-n-preview-to.html

And here is a link to the book author's blog post about completing the reading of all Appendix N material:

jeffro.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/appendix-n-survey-complete/#respond

Fight on!

[True Black Raven]

Aug 12, 2017 12:56:24 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

What is essentially this thread has been started twice over at ODD74 and has generated a lot of discussion; unfortunately it has been locked twice for a variety of reasons. IMO none of those reasons should come into play on our board and I believe that we can have the discussion that Appendix N (from the DMG 1st Ed AD&D) and Jeffro Johnson's book deserves. You may want to revisit these first two posts from time to time since I am going to be adding to them from time to time. The reason for that is that I think that sometimes context is everything and a lot of things about Appendix N gets taken out of context. Some of those things have been taken out of context with the book Appendix N: The Literary History of D&D by Jeffro Johnson. There is also a lot of misinterpretation going on and I hope in this thread that we can steer clear of that and have a great discussion.

In order to to facilitate the discussion we are going to avoid politics, social developments, and agendas. We are going to concentrate on what we can learn from the books of Appendix N, the pulp era magazines and books and Appendix N: The Literary History of D&D by Jeffro Johnson when we look at it in context.

The context is this,

Gygax's original introduction to Appendix N:

Inspiration for all of 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 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 Long. 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 their fantasy writing to you. From such sources, as well as iust about any other imaginative writing or screenplay you will be able to pluck kernels from which grow the fruits of exciting campaigns. Good reading!

More of the context is this comment that was posted by oakesspalding :

On this and the first thread, I stated multiple times that the Appendix N list was created by Gary Gygax as a list of books that influenced him. But, according to one original source, that's not precisely right.

Here is what Tim Kask had to say in a comment on an RPG Pundit blog post, almost exactly a year ago. The comment was subsequently referenced by Jeffro on his Jeffro's Spacegaming blog.

(XXX is a blogger and game designer at a now dormant blog.)

Here's Tim Kask:

While I agree with you that XXX is often a douchebag, and his reverence of Appendix N as though it were graven on tablets a bit absurd, many of you are missing the point, but some have hit the nail on the head.

I helped compile that list. They were not just Gary’s favorites. We both had nominations that did not make the list in the end.

We made that list for two reasons. The first was an encouragement to read; both Gary and I were sort of annoying in that regard.

The second was in response to a slew of questions that sort of boiled down to “Where are you (D&D) coming from?” We thought that if more people read Vance’s Dying Earth, for example, they would know where the memorizing your spells thing came from.

At that point in gaming history (sort of pretentious-sounding, I know) we were encouraging players to lift and modify things from books and movies; Appendix N was meant to serve as a starting point for good sources.

It is so d**ned easy to sit and pontificate about something we did 40 years ago, and quite frankly I am tired of people second-guessing and speculating on what we did without once asking anyone who was there.

So I would like for us to look at Appendix N and Jeffro's book not as a holy grail but as an influence, an inspiration and also to speculate on what other books they Gygax and Arneson may have read, if you want to include movies they may have seen that is good too.

If you want to be contentious please don't, play nice and if this thread rubs you the wrong way, then please ignore it and don't read it. That is not to say that other viewpoints and dissent are not welcome, they are; however, if it upsets you a lot, then you may want to refrain from posting. Many of us loved these books bitd and love them now.

And here is more context, this is what Dave Arneson thought regarding influence (source):

“As far as books go, fantasy books, science fiction/fantasy books that inspired me, we’re talking about Poul Anderson, Robert Heinlein, and a lot of the other authors, like the author of the Horse Clans series. (Robert Adams) Gary Seems to have listed every book he’s ever read in his bibliography, and I’ll be blunt, I don’t think I’ve read a lot of those books. Although, after having read a few thousand books, I really can’t remember which ones I’ve read anymore… So a lot of it is, Yes, I was inspired by…; but where does the inspiration stop and the game design begin? I mean, you’ve got to make changes. You’ve got to do variations. You can be influenced by something you read and don’t even remember reading, because you want to include “oh here is something neat I can incorporate into my world.”

So above are three points of context and I urge you to keep them in mind as your read and as you post.

As we pursue this thread, please keep those above noted three points of context in focus!

Aug 12, 2017 13:02:39 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons & Dragons Kindle Edition by Jeffro Johnson

Jeffro Johnson's Appendix N: Preview to a Review

Appendix N Survey Complete

[True Black Raven]

Oct 12, 2016 11:02:53 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

What are some of the books that would be in your own personal Appendix N, here are a few that come readily to mind for me:

Books

Weird Tales, Edgar Allen Poe
Spirits of the Dead, Edgar Allen Poe, Really all things written by Poe
All by Robert E. Howard
Elric novels, Michael. Moorcock
All Books by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Cthulhu novels, H. P. Lovecraft
Hobbit and LotR Trilogy and his other fantasy writings, J.R.R. Tolkien

Oct 17, 2016 8:26:29 GMT -5 The Disoriented Ranger said:

Discworld Novels, Terry Pratchett
Malazan Book of the Fallen series, Steven Eriksen
Garett P.I. and The Black Company books, Glen Cook
Drenai series, David Gemmell
Guardians of the Flame series, Joel Rosenberg
The High House and The False House, James Stoddard
Alice in Wonderland/Alice behind the Mirrors, Lewis Carroll

Also just from the top of my head ... Tolkien should be on this list, too, of course.

Oct 17, 2016 17:17:25 GMT -5 hengest said:

The Neverending Story, Michael Ende

And of course Tolkien all the way...I would argue that even in a non-fantasy, utterly un-ME campaign, the ref would do very well to be familiar with Tolkien's work.

Oct 19, 2016 0:00:58 GMT -5 monk said:

I really like Clark Ashton Smith, particularly the Hyperborea and Zothique stories, as well as the Earthsea books by LeGuin. Neither made it into appendix N, but they're both in the Inspirational Source Material in Moldvay's Basic. CAS is probably why I don't have Clerics in my campaign, but do have Thieves.

Gene Wolf's New Sun books were a huge inspiration to me when I began running my megacity/megadungeon campaign. The factions and descriptions of life amongst the ruins are great.

Oct 19, 2016 19:55:28 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

I just remembered these:
Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the earliest author's I ever read.

I have not thought about him for a while. I remeber reading Treasure Island and the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. After that the Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane and then The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Now those were some good books.

Oct 20, 2016 17:31:55 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

Joe Abercrombie: The First Law series was excellent. All of the characters which are the heroes in this book would be villains in other books. A great Character Study for interesting and entertaining bad guys. I read the original trilogy, the story is still being written, but the first three are a complete and very epic story.

R. Scott Bakker: The Prince of Nothing trilogy. Splendid world-building, jam packed with ideas for the reader to lift and apply to their own games. It is about an enormous army traveling on foot to reclaim their holy city from a powerful and dangerous enemy. It is very logical, brutal, and inspiring. I really like his magic system too, it's very simple but effective. Shedding our modern moral baggage is something that I'm really looking into right now, and this specific title really fits the bill.

Richard Adam: Shardik A fast read about a primitive culture that believes that a bear is their god, and god says to kill a more advanced society. Man, this one features barbarians too? What is it about these guys that we find so fascinating?  Anyway, this is a great look at shamanism is action, and has simple but very effective world building techniques that anybody can do.

Oct 20, 2016 18:21:55 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

I have read Joe Abercrombie: The First Law series and found it to be excellent.

That did make me think of another author - Elizabeth Moon and all of the Paksenarrion books. They are IMO fantastic!

Oct 22, 2016 7:06:04 GMT -5 The Disoriented Ranger said:

All right, I got two more worth mentioning:

Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman (a mystic megadungeon under London and it even spawned it's very own little, author approved rpg!)

Metro 2033 (series), Dmitri Alexejewitsch Gluchowski (life in the metro under Moscow after radioactive fallout, with mutants abound and very strange factions, takes the whole dungeoncrawl business very serious, very dark, maybe more Mutant Future/Gamma World?)

Oct 22, 2016 9:32:28 GMT -5 hengest said:

Down Town by Polikarpus and King. I have never heard anyone else mention this book, but it enthralled me as a kid. A kind of wacky, everything-perverted megadungeon based on New York hidden under New York.

Not sure how it would hold up to an adult reading, but for a kid...

Von linked to his blog which is no more but here it is in the Internet Archive - Von has not been around in a long time.

Appendix N

Dec 2, 2016 17:28:40 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

Thought of a new one, "Camping & Survival" by Paul Tawrell, a nice fat, and well organized book that goes a lot deeper than we need it too, but breaks down and describes all of the different terrain types in a way that puts you there.

Dec 22, 2016 23:00:05 GMT -5 dragondaddy said:

Silmarillion and LoTR by J.R.R. Tolkien
Death's Master by Tanith Lee (Actually pretty much anything by Tanith Lee)
Conan by Robert E Howard
Conan by L Sprague D. Camp and Lin Carter
Conan by J. Steven York
The White Company and Sir Nigel, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant)
The Guardians of the Flame Trilogy by Joel Rosenberg
Quag Keep by Andre Norton
Witchworld series by Andre Norton (Also for Traveller)
Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (Also for Traveller)
Kothar and the Wizard Slayer by Gardner F. Fox
Parzival by Wolfram Von Eschenbach
Magician by Raymond E. Feist
Raiders of Gor by John Norman (Actually any of the Gor series)
Thieves World Anthology by Robert Lynn Aspirin and Lynn Abbey.
Janissaries series by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven
pretty much anything by Fritz Lieber
pretty much anything by Michael Moorcock

Dec 23, 2016 11:49:12 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

Just for those who don't know, the Gor books are not for children. They were kind of marketed just as sword and planet and for the most part the first five books were that way and then they went downhill from there and I stopped reading.

Yeah, Gor the setting started with some good ideas, but unfortunately it veered off into sadistic porn (extensively) after the first few books.

[True Black Raven]

The Appendix N of Rob Kuntz according to Rob can be approximated with this list. 

Apr 11, 2018 21:21:16 GMT -5 The Archivist said:

I noticed that where this was posted the link had went bad, so I looked it up on the Internet Archive and reposted it here with a working link.

Alphabetic Listing by Authors of Stories Referenced by H P Lovecraft in Supernatural Horror in Literature.

I would add some others who were contemporary, and more Manley Wade Wellman, but that's a pretty good accounting, and it even references Robert Louis Stevenson who is one of my favorites and who I have gone on about for years...
Enjoy the links!
Rob

Hundreds of stories are linked to in the list. Pretty impressive.

Here is the list, go to the link above for all of the other links to the stories. (TBR note: since this is now in the Internet Archive those links to the stories themselves may no longer work, I have not tried them.)

A
Of Occult Philosophy Or Of Magical Ceremonies The Fourth Book Henry Cornelius Agrippa "Pseudo"
Auriol the Elixir of Life William Harrison Ainsworth
The Lancashire Witches William Harrison Ainsworth
A Night in Rome William Harrison Ainsworth
The Spectre Bride William Harrison Ainsworth
Al Azif Abdul Alhazred
Beowulf Anonymous
The Golden Asse Lucius Apuleius
Northanger Abbey Jane Austen
B
Farewell Honoré de Balzac
Melmoth Reconciled Honoré de Balzac
The Mysterious Mansion Honoré de Balzac
Seraphita Honoré de Balzac
Sir Bertrand Anna Barbauld
The Magus Francis Barrett
The Adventures of Peter Pan J. M. Barrie
Fleurs du mal Charles Baudelaire
The History of the Caliph Vathek William Beckford
The Devil and Daniel Webster Stephen Vincent Benét
At Abdul Ali's Grave E. F. Benson
The Shootings Of Achnaleish E. F. Benson
Between the Lights E. F. Benson
The Bus-Conductor E. F. Benson
The Cat E. F. Benson
Caterpillars E. F. Benson
The China Bowl E. F. Benson
The Confession of Charles Linkworth E. F. Benson
And the Dead Spake E. F. Benson
The Dust-Cloud E. F. Benson
The Gardener E. F. Benson
Gavon's Eve E. F. Benson
The Horror-Horn E. F. Benson
The House with the Brick-Kiln E. F. Benson
How Fear Departed from the Long Gallery E. F. Benson
Michael E. F. Benson
Mrs. Amworth E. F. Benson
Negotium Perambulans E. F. Benson
In the Tube E. F. Benson
The Other Bed E. F. Benson
Outside the Door E. F. Benson
The Room in the Tower E. F. Benson
The Terror by Night E. F. Benson
Mr. Tilly's Seance E. F. Benson
The Man Who Went Too Far E. F. Benson
An Inhabitant of Carcosa Ambrose Bierce
Devil's Dictionary Ambrose Bierce
The Fiend's Delight Ambrose Bierce
Haita The Shepherd Ambrose Bierce
A Resumed Identity Ambrose Bierce
A Tough Tussle Ambrose Bierce
A Baffled Ambuscade Ambrose Bierce
A Bivouac of the Dead Ambrose Bierce
A Little of Chickamauga Ambrose Bierce
The Affair At Coulter's Ambrose Bierce
A Horseman in the Sky Ambrose Bierce
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce
The Mocking-Bird Ambrose Bierce
What Occurred at Franklin Ambrose Bierce
The Other Lodgers Ambrose Bierce
The Crime at Pickett's Mill Ambrose Bierce
What I Saw of Shiloh Ambrose Bierce
A Son of the Gods Ambrose Bierce
Three And One Are One Ambrose Bierce
Two Military Executions Ambrose Bierce
A Fruitless Assignment Ambrose Bierce
An Unfinished Race Ambrose Bierce
Charles Ashmore's Trail Ambrose Bierce
A Diagnosis of Death Ambrose Bierce
The Difficulty Of Crossing A Field Ambrose Bierce
A Old Man Eckert'st Ambrose Bierce
The Isle of Pines Ambrose Bierce
John Bartine's Watch Ambrose Bierce
John Mortonson's Funeral Ambrose Bierce
A Jug Of Syrup Ambrose Bierce
The Middle Toe Of The Right Foot Ambrose Bierce
The Moonlit Road Ambrose Bierce
Moxon's Master Ambrose Bierce
The Thing at Nolan Ambrose Bierce
One More Unfortunate Ambrose Bierce
One Summer Night Ambrose Bierce
Present at a Hanging Ambrose Bierce
A Psychological Shipwreck Ambrose Bierce
Science To The Front Ambrose Bierce
The Spook House Ambrose Bierce
Staley Fleming's Hallucination Ambrose Bierce
A Vine on a House Ambrose Bierce
A Wireless Message Ambrose Bierce
An Arrest Ambrose Bierce
A Baby Tramp Ambrose Bierce
Beyond The Wall Ambrose Bierce
A Cold Greeting Ambrose Bierce
The Damned Thing Ambrose Bierce
The Death Of Halpin Frayser Ambrose Bierce
The Haunted Valley Ambrose Bierce
The Secret Of Macarger's Gulch Ambrose Bierce
The Man and the Snake Ambrose Bierce
A Man with Two Lives Ambrose Bierce
The Night Doings At 'Deadman's' Ambrose Bierce
One Of Twins Ambrose Bierce
An Heiress from Redhorse Ambrose Bierce
The Realm Of The Unreal Ambrose Bierce
The Stranger Ambrose Bierce
A Watcher By The Dead Ambrose Bierce
The Centaur Algernon Blackwood
The Wendigo Algernon Blackwood
Ancient Lights Algernon Blackwood
Ancient Sorceries Algernon Blackwood
Accessory Before the Fact Algernon Blackwood
The Attic Algernon Blackwood
By Water Algernon Blackwood
Chinese Magic Algernon Blackwood
Clairvoyance Algernon Blackwood
The Damned Algernon Blackwood
The Camp of the Dog Algernon Blackwood
A Desert Episode Algernon Blackwood
The Destruction of Smith Algernon Blackwood
The Empty House And Other Ghost Stories Algernon Blackwood
First Hate Algernon Blackwood
The Golden Fly Algernon Blackwood
The Glamour of the Snow Algernon Blackwood
The Heath Fire Algernon Blackwood
The House Algernon Blackwood
The Human Chord Algernon Blackwood
Initiation Algernon Blackwood
The Insanity of Jones Algernon Blackwood
The Garden of Survival Algernon Blackwood
The Listener Algernon Blackwood
The Man Who Found Out Algernon Blackwood
The Man Whom the Trees Loved Algernon Blackwood
Max Hensig Algernon Blackwood
The Nemesis of Fire Algernon Blackwood
The Other Wing Algernon Blackwood
A Psychical Invasion Algernon Blackwood
The Return Algernon Blackwood
The Sacrifice Algernon Blackwood
Sand Algernon Blackwood
The Sea Fit Algernon Blackwood
Secret Worship Algernon Blackwood
Special Delivery Algernon Blackwood
Transition Algernon Blackwood
The Transfer Algernon Blackwood
A Prisoner in Fairyland Algernon Blackwood
The Tryst Algernon Blackwood
A Victim of Higher Space Algernon Blackwood
Wayfarers Algernon Blackwood
The Willows Algernon Blackwood
The Wings of Horus Algernon Blackwood
Chaotic Visions William Blake
The First Book of Urizen William Blake
The Four Zoas William Blake
The Book of Ahania William Blake
Albion's Spectre William Blake
The Book of Los William Blake
The Cry of Los William Blake
The Warrior and the Daughter of Albion William Blake
Jerusalem the Emanation of the Giant Albion William Blake
The Song of Los William Blake
The Gates Of Paradise William Blake
Selections From Milton William Blake
Stanzas of Dzyan Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Door to the Unreal Gerald Bliss
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall William Bottrell
Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë
Arthur Mervyn Charles Brockden Brown
Edgar Huntly Charles Brockden Brown
Ormond Charles Brockden Brown
Wieland's Madness Charles Brockden Brown
Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came Robert Browning
The Green Wildebeest John Buchan
The Moon Endureth; Tales and Fancies John Buchan
No-Man's-Land John Buchan
The Outgoing of theTide John Buchan
Skule Skerry John Buchan
The Watcher By the Threshold John Buchan
The Wind in the Portico John Buchan
Witch Wood John Buchan
Tam O' Shanter Robert Burns
Manfred Lord Byron
C
The Black Baronet William Carleton
Fardorougha William Carleton
The Lianhan Shee William Carleton
The Tithe-Proctor William Carleton
Irish Peasant Fairy and Folk Tales William Carleton
The King in Yellow Robert W Chambers
The Repairer Of Reputations Robert W Chambers
The Yellow Sign Robert W Chambers
The Maker of Moons Robert W Chambers
The Street Of The First Shell Robert W Chambers
In The Court Of The Dragon Robert W Chambers
The Demoiselle D'Ys Robert W Chambers
The Mask Robert W Chambers
Rue Barrée Robert W Chambers
In Search of the Unknown Robert W Chambers
The Slayer of Souls Robert W Chambers
The Street Of The Four Winds Robert W Chambers
The Street Of Our Lady Of The Fields Robert W Chambers
The Prophets' Paradise Robert W Chambers
The Slayer of Souls Robert W Chambers
The Bridal Pair Robert W Chambers
A Pleasant Evening Robert W Chambers
The Case of Mr. Helmer Robert W Chambers
Out of the Depths Robert W Chambers
The Messenger Robert W Chambers
The Purple Emperors Robert W Chambers
The Book of Enoch Translated by R H Charles
Fishhead Irvin S. Cobb
Christobel Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Kubla Khan Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Selected Short Stories Wilkie Collins
The Haunted Hotel Wilkie Collins
Blow Up With the Brig Wilkie Collins
The Devil's Spectacles Wilkie Collins
Miss Jéromette and the Clergyman Wilkie Collins
Mr. Captain and the Nymph Wilkie Collins
The King of Ireland's Son Padraic Colum
The Brute Joseph Conrad
End of the Tether Joseph Conrad
Falk Joseph Conrad
Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad
The Informer: An Ironic Tale Joseph Conrad
The Inn of the Two Witches Joseph Conrad
The N_____ Of The Narcissus Joseph Conrad
The Dead Valley Ralph Adams Cram
In Kropfsberg Keep Ralph Adams Cram
No. 252 Rue M. le Prince. Ralph Adams Cram
Notre Dame des Eaux Ralph Adams Cram
Sister Maddelena Ralph Adams Cram
The White Villa Ralph Adams Cram
For the Blood is the Life F. Marion Crawford
The Dead Smile F. Marion Crawford
The Screaming Skull F. Marion Crawford
The Upper Berth F. Marion Crawford
The Trooping Fairies and Others T. Crofton Croker
A Blizzard in the Sahara Aleister Crowley
D
The Divine Comedy: The Inferno Dante Alighieri
Liber Loagaeth John Dee
A Relation of the Apparition of Mrs. Veal Daniel Defoe
The Listeners Walter De La Mare
The Return Walter de la Mare
Seaton's Aunt Walter de la Mare
A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens
The Old Curiosity Shop Charles Dickens
The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton Charles Dickens
To be Taken with a Grain of Salt Charles Dickens
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargin Charles Dickens
To be Read at Dusk Charles Dickens
The Signalman Charles Dickens
The Trial For Murder Charles Dickens
The Brazilian Cat Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Captain of the Polestar Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Great Keinplatz Experiment Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Lot No. 249. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Mystery of Cloomber Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The New Catacomb Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Ring of Thoth Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Don Rodriguez Lord Dunsany
The Sword of Welleran Lord Dunsany
Tales of Three Hemispheres Lord Dunsany
The Book of Wonder Lord Dunsany
A Dreamer's Tales Lord Dunsany
Fifty-One Tales Lord Dunsany
The Gods of Pegana Lord Dunsany
Tales of Wonder Lord Dunsany
Time and the Gods Lord Dunsany
Plays of Gods and Men Lord Dunsany
If Lord Dunsany
Plays of Near & Far Lord Dunsany
Selections from the Writings Lord Dunsany
E
The Dean's Watch Erckmann-Chatrian and Bjorstjerne Bjorson
The Invisible Eye Erckmann-Chatrian and Bjorstjerne Bjorson
The Man-Wolf and Other Tales Erckmann-Chatrian and Bjorstjerne Bjorson
The Owl's Ear Erckmann-Chatrian and Bjorstjerne Bjorson
Uncle Christian's Inheritance Erckmann-Chatrian and Bjorstjerne Bjorson
The Waters of Death Erckmann-Chatrian and Bjorstjerne Bjorson
The Crimson Blind Henrietta D. Everett
A Water Witch Henrietta D. Everett
The Spider Hans Heinz Ewers
F
The Temptation of St. Anthony Gustave Flaubert
The Celestial Omnibus E. M. Forster
The Two Captains Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
Aslauga's Knight Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
Sintram and His Companions Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
Undine Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
G
The Arabian Nights Entertainments Antoine Galland
Captain Fracasse by Théophile Gautier
Clarimonde by Théophile Gautier
One of Cleopatra's Nights Theophile Gautier
The Evil Eye byThéophile Gautier
Jettatura byThéophile Gautier
King Candaules byThéophile Gautier
La Morte Amoureuse byThéophile Gautier
The Mummy's Foot by Théophile Gautier
The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Caleb Williams William Godwin
Lives of the Necromancers William Godwin
The Bride of Corinth Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The ErlKing Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Tragedy of Faust Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sorcerer's Apprentice Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Curious Myths of the Middle Ages Sabine Baring-Gould
The Book of Were-Wolves Sabine Baring-Gould
Cuchulain of Muirtheme Lady Gregory
Gods and Fighting Men Lady Gregory
H
She H. Rider Haggard
Uncle Remus New Stories of the Old Plantation Joel Chandler Harris
Feet Foremost L. P. Hartley
Doctor Grimshawe's Secret Nathaniel Hawthorne
The House of Seven Gables Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Marble Faun Nathaniel Hawthorne
Legends of the Province House Nathaniel Hawthorne
Septimius Felton Nathaniel Hawthorne
Alice Doane`s Appeal Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Ambitious Guest Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Minister's Black Veil Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ethan Brand Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Hollow of the Three Hills Nathaniel Hawthorne
Dr. Heidegger's Experiment Nathaniel Hawthorne
Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe Nathaniel Hawthorne
Rappaccini's Daughter Nathaniel Hawthorne
Roger Malvin's Burial Nathaniel Hawthorne
The White Old Maid Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Wives of the Dead Nathaniel Hawthorne
Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne
Tanglewood Tales Nathaniel Hawthorne
A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Cedar Closet Lafcadio Hearn
CHITA : A Memory of Last Island Lafcadio Hearn
A Ghost Story Lafcadio Hearn
Chin Chin Kobakama Lafcadio Hearn
Kwaidan Lafcadio Hearn
The Last of the Voudoos Lafcadio Hearn
New Orleans Superstitions Lafcadio Hearn
A Strange Tale of Cannibalism Lafcadio Hearn
The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" William Hope Hodgson
The Derelict William Hope Hodgson
The Finding of the Graiken William Hope Hodgson
From the Tideless Sea William Hope Hodgson
The Ghost Pirates William Hope Hodgson
The Haunted Jarvee William Hope Hodgson
The House on the Borderland William Hope Hodgson
The Night Land William Hope Hodgson
Out of the Storm William Hope Hodgson
The Sea Horses William Hope Hodgson
The Voice in the Night William Hope Hodgson
Automata Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
Councillor Krespel Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
The Cremona Violin Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
The Deserted House Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
The Golden Flower Pot Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
The Story of the Hard Nut Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
A New Year's Eve Adventure Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
The Sand Man Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
The Brownie of the Black Haggs James Hogg
The Expedition to Wut James Hogg
Kilmeny James Hogg
The Mysterious Bride James Hogg
The Witch of Fife James Hogg
The Witches of Traquair James Hogg
Elsie Venner Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
The Discovery of Witches Mathew Hopkins
The Werewolf Clemence Housman
The Hyborian Age Robert E Howard
Gates of Empire Robert E Howard
Hawks of Outremer Robert E Howard
The Lion of Tiberias Robert E Howard
Lord of Samarcand Robert E Howard
The Sowers of the Thunder Robert E Howard
The Blood of Belshazzar Robert E Howard
Blood of The Gods Robert E Howard
The Country of The Knife Robert E Howard
The Daughter of Erlik Khan Robert E Howard
Hawk of the Hills Robert E Howard
The Purple Heart of Erlik Robert E Howard
The Shadow of the Vulture Robert E Howard
The Sign of the Snake Robert E Howard
Son Of The White Wolf Robert E Howard
The Treasures of Tartary Robert E Howard
Black Vulmeas Vengeance Robert E Howard
Sea Curse Robert E Howard
The Pit of the Serpent Robert E Howard
Breed of Battle Robert E Howard
Texas Fists Robert E Howard
The Footfalls Within Robert E Howard
The Hills of the Dead Robert E Howard
The Moon of Skulls Robert E Howard
Red Shadows Robert E Howard
Rattle of Bones Robert E Howard
Skulls in the Stars Robert E Howard
Wings in the Night Robert E Howard
Beyond the Black River Robert E Howard
Black Colossus Robert E Howard
The Dark Man Robert E Howard
The Devil in Iron Robert E Howard
The Gods of Bal-Sagoth Robert E Howard
Gods of the North Robert E Howard
The Hour of the Dragon Robert E Howard
Jewels of Gwahlur Robert E Howard
Kings of the Night Robert E Howard
The Lost Race Robert E Howard
The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune Robert E Howard
People Of The Black Circle Robert E Howard
The Phoenix on the Sword Robert E Howard
The Pool Of The Black One Robert E Howard
Queen Of The Black Coast Robert E Howard
Red Nails Robert E Howard
Rogues in the House Robert E Howard
The Scarlet Citadel Robert E Howard
Shadows In The Moonlight Robert E Howard
Shadows in Zamboula Robert E Howard
The Shadow Kingdom Robert E Howard
The Slithering Shadow Robert E Howard
The Tower of the Elephant Robert E Howard
The Valley of the Worm Robert E Howard
A Witch Shall Be Born Robert E Howard
Worms Of the Earth Robert E Howard
Black Canaan Robert E Howard
The Black Stone Robert E Howard
Black Talons Robert E Howard
Black Wind Blowing Robert E Howard
The Children of the Night Robert E Howard
The Cairn on the Headland Robert E Howard
The Dream Snake Robert E Howard
Fangs of Gold Robert E Howard
The Fearsome Touch of Death Robert E Howard
The Fire of Asshurbanipal Robert E Howard
In the Forest of Villefore Robert E Howard
Graveyard Rats Robert E Howard
The Haunter of the Ring Robert E Howard
The House of Arabu Robert E Howard
The Horror From The Mound Robert E Howard
The Hyena Robert E Howard
Moon of Zambebwei Robert E Howard
Names In The Black Book Robert E Howard
People of the Dark Robert E Howard
Pigeons from Wut Robert E Howard
Skull-Face Robert E Howard
Spear and Fang Robert E Howard
The Thing On the Roof Robert E Howard
The Tomb's Secret Robert E Howard
The Voice of El-Lil Robert E Howard
Wolfshead Robert E Howard
The Apache Mountain War Robert E Howard
Boot-Hill Payoff Robert E Howard
The Conquerin' Hero of the Humbolts Robert E Howard
Cupid From Bear Creek Robert E Howard
Evil Deeds at Red Cougar Robert E Howard
The Feud Buster Robert E Howard
A Gent From Bear Creek (Short Story) Robert E Howard
A Gent From Bear Creek (novella) Robert E Howard
Guns of the Mountains Robert E Howard
The Haunted Mountain Robert E Howard
High Horse Rampage Robert E Howard
Mountain Man Robert E Howard
No Cowherders Wanted Robert E Howard
Pilgrims To the Pecos Robert E Howard
Pistol Politics Robert E Howard
The Riot at Cougar Paw Robert E Howard
The Road to Bear Creek Robert E Howard
The Scalp Hunter Robert E Howard
Sharp's Gun Serenade Robert E Howard
Texas John Alden Robert E Howard
The Vultures of Whapeton Robert E Howard
War On Bear Creek Robert E Howard
While Smoke Rolled Robert E Howard
Hans of Iceland Victor Hugo
À Rebours J.K. Huysmans
Là-Bas J.K. Huysmans
Leabhar Sgeulaigheachta Dr Douglas Hyde
The Lost Continent C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne
I
The Alhambra Washington Irving
The Adventure Of The German Student Washington Irving
Rip Van Winkle Washington Irving
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Washington Irving
The Money Diggers Washington Irving
A Torture by Hope Villiers De L'isle-Adam
J
Deep Waters W.W. Jacobs
Dialstone Lane W.W. Jacobs
Jerry Bundler W.W. Jacobs
Lady of the Barge and Others W.W. Jacobs
Light Freights W.W. Jacobs
The Monkey's Paw W.W. Jacobs
Odd Craft W.W. Jacobs
Self-Help and The Toll-House W.W. Jacobs
At Sunwich Port W.W. Jacobs
The Well W.W. Jacobs
The Altar of the Dead Henry James
The Beast in the Jungle Henry James
The Friends of the Friends Henry James
The Ghostly Rental Henry James
The Jolly Corner Henry James
The Last of the Valerii Henry James
Maud-Evelyn Henry James
Owen Wingrave Henry James
The Private Life Henry James
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes Henry James
Sir Edmund Orme Henry James
The Turn of the Screw Henry James
The Daemonologie King James
The Five Jars M.R. James
Two Doctors M.R. James
The Ash-Tree M.R. James
Canon Alberic's Scrap Book M.R. James
Casting the Runes M.R. James
An Episode of Cathedral History M.R. James
Count Magnus M.R. James
The Diary of Mr. Poynter M.R. James
The Haunted Dolls' House M.R. James
Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance M.R. James
Lost Hearts M.R. James
Martin's Close M.R. James
The Mezzotint M.R. James
The Tractate Middoth M.R. James
Number 13 M.R. James
Old Testament Legends M.R. James
Rats M.R. James
The Resesidence at Westminster M.R. James
The Rose Garden M.R. James
A School Story M.R. James
The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral M.R. James
The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance M.R. James
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas M.R. James
Wailing Well M.R. James
A Warning to the Curious M.R. James
Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come To You, My Lad M.R. James
K
Lamia John Keats
As Easy as A.B.C. Rudyard Kipling
At the End of the Passage Rudyard Kipling
The Finest Story In The World Rudyard Kipling
The Mark of the Beast Rudyard Kipling
My Own True Ghost Story Rudyard Kipling
The Phantom Rickshaw Rudyard Kipling
The Recrudescence of Imray Rudyard Kipling
They Rudyard Kipling
Tomlinson Rudyard Kipling
The Creature from Beyond Infinity Henry Kuttner
The Dark World Henry Kuttner
Line to Tomorrow Henry Kuttner
The Salem Horror Henry Kuttner
The Time Axis Henry Kuttner
The Valley Of The Flame Henry Kuttner
L
An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street J. Sheridan Le Fanu
An Adventure of Hardress Fitzgerald, A Royalist Captain J. Sheridan Le Fanu
An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Banshee J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Billy Malowney's Taste of Love and Glory J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Bridal of Carrigvarah J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Carmilla J. Sheridan Le Fanu
A Chapter in the History of a Tyronne Family J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Child That went With the Fairies J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Dead Sexton J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Dickon the Devil J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Drunkard's Dream J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Earl's Hall J. Sheridan Le Fanu
"The Evil Guest" J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Familiar J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Ghost and the Bone-Setter J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Ghost Stories of Chapelizod J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Governess's Dream J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Green Tea J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Haunted Baronet J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The House By the Church-Yard J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Jim Sulivan's Adventures in the Great Snow J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Last Heir of Castle Conner J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Laura Silver Bell J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Legend of Dunblane J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Madam Crowl's Ghost J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Magician Earl J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Moll Rial's Adventure J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Mr. Justice Harbottle J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Mysterious Lodger J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess J. Sheridan Le Fanu
"The Quare Gander." J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Room in the Dragon Volant J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Scraps of Hibernian Ballads J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Sir Dominick's Bargain J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Stories of Lough Guir J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Spalatro J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Vision of Tom Chuff J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Ultor De Lacy: A Legend of Cappercullen J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Uncle Silas J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Watcher J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Grand-Guignol Theatre of Horror Jeanne Mareteux-Level
Necromancy Ex Ipsis Mors Eliphas Levi
The Monk Matthew Lewis
The Castle Spectre Matthew Lewis
The Hounds of Tindalos Frank Belknap Long
The Space-Eaters Frank Belknap Long
Humpty Dumpty had a Great Fall Frank Belknap Long
The Mississippi Saucer Frank Belknap Long
The Sky Trap Frank Belknap Long
Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family H.P. Lovecraft
Out of the Aeons H.P. Lovecraft
The Alchemist H.P. Lovecraft
Azathoth H.P. Lovecraft
The Beast in the Cave H.P. Lovecraft
The Book H.P. Lovecraft
The Call of Cthulhu H.P. Lovecraft
Celephais H.P. Lovecraft
The Crawling Chaos H.P. Lovecraft
The Colour Out of Space H.P. Lovecraft
Cool Air H.P. Lovecraft
Dagon H.P. Lovecraft
The Descendant H.P. Lovecraft
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward H.P. Lovecraft
The Disinterment H.P. Lovecraft
The Dreams in the Witch House H.P. Lovecraft
The Dunwich Horror H.P. Lovecraft
The Evil Clergyman H.P. Lovecraft
Ex Oblivione H.P. Lovecraft
The Festival H.P. Lovecraft
From Beyond H.P. Lovecraft
Fungi from Yuggoth H.P. Lovecraft
Through the Gates of the Silver Key H.P. Lovecraft
The Haunter of the Dark H.P. Lovecraft
He H.P. Lovecraft
Herbert West: Reanimator H.P. Lovecraft
The Hound H.P. Lovecraft
Hypnos H.P. Lovecraft
Imprisoned with the Pharaohs H.P. Lovecraft
The Shadow over Innsmouth H.P. Lovecraft
The Quest of Iranon H.P. Lovecraft
The Transition of Juan Romero H.P. Lovecraft
The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath H.P. Lovecraft
The Lurking Fear H.P. Lovecraft
The Horror at Martin;s Beach H.P. Lovecraft
The Moon-Bog H.P. Lovecraft
Medusa's Coil H.P. Lovecraft
Memory H.P. Lovecraft
What the Moon Brings H.P. Lovecraft
At the Mountains of Madness H.P. Lovecraft
The Music of Erich Zann H.P. Lovecraft
The Nameless City H.P. Lovecraft
Nyarlathotep H.P. Lovecraft
The Very Old Folk H.P. Lovecraft
The Other Gods H.P. Lovecraft
The Outsider H.P. Lovecraft
Pickman's Model H.P. Lovecraft
The Picture in the House H.P. Lovecraft
Poetry of the Gods H.P. Lovecraft
Polaris H.P. Lovecraft
The Rats in the Walls H.P. Lovecraft
The Statement of Randolph Carter H.P. Lovecraft
The Horror at Red Hook H.P. Lovecraft
The Doom That Came to Sarnath H.P. Lovecraft
The Shadow out of Time H.P. Lovecraft
The Shunned House H.P. Lovecraft
The Silver Key H.P. Lovecraft
Beyond the Wall of Sleep H.P. Lovecraft
The Man of Stone H.P. Lovecraft
The Strange High House in the Mist H.P. Lovecraft
The Street H.P. Lovecraft
The Temple H.P. Lovecraft
The Terrible Old Man H.P. Lovecraft
The Thing on the Doorstep H.P. Lovecraft
The Tomb H.P. Lovecraft
The Tree H.P. Lovecraft
The Cats of Ulthar H.P. Lovecraft
The Unnamable H.P. Lovecraft
In the Vault H.P. Lovecraft
Whisperer in the Darkness H.P. Lovecraft
The White Ship H.P. Lovecraft
Revisions H P Lovecraft and Others
Supernatural Horror in Literature H.P. Lovecraft
The House and the Brain Edward Bulwer-Lytton
A Strange Story Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Zanoni Edward Bulwer Lytton
M
The Enchanted Forest George MacDonald
A Ghostie Story George MacDonald
The Golden Key George MacDonald
The Gray Wolf George MacDonald
Phantastes George MacDonald
The Magic Mirror George MacDonald
Lilith George MacDonald
A Tragedy of Bones George MacDonald
Uncle Cornelius His Story George MacDonald
Le Morte d'ArthurSir Thomas Malory
Clavicula Salmonis Regis Goetia S.L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley
The Bowmen Arthur Machen
The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts Arthur Machen
The Children of the Pool Arthur Machen
The Dazzling Light Arthur Machen
Dr Duthoit's Vision Arthur Machen
A Double Return Arthur Machen
Dreads and Drolls Arthur Machen
The Great God Pan Arthur Machen
The Great Return Arthur Machen
The Hill of Dreams Arthur Machen
The Inmost Light Arthur Machen
The Monstrance Arthur Machen
Novel of the Black Seal Arthur Machen
Novel of the White Powder Arthur Machen
On the Kabbalah Arthur Machen
Postscript Arthur Machen
The Red Hand Arthur Machen
The Secret Glory Arthur Machen
The Shining Pyramid Arthur Machen
The Soldiers' Rest Arthur Machen
The Terror Arthur Machen
The Three Impostors Arthur Machen
The White People Arthur Machen
Ossian James Macpherson
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus Christopher Marlowe
The King's Own Captain Marryat
The Legend Of The Bell Rock Captain Marryat
The Phantom Ship Captain Marryat
The Pirate Captain Marryat
The Poacher Captain Marryat
The White Wolf Of The Hartz Mountains Frederick Marryat
The Beetle A Mystery Richard Marsh
How He Passed! Richard Marsh
The Mask Richard Marsh
Tom Ossington's Ghost Richard Marsh
The Greater Key of Solomon S. Liddell MacGregor Mathers
Leixlip Castle Charles Robert Maturin
Melmoth the Wanderer Charles Robert Maturin
The Apparition Guy de Maupassant
The Diary of a Madman Guy de Maupassant
The Flayed Hand Guy de Maupassant
The Hand Guy de Maupassant
The Horla Guy de Maupassant
The Moribund Guy de Maupassant
A Mother of Monsters Guy de Maupassant
On the River Guy de Maupassant
The Vendetta Guy de Maupassant
The Wolf Guy de Maupassant
The Amber Witch Johannes Wilhelm Meinhold
Sidonia The Sorceress Volume One Johannes Wilhelm Meinhold
Sidonia The Sorceress Volume Two Johannes Wilhelm Meinhold
La Vénus d'Ille Prosper Mérimée
The Bad Lands John Metcalf
Alciphron: A Fragment. Thomas Moore
The Ring Thomas Moore
Forgotten Fantasy William Morris
N
O
The Child Who Loved A Grave Fitz-James O’Brien
The Demon of the Gibbet Fitz-James O’Brien
The Diamond Lens Fitz-James O'Brien
The Golden Ingot Fitz-James O’Brien
My Wife's Tempter Fitz-James O’Brien
What Was It? Fitz-James O’Brien
The Wondersmith Fitz-James O'Brien
P
The Philosophy of Composition Edgar Allan Poe
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Edgar Allan Poe
The Black Cat Edgar Allan Poe
The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe
Fall of the House of Usher Edgar Allan Poe
Von Kempelen and His Discovery Edgar Allan Poe
Ligeia Edgar Allan Poe
A Descent Into the Maelström Edgar Allan Poe
The Man Of The Crowd Edgar Allan Poe
The Masque of the Red Death Edgar Allan Poe
Metzengerstein Edgar Allan Poe
Ms. Found In A Bottle Edgar Allan Poe
The Murders In The Rue Morgue Edgar Allan Poe
The Pit and the Pendulum Edgar Allan Poe
The Purloined Letter Edgar Allan Poe
The Premature Burial Edgar Allan Poe
A Tale of the Ragged Mountains Edgar Allan Poe
Shadow - A Parable Edgar Allan Poe
Silence - A Fable Edgar Allan Poe
The Tell-Tale Heart Edgar Allan Poe
The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar Edgar Allan Poe
Annabel Lee Edgar Allan Poe
The City In the Sea Edgar Allan Poe
The Conqueror Worm Edgar Allan Poe
A Dream Within A Dream Edgar Allan Poe
Dream Land Edgar Allan Poe
Eldorado Edgar Allan Poe
Fairy Land Edgar Allan Poe
The Haunted Palace Edgar Allan Poe
Israfel Edgar Allan Poe
Lenore Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven Edgar Allan Poe
Tamerlane Edgar Allan Poe
Ulalume Edgar Allan Poe
The Vampyre John Polidori
Q
The Avenger Thomas De Quincey
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater Thomas De Quincey
On Murder, Considered As One of the Fine Arts Thomas De Quincey
Suspiria De Profundis Thomas De Quincey
R
The Italian Ann Radcliffe
The Mysteries of Udolpho Ann Radcliffe
The Old English Baron Clara Reeve
Wagner the Wehr-Wolf George W. M. Reynolds
Bat Wing Sax Rohmer
Bimbashi Baruk Of Egypt Sax Rohmer
Breath of Allah Sax Rohmer
Brood of the Witch-Queen Sax Rohmer
The Death-Ring of Sneferu Sax Rohmer
The Devil Doctor Sax Rohmer
The Green Eyes of Bâst Sax Rohmer
The Hand of Fu-Manchu Sax Rohmer
The Haunting of Low Fennel Sax Rohmer
A House Possessed Sax Rohmer
The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu Sax Rohmer
The Mysterious Mummy Sax Rohmer
The Yellow Claw Sax Rohmer
The House of Life And Others Dante Gabriel Rossetti
S
Captain Blood His Odyssey Rafael Sabatini
Scaramouche Rafael Sabatini
The Sea-Hawk Rafael Sabatini
The Discovery of Witchcraft Reginald Scot
Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott
The Lady of the Lake Sir Walter Scott
Letters On Demonology And Witchcraft Sir Walter Scott
Rob Roy Sir Walter Scott
The Tapestried Chamber Sir Walter Scott
Wandering Willie's Tale Sir Walter Scott
The Wild Huntsman Gottfried Bürger Translated by Sir Walter Scott
Lenora Gottfried Bürger Translated by Sir Walter Scott
Cymbeline William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark William Shakespeare
Macbeth William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare
The Tempest William Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis William Shakespeare
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
The Purple Cloud M.P. Shiel
Xélucha M.P. Shiel
Nibelungenlied Translated by Daniel Shumway
Uncanny Stories May Sinclair
The Abominations of Yondo Clark Ashton Smith
An Adventure in Futurity Clark Ashton Smith
The Beast of Averoigne Clark Ashton Smith
The Black Abbot of Puthuum Clark Ashton Smith
The Brahmin's Wisdom Clark Ashton Smith
The Chain of Aforgomon Clark Ashton Smith
The Charnel God Clark Ashton Smith
Chinoiserie Clark Ashton Smith
The City of the Singing Flame Clark Ashton Smith
The Colossus of Ylourgne Clark Ashton Smith
The Coming of the White Worm Clark Ashton Smith
The Coming of the White Worm [Abridged Edition] Clark Ashton Smith
The Dark Age Clark Ashton Smith
The Dark Eidolon Clark Ashton Smith
The Death of Ilalotha Clark Ashton Smith
The Death of Malygris Clark Ashton Smith
Demon of the Flower Clark Ashton Smith
The Devotee of Evil Clark Ashton Smith
The Dimension Of Chance Clark Ashton Smith
The Disinterment of Venus Clark Ashton Smith
The Door to Saturn Clark Ashton Smith
The Double Shadow Clark Ashton Smith
The Dweller in the Gulf Clark Ashton Smith
The Empire of The Necromancers Clark Ashton Smith
The Enchantress of Sylaire Clark Ashton Smith
The End of the Story Clark Ashton Smith
The Epiphany Of Death Clark Ashton Smith
The Eternal World Clark Ashton Smith
The Flower-Women Clark Ashton Smith
From the Crypts of Memory Clark Ashton Smith
The Garden of Adompha Clark Ashton Smith
Genius Loci Clark Ashton Smith
The Ghost of Mohammed Din Clark Ashton Smith
The Ghoul Clark Ashton Smith
The Gorgon Clark Ashton Smith
The Great God Awto Clark Ashton Smith
The Holiness of Azédarac Clark Ashton Smith
The House of Haon-Dor Clark Ashton Smith
The Hunters from Beyond Clark Ashton Smith
The Ice-Demon Clark Ashton Smith
The Immeasurable Horror Clark Ashton Smith
In the Book of Vergama Clark Ashton Smith
The Immortals of Mercury Clark Ashton Smith
The Invisible City Clark Ashton Smith
The Isle of the Torturers Clark Ashton Smith
The Justice of the Elephant Clark Ashton Smith
The Kiss of Zoraida Clark Ashton Smith
The Last Hieroglyph Clark Ashton Smith
The Last Incantation Clark Ashton Smith
The Letter from Mohaun Los Clark Ashton Smith
The Light from Beyond Clark Ashton Smith
The Light from the Pole Clark Ashton Smith
The Mahout Clark Ashton Smith
The Maker of Gargoyles Clark Ashton Smith
The Malay Krise Clark Ashton Smith
Mandor's Enemy Clark Ashton Smith
The Mandrakes Clark Ashton Smith
Marooned in Andromeda Clark Ashton Smith
Master of the Asteroid Clark Ashton Smith
The Master of the Crabs Clark Ashton Smith
The Maze of the Enchanter(alternative version see below) Clark Ashton Smith
The Maze of Maal Dweb (alternative version see above) Clark Ashton Smith
The Metamorphasis of Earth Clark Ashton Smith
Monsters in the Night Clark Ashton Smith
The Monster of the Prophecy Clark Ashton Smith
Morthylla Clark Ashton Smith
Mother of Toads (Complete Version) Clark Ashton Smith
Mother of Toads (Weird Tales Edited Version) Clark Ashton Smith
Murder in the Fourth Dimension Clark Ashton Smith
The Nameless Offspring Clark Ashton Smith
Necromancy in Naat Clark Ashton Smith
The Necromantic Tale Clark Ashton Smith
A Night in Malnéant Clark Ashton Smith
The Ninth Skeleton Clark Ashton Smith
An Offering to the Moon Clark Ashton Smith
The Perfect Woman Clark Ashton Smith
The Phantoms of the Fire Clark Ashton Smith
Phoenix Clark Ashton Smith
The Planet of the Dead Clark Ashton Smith
The Plutonian Drug Clark Ashton Smith
The Primal City Clark Ashton Smith
Prince Alcouz and the Magician Clark Ashton Smith
The Raja and the Tiger Clark Ashton Smith
A Rendezvous in Averoigne Clark Ashton Smith
The Resurrection of the Rattlesnake Clark Ashton Smith
The Return of the Sorcerer Clark Ashton Smith
The Return of the Sorcerer [Alternative Conclusion] Clark Ashton Smith
The Root of Ampoi Clark Ashton Smith
Sadastor Clark Ashton Smith
The Satyr Clark Ashton Smith
The Satyr [Alternitive Conclusion] Clark Ashton Smith
Schizoid Creator Clark Ashton Smith
The Second Interment Clark Ashton Smith
The Seed from the Sepulchre Clark Ashton Smith
Seedling of Mars Clark Ashton Smith
The Seven Geases Clark Ashton Smith
Shapes of Adamant Clark Ashton Smith
Something New Clark Ashton Smith
The Sorceress of Averoigne [synopses] Clark Ashton Smith
A Star-Change Clark Ashton Smith
The Supernumerary Corpse Clark Ashton Smith
Symposium of the Gorgon Clark Ashton Smith
The Tale of Satampra Zeiros Clark Ashton Smith
The Tale of Sir John Maundeville Clark Ashton Smith
The Testament of Athammaus Clark Ashton Smith
The Theft of the Thirty-Nine Girdles Clark Ashton Smith
The Third Episode of Vathek Clark Ashton Smith
Thirteen Phantasms Clark Ashton Smith
Told in the desert Clark Ashton Smith
The Tomb-Spawn Clark Ashton Smith
The Treader of the Dust Clark Ashton Smith
Ubbo-Sathla Clark Ashton Smith
The Uncharted Isle Clark Ashton Smith
The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis Clark Ashton Smith
The Venus of Azombeii Clark Ashton Smith
A Vintage from Atlantis Clark Ashton Smith
The Voyage of King Euvoran Clark Ashton Smith
A Voyage to Sfanomoë Clark Ashton Smith
Vulthoom Clark Ashton Smith
The Weaver in the Vault Clark Ashton Smith
The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan Clark Ashton Smith
The White Sybil Clark Ashton Smith
The Willow Landscape Clark Ashton Smith
The Witchcraft of Ulua Clark Ashton Smith
The Hashish Eater Clark Ashton Smith
Xeethra Clark Ashton Smith
Zothique Clark Ashton Smith
The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom Tobias Smollett
The Faerie Qveene. Edmund Spenser
Irish Fairy Tales James Stephens
The Black Arrow--A Tale of the Two Roses Robert Louis Stevenson
The Bottle Imp Robert Louis Stevenson
The Body-Snatcher Robert Louis Stevenson
The Isle of Voices Robert Louis Stevenson
The Strange Case of Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson
Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson
Markheim Robert Louis Stevenson
The Merry Men Robert Louis Stevenson
New Arabian Nights Robert Louis Stevenson
Olalla Robert Louis Stevenson
Silverado Squatters Robert Louis Stevenson
Thrawn Janet Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson
Dracula Bram Stoker
The Jewel of Seven Stars Bram Stoker
The Lair of the White Worm Bram Stoker
The Aran Islands J. M. Synge
The Vagrants of Wicklow J. M. Synge
Two Penniless Princesses J. M. Synge
Deirdre of the Sorrows J. M. Synge
Five Pounds of Flesh J. M. Synge
The Playboy of the Western World J. M. Synge
Riders to the Sea J. M. Synge
In the Shadow of the Glen J. M. Synge
The Tinker's Wedding J. M. Synge
The Well of the Saints J. M. Synge
Selected Poems and Translations J. M. Synge
T
A Satirical Panorama William Makepeace Thackeray
Wit and Wisdom Mark Twain
Wake Not the Dead Johann Ludwig Tieck
Fair Eckbert Johann Ludwig Tieck
The Trusty Eckart Johann Ludwig Tieck
The Runenberg Johann Ludwig Tieck
The Elves Johann Ludwig Tieck
The Goblet Johann Ludwig Tieck
U
V
W
The Red Lodge H.R. Wakefield
Ghost Hunt H.R. Wakefield
The Castle of Otranto Horace Walpole
All Souls' Night Sir Hugh Walpole
The Dark Forest Sir Hugh Walpole
The Killer and the Slain Sir Hugh Walpole
Portrait of a Man With Red Hair Sir Hugh Walpole
The Tarn Sir Hugh Walpole
The Duchess of Malfi John Webster
The White Devil John Webster
The Devil's Asteroid Manly Wade Wellman
The Terrible Parchment Manly Wade Wellman
The Chronic Argonauts H. G. Wells
The Country of the Blind, And Other Stories H. G. Wells
In the Days of the Comet H. G. Wells
The Diamond Maker H. G. Wells
The Grisly Folk H. G. Wells
The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost H. G. Wells
The Invisible Man H. G. Wells
The Island of Dr. Moreau H. G. Wells
The Red Room H. G. Wells
The Time Machine H. G. Wells
The War of the Worlds H. G. Wells
Lukundoo and Other Stories Edward Lucas White
The Song of the Sirens Edward Lucas White
Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde
The Ballad of Reading Gaol Oscar Wilde
The Canterville Ghost Oscar Wilde
The Happy Prince and Other Tales Oscar Wilde
A House of Pomegranates Oscar Wilde
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
La Sainte Courtisane Oscar Wilde
The Sphinx Without a Secret Oscar Wilde
The Wind in the Rose-Bush Mary E. Wilkins
X
Y
In the Seven Woods W. B. Yeats
The Celtic Twilight W. B. Yeats
Rosa Alchemica W. B. Yeats
Witches and Wizards W. B. Yeats

[True Black Raven]

Aug 18, 2018 12:26:42 GMT -5 Mighty Darci said:

This blogger did an Appendix N for Sci Fi (Circa 1980s) post from Star Frontiers back in 2010 which I am reproducing the TSR list here.

D&D had it's Appendix N--it's suggested reading for further inspiration--which was loaded with Sword & Sorcery classics from the pulp era and beyond. Grognardia has done a wonderful job of highlighting those books. I wondered if TSR's Star Frontiers had an equivalent a while back while I was flipping through the manuals I'd bought off eBay. Low and behold--it did! Though it wasn't an official appendix, it was listed under the title "READING FOR FUN AND IDEAS". The list is filled with great stuff, but its also dated.

Following are the titles listed on the back cover of the Expanded Game Rules, from the first printing of July 1982:

NON-FICTION:
Asimov, Isaac—Extraterrestrial Civilizations
Bylinsky, Gene—Life in Darwin's Universe
Dole, Robert—Habitable Planets for Man
Feinberg, Gerald and Robert Shapiro—Life Beyond Earth: An Intelligent Earthling's Guide to Life in the Universe
FICTION
Anthony, Piers—Macroscope
Anderson, Poul—Ensign Flandry series
Asimov, Isaac—Foundation trilogy: I, Robot; The Gods Themselves
Aspirin, Robert—The Cold-Cash War
Bester, Alfred—The Stars, My Destination
Blish, James—Cities in Flight
Bradbury, Ray—The Martian Chronicles
Brown, Frederick—What Mad Universe
Brunner, John—Stand on Zanzibar
Budrys, Algis—Rogue Moon
Chandler, Bertram A.—Commodore Grimes series
Clarke, Arthur C.—Rendezvous with Rama; The Fountains of Paradise
Clement, Hal—Mission of Gravity; Close to Critical; The Nitrogen Fix
de Camp, L. Sprague—Krishna series
Dick, Philip K.—Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dickson, Gordon R.—Dorsai series
Drake, David—Hammer's Slammers
Farmer, Philip Jose—Riverworld series
Garrett, Randall—Starship Death
Goulart, Ron—many short novels
Haldeman, Joe—The Forever War
Hansen, Karl—War Games
Harrison, Harry—Bill, The Galactic Hero; The Stainless Steel Rat; Deathworld series
Heinlein, Robert—Starship Troopers; The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Herbert, Frank—Dune series
Laumer, Keith—A Plague of Demons; Retief series; Bolo series
LeGuin, Ursula—The Left Hand of Darkness
Lem, Stanislaw—Solaris; The Cyberiad
Longyear, Barry—Circus World
Niven, Larry—Ringworld; Ringworld Engineers; Tales of Known Space
Niven, Larry and Jerry Pournelle—The Mote in God's Eye
Norton, Andre—Star Rangers
Pohl, Frederick—Gateway
Pournelle, Jerry—The Mercenary
Russel, Eric Frank—The Great Explosion
Saberhagen, Fred—Berserker series
Silverberg, Robert—The Man in the Maze
Simak, Clifford D.—City
Smith, E. E.—Triplanetary; Space Patrol; others in the Lensmen series
Stapleton, Olaf—Last and First Men
Vance, Jack—Big Planet; The Grey Prince; Tschai, Planet of Adventure series; Demon Princes series
Van Vogt, A. E.—The Weapons Shops of Isher; The Silkie; Voyage of the Space Beagle
Varley, John—The Persistence of Vision
Zelazny, Roger—Lord of Light

What can we add to this list?

Aug 18, 2018 13:00:43 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

This is great stuff Darcy, well worth an Exalt.

How about comic book characters? Green Lantern, especially the CORP series that is about all of the Green Lanterns from around the universe. Adam Strange is another DC favourite of mine, a very classic sci-fi trope without many titles but the ones he does have are spectacular! I definitely recommend finding the Planet Heist series. Of course, there is the excellent X-Men franchise (the books not the movies), there is a deep Science Fiction theme to the X-men that many folks dismiss as trash without actually reading. I tend to stick to Graphic Novels now for my (gulp) superhero fix, as I just don't have the budget to buy them anymore and they are addictive as all get out. Storing them is difficult as well, and the Graphic Novels look so nice on a bookshelf.

Aug 18, 2018 17:42:17 GMT -5 randyb said:

Smith, E.E. - Skylark series
Wylie, Phillip - Gladiator
Stapleton, Olaf - Odd John
Pournelle, Jerry - Falkenberg series
Verne, Jules - 20000 Leagues Under The Sea
Anderson, Poul - High Crusade

Aug 20, 2018 17:49:48 GMT -5 LouGoncey said:

E.C. Tubb -- Dumarest novels

Aug 25, 2018 9:22:04 GMT -5 Crimhthan The Great said:

Aug 25, 2018 4:13:22 GMT -5 secretsofblackmoor said:

CJ Cherry has some awesome sci fi books.
Chung quo. I liked the original series due to the epic political maneuvering.
Sheesh, there is just so much sci fi. Lately I tend to be enjoying all the old Ace Doubles. Some have some amazing prose and ideas.

C. J. Cherryh, real name is Carolyn Janice Cherry

Cherryh (pronounced "Cherry") appended a silent "h" to her real name because her first editor, Donald A. Wollheim, felt that "Cherry" sounded too much like a romance writer. Her initials, C.J., were used to disguise the fact that she was female at a time when almost all science fiction authors were male.

She has written a lot of fantasy, but my personal favorites are her Chanur Series.
The Pride of Chanur (1981)
Chanur's Venture (1984)
The Kif Strike Back (1985)
Chanur's Homecoming (1986)
Chanur's Legacy (1992)

Chung quo I believe refers to

Chung Kuo is a series of science fiction novels written by David Wingrove. The novels present a future history of an Earth dominated by China.
Chung Kuo is primarily set 200 years in the future in mile-high, continent-spanning cities made of a super-plastic called 'ice'. Housing a global population of 40 billion, the cities are divided into 300 levels and success and prestige is measured by how far above the ground one lives. Some – in the Above – live in great comfort. Others – in the Lowers – live in squalor, whilst at the bottom of the pile is 'Below the Net', a place where the criminal element is exiled and left to rot. Beneath the cities lie the ruins of old Earth – the Clay – a lightless, stygian Wut in which, astonishingly, humans still exist. These divisions are known as 'the world of levels'.

In addition to the world of levels, there are the great meat-animal pens and sprawling, vast plantations to feed the population. There is also activity beyond Earth. The ruling classes – who base their rule on the customs and fashions of imperial China – maintain traditional palaces and courts both on Earth and in geostationary orbit. There are also Martian research bases and the outer colonies, with their mining planets.
At the very heart of Chung Kuo is the 'War of Two Directions' — a struggle for the destiny of Mankind and the clash of two different ideologies. For the planet's hereditary rulers, the T'angs, the goal is stability and security, at the expense of individual freedoms if necessary, while a commercially orientated faction desires change and the uncharted challenge of the new — even though loosening constraints on an over-populated planet could be lethal. Political tensions between the two factions lead to assassination, biological and nano-technological terrorism, and ultimately to war and the outright destruction of whole cities.

The story is told through the eyes of a wide variety of characters from all levels of society: Triad bosses and assassins, emperors and artists, courtesans and soldiers, scientists and thieves, terrorists and princes. By the end of the series the dramatis personae total several hundred characters...

Original release
The Middle Kingdom (1989)
The Broken Wheel (1990)
The White Mountain (1992)
The Stone Within (1993)
Beneath the Tree of Heaven (1994)
White Moon, Red Dragon (1994)
Days of Bitter Strength (1997)
The Marriage of the Living Dark (1999)

[True Black Raven]

Is Appendix N relevant anymore? Now this thread ran for four pages.

Jul 27, 2018 15:04:17 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

Folks make a lot-to-do about Appendix N, sometimes to the point of silliness. There are specific examples of heavy influence which steered D&D into a specific direction. A famous example being Jack Vance and his impact on Gary's magic system. Today, we zoom ahead and we must face the facts that more people are familiar with D&D than they are with most of the titles given in Appendix N. The game of Dungeons & Dragons became pop culture. It, in turn, inspired the new medium of computer gaming to attempt to design D&D games with a simulated DM and could be played solo. Now you see the video game influencing the direction of Dungeons & Dragons. The game itself is different. We live in a world saturated with things to do, but here we are. Groups of people still meet up and play a game that takes place in our minds. Graphics and video game design, as highly advanced as it is, has yet to accomplish its original goal of replacing the Dungeon Master. 

Why are we still doing this? I think that robkuntz hit the nail on the head with his definitions of Closed and Open Systems. The human brain is capable of open systems, while the computer is not. It is the open systems which define the necessary elements of analogue gaming, and it is the mastery of these open systems by the player that makes this game what it is. But, here is the deal: The rulebooks themselves are closed systems. We do need closed systems for the game to function properly, but do we need the system of Dungeons & Dragons or whatever to accomplish it? The game itself has been evolving and changing since its creation into its own mass marketed being. At what point in our path to becoming Gamemasters is the dependence on a closed system just laziness or even worse? Actually containing the creativity within us!

We have users here who never left the original version of the game, those of us who seek to strip the social and commercial state of the game back to its basic components, or even further. Some of us are here to unlock the mystery of Arenson who got upset with the commercial production of D&D itself. 

What is D&D about? Why did this weird game that asked so much of the referee become pop culture? What makes us always come back? Is it the desire to explore and exist in a fantasy realm? Does this speak to our need for new characters, or to take a static and unchanging book and make it even more interactive? Does a list of books written 40 years ago really matter anymore? There is an underlying deadness to D&D. Those dumb influences which have actually taken over public consciousness and morphed them from fantasy to some dull expectation. Mention a Goblin to anybody and even if they never sat down to play D&D, they will instantly think of a low-level monster. Is this acceptable? It speaks too highly of a mechanical system which has remained unchanged for far too long. Monsters reduced to a mathematical formula, that is horrible! But this is the end result of D&D's influence on popular culture. 

How many novels have never been written because of Dungeons & Dragons? Maybe thousands, maybe none. Talent always has a way of bubbling to the surface. I do think that it is telling when a large portion of fantasy fandom actively rejects any growth or change in the genre because it doesn't follow the laws of D&D. New ideas are belittled and rejected because D&D is some kind of yardstick now? I personally reject this notion. The fantasy genre should not have to consult D&D. It should be the other way around, but it isn't. D&D itself is a closed system that actively seeks to shore up any gaps in personal creativity. Is Appendix N to blame for this? This treating out-of-print and possibly out-of-date books as scripture? Was it our job to read these books and adhere to them, or was it to eclipse them? Considering the scarcity of many of them, how many active users who never seen the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide or even know what Appendix N is are still held in thrall of it without their knowledge or consent? 

Maybe I have it wrong. Maybe the genre itself was exhausted 40 years ago, and the only thing that keeps it alive is Dungeons & Dragons? Maybe Appendix N must never change. Must never have items removed or new sources added. I would hate for this to be true. Personally, I couldn't write my own Appendix N. There are no examples of it which fully dictate any direction of where my game goes; at least none that I can see through the trees. How about you?

[True Black Raven]

Evening Bell Appendix N—poems, fragments, prose

Oct 29, 2019 21:58:21 GMT -5 hengest said:

A thread for posting things that I like and that contribute to or hint at what I want in Evening Bell.

[True Black Raven]

Fairy Tales (EB) -- Appendix N

Mar 5, 2021 18:01:21 GMT -5 hengest said:

Suggestive / inspirational quotes or works listed here, specifically for this subforum.

Examples

Mar 5, 2021 18:07:12 GMT -5 hengest said:

The Last Unicorn, by Peter Beagle

I haven't read this book in twenty years.  From what I remember, it probably looks a little dated now, but as I recall, it managed to be immersive in spite of all the little jokes and fourth-wall winks.  That seems like an impressive achievement.  I remember being completely enchanted by some passages.

And

Mar 5, 2021 18:10:31 GMT -5 hengest said:

My old post from this thread here:

Nov 3, 2019 13:53:09 GMT -5 hengest said:

In response to this thread for the Perilous Dreams game, I wanted to bring up the story "The Buried Moon."  
It's an unusual folktale collected in the 19th century in a fenny region of England.  You can read the Wikipedia entry here.  
More important, you can read the story here.
I'm going to try to attach an image from Joseph Jacobs's publication of the story.  It shows the Moon, a helpful being, trapped in a swamp.  
I think this story is exceptionally grabbing.  It seems like it would make a great local legend in a game or some sort of adventure hook to get the PCs into a swamp.  

And More in the thread!

[True Black Raven]

Mar 28, 2018 23:40:48 GMT -5 Admin Pete said:

THE 100-BOOK APPENDIX N READING LIST
Martin Ralya wrote back in August 28, 2012

I've decided to read all of Appendix N -- every book Gary Gygax recommended in the AD&D 1e DMG, plus at least one book per author where he didn't recommend a specific title/series -- and I needed a comprehensive reading list, so I made one:

The 100-Book Appendix N Reading List

I didn't tweak anything to make it come to exactly a hundred books; that's just how it worked out. The list includes links, notes, and additional information, and is also available as a free PDF and Excel download. I've never seen an Appendix N reading list that breaks things down title by title, and I had fun creating this one. I hope it's useful to you.

Reading Appendix N is my blog series on this project, and my best guess is that it'll take me 2-4 years to read the whole list. Every time I look at my growing to-read stack, I get excited -- there's so much good stuff I've never read or heard of in Appendix N.

If you've never checked out the appendix or the books on it, I encourage you to do so; it's a fantastic well of gaming inspiration and good reading.

This is somewhat related to these threads:
Ye Olde School Appendix N - What is your personal list?
Appendix N: The Literary History of D&D by Jeffro Johnson
How Complete Is Your Appendix N Reading?

I think that these and other related books have a lot of things unmined and waiting to be used.

In this thread The Pulp Magazine Archive it is proposed that we read a lot of the pulps that have been saved on line and have stories that most have never seen. It seems to me that these things all dovetail together.

Jun 30, 2021 16:09:38 GMT -5 xizallian said:

Notes about the list
The “Author info” link will take you to an author’s Wikipedia page — great for seeing their bibliographies and learning more about them and their work. The “Yore posts” link will take you to posts on this blog about that author and their work (if present). “Free ebooks,” if present, will link you to the author’s Project Gutenberg page so you can locate legal free copies of their work. Book titles link to Amazon, with a bias to collected editions when I could find them.

In cases where Gary didn’t list titles or series for an author, I’ve recommended a specific book based on my research, personal experience, or both.

Jun 30, 2021 16:11:41 GMT -5 xizallian said:

From the blog post linked in the OP.

The 100-Book Appendix N Reading List
(You can also download this list in a stripped-down format suitable for printing and tracking your Appendix N collection: PDF, Excel.)

Jun 30, 2021 16:21:46 GMT -5 xizallian said:

Also in the comments was this following link, a project inspired by the blog post and it includes pictures of the covers of the books.

Appendix N: A List of Books That Inspired the Creation of Dungeons & Dragons Appendix N is a list of books that helped inspire Gary Gygax to create Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). It is an appendix in the 1st Edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide (1979). This list was compiled directly from the work of Martin Ralya and his blog at martinralya.com/yore.

I know this title is giving Gygax and Appendix N too much credit in regard to D&D, but you can rightly say Appendix N is behind Greyhawk.

[True Black Raven]

This is where The Perilous Dreamer was at on his Appendix N reading back on Jan 23, 2015. TPD you should update this list.

Jan 23, 2015 20:33:24 GMT -5 The Perilous Dreamer said:

Anderson, Poul: THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE HIGH CRUSADE; THE BROKEN SWORD
I have read a lot of Poul Anderson including Three hearts and Three Lions, but have never seen the others, but would love to read them.

Bellairs, John: THE FACE IN THE FROST
I have never seen this one either.

Brackett, Leigh
I have read a lot of stuff by this author and enjoyed all of it. The Book of Skaith (1976) – omnibus edition of the three Skaith novels was very good. Her husband Edmond Hamilton was also a good author.

Brown, Frederic
I don't ever remember seeing his books.

Burroughs, Edgar Rice: "Pellucidar" series; Mars series; Venus series
I have read all of these and loved them, I have read the first series at least twice, the Mars series 7 or 8 times and the Venus series at least 3 or 4 times. Plus nearly everything else he wrote, many of those multiple times.

Carter, Lin: "World's End" series
I have read most of this authors books.

de Camp, L. Sprague: LEST DARKNESS FALL; THE FALLIBLE FIEND; et al
Yes to these also, everything I could find.

de Camp & Pratt: "Harold Shea" series; THE CARNELIAN CUBE
Yes to these also, everything I could find.

Derleth, August
Nothing by this author, but don't recall seeing any either.

Dunsany, Lord
Great author and I have read several of his books, but by no means all.

Farmer, P. J.: "The World of the Tiers" series; et al
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Fox, Gardner: "Kothar" series; "Kyrik" series; et al
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Howard, R. E.: "Conan" series
Yes, a lot of books by this author, as close to everything as possible.

Lanier, Sterling: HIERO'S JOURNEY
Yes, a several of books by this author, including the sequel to this. There is a Mars book too, Menace Under Marswood (1983) is excellent.

Leiber, Fritz: "Fafhrd & Gray Mouser" series; et al
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Lovecraft, H. P.
A few books and would love to read more.

Merritt, A.: CREEP, SHADOW, CREEP; MOON POOL; DWELLERS IN THE MIRAGE; et al
A few but not all, would love to find the rest.

Moorcock, Michael: STORMBRINGER; STEALER OF SOULS; "Hawkmoon" series (esp. the first three books)
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Norton, Andre
Yes, a lot of books by this author, at least 50. Fun fact is that she lived in Cleveland OH back in the 80's and was listed in the phone book. I never called, I felt that was over the top. But later on I wished I had sent a note, telling her how much I enjoyed her books.

Offutt, Andrew J.: editor of SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS III
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Pratt, Fletcher: BLUE STAR; et al
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Saberhagen, Fred: CHANGELING EARTH; et al
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

St. Clair, Margaret: THE SHADOW PEOPLE; SIGN OF THE LABRYS
I have never seen any of these books.

Tolkien, J. R. R.: THE HOBBIT; "Ring trilogy"
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Vance, Jack: THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD; THE DYING EARTH; et al
Some of this authors books, would love to read more.

Weinbaum, Stanley
Yes, a lot of books by this author.

Wellman, Manley Wade
A couple of the young adult books a long time ago. Another hard to find author.

Williamson, Jack
Maybe 7 or 8 of these books, haven't seen many.

Zelazny, Roger: JACK OF SHADOWS; "Amber" series; et al
Some of this authors books, would love to read more.

There is where I am currently at on this list.

Jan 23, 2015 20:36:52 GMT -5 The Perilous Dreamer said:

Another book I would recommend is The Lavender Dragon by Eden Phillpotts. I once read a story where the dragon was 500 feet long. It may have been this book or not. It has been a long time.

[True Black Raven]

Here is the list that finarvyn the owner of odd74 posted here on this forum back on Jan 24, 2015.  The Perilous Dreamer you should update your list and redo it in this format.

Jan 24, 2015 7:00:50 GMT -5 finarvyn said:

I've read a lot of Appendix N -- some I thought was great and others I thought were pretty average. Many of my all-time favorite books come from the list.

Category 1 - I’ve read some or all of it!

Anderson, Poul: THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE BROKEN SWORD
Bellairs, John: THE FACE IN THE FROST
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: "Pellucidar" series; Mars series; Venus series
de Camp & Pratt: "Harold Shea" series; THE CARNELIAN CUBE
Howard, R. E.: "Conan" series
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
Tolkien, J. R. R.: THE HOBBIT; "Ring trilogy"
Vance, Jack: THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD; THE DYING EARTH; et al
Zelazny, Roger: JACK OF SHADOWS; "Amber" series; et al

Category 2 - Have copies of it, but haven’t read it yet.

Brackett, Leigh
Carter, Lin: "World's End" series
Fox, Gardner: "Kothar" series; "Kyrik" series; et al
St. Clair, Margaret: SIGN OF THE LABRYS

Category 3 - Don’t have it, haven’t read it.

Brown, Frederic
*de Camp, L. Sprague: LEST DARKNESS FALL; THE FALLIBLE FIEND; et al
Derleth, August
Dunsany, Lord
*Farmer, P. J.: "The World of the Tiers" series; et al
Lanier, Sterling: HIERO'S JOURNEY
*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
Weinbaum, Stanley
Wellman, Manley Wade
Williamson, Jack

The ones marked with a * are authors where I've read some works, just not the ones mentioned in Appendix N.

Finarvyn's much shorter "everyone should read" part of Appendix N

Anderson, Poul: THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE BROKEN SWORD
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: Mars series
Howard, R. E.: "Conan" series (actual REH, not the pastiche stuff)
Leiber, Fritz: "Fafhrd & Gray Mouser" series; et al
Moorcock, Michael: STORMBRINGER; STEALER OF SOULS
Tolkien, J. R. R.: THE HOBBIT; "Ring trilogy"
Zelazny, Roger: JACK OF SHADOWS; "Amber" series

[True Black Raven]

Mar 6, 2015 11:20:53 GMT -5 monk said:

I've never gotten very far into Vance, though I generally have trouble sticking to a book (maybe a little ADD). I did like the flavor of it, though.

For the most part I've only read the App N authors most everyone else has: Lovecraft, Howard, and Tolkien. Love them all.

My very favorite Howard is actually the Kull story "The Shadow Kingdom"--snakemen, secret passages through the castle, hacking monsters to pieces, woo hoo! Generally, I love how Howard throws you some combat every 3-5 pages or so.

Though not much of a Burroughs fan, I LOVE Leigh Brackett and have read a bunch of her books.

Clark Ashton Smith, though not on the list, is probably the biggest influence on the setting of my Lost Continent campaign, particularly the Hyperborea and Zothique. He has great story twists and beautifully weird settings and creatures. I base most of my magic imagery on his descriptions. Not much combat, though.

Anybody looks at the "Inspirational Reading" section in the back of Moldvay's Basic? It's worth a gander, as it includes an eclectic mix of scifi and fantasy, as well as including some books for younger kids. I particularly dig the Ursula Leguin Earthsea books. He also remembers to include CAS. (This is actually part of my larger argument about how B/X is really very weird fantasy/ mixed genre, which I will type out somewhere soon).

[True Black Raven]

The "Inspirational Reading" section in the back of Moldvay's Basic.

A good D&D campaign is imaginative and creative. Sometimes a little research is useful to improve a dungeon, flesh out a scenario, mythology, fairy tales, bestiaries, and knightly legends can often help the DM fill in important details of a campaign, but fictional tales and fantasy novels usually provide the best sources of inspiration. The following list includes some books which might prove useful. A title list followed by "et al." means that the author has written more fantasy titles than those which can be listed in the
limited space available. Note that some books listed as "nonfiction" are about myths or legends, but are labeled as non-fiction because they are not on the fiction shelves of the library or bookstore.

FICTION: YOUNG ADULT FANTASY

Alexander, Lloyd — The Book of Three; Black Cauldron; Castle of Llyr, et al.
Baum, L. Frank - The Wizard of Oz; The Emerald City of Oz; TheLandofOz, etal.
Bellairs, John - The Face in the Frost; The House Without a Clock on Its Walls; The Figure in the Shadows, et al.
Burroughs, Edgar Rice — A Princess of Mars; At the Earth's Core; Tarzan of the Apes, et al.
Carroll, Lewis — Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking Glass
Garner, Alan — Elidor, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen; The Moon of Gomrath, et al.
Le Guin, Ursula K. - A Wizard of Earthsea; The Tombs of Atuan; The Farthest Shore, et al.
Lewis, C. S. - The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader", et al.

NON-FICTION: YOUNG ADULT

Barber, Richard — A Companion to World Mythology
Buehr, Walter - Chivalry and the Mailed Knight
Coolidge, Olivia — Greek Myths; The Trojan War; Legends of the North
d'Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin — Norse Gods and Giants; Trolls
Hazeltine, Alice — Hero Tales from Many Lands
Hillyer, Virgil - Young People's Story of the Ancient World: Prehistory - 500 B.C.
Jacobs, Joseph - English Folk and Fairy Tales
Macauley, David - Castles
McHargue, Georgess — The Beasts of Never: A History Natural and Unnatural of Monsters, Mythical and Magical; The Impossible People
Renault, Mary — The Lion in the Gateway
Sellow, Catherine F. — Adventures with the Giants
Sutcliff, Rosemary — Tristram and Iseult
Williams, Jay - Life in the Middle Ages
Winer, Bart - Life in the Ancient World

FICTION: ADULT FANTASY

Anderson, Poul - Three Hearts and Three Lions; The
Broken Sword; The Merman's Children, et al.
Anthony, Piers — A Spell for Chameleon; The Source of Magic; Castle Roogna
Asprin, Robert — Another Fine Myth
Brackett, Leigh — The Coming of the Terrans; The Secret of Sinharat; People of the Talisman, et al.
Campbell, J. Ramsey — Demons by Daylight
Davidson, Avram — The Island Under the Earth; Ursus of Ultima Thule; The Phoenix in the Mirror, et al.
de Camp, L. Sprague - The Fallible Fiend; The Goblin Tower, et al.
de Camp, L. Sprague and Pratt, Fletcher — The Incomplete Enchanter; Land of Unreason, et al.
Dunsany, Lord — Over the Hills and Far Away; Book of Wonder; The King of Elfland's Daughter, et al.
Eddison, E. R. - The Worm Ouroboros
Eisenstein, Phyllis — Born to Exile; Sorcerer's Son
Farmer, Phillip Jose — The Gates of Creation; The Maker of Universes; A Private Cosmos, et al.
Finney, Charles G. - The Unholy City; The Circus of Dr. Lao
Heinlein, Robert A. - Glory Road
Howard, Robert E. - Conan; Red Nails; Pigeons from Wut
Lee, Tanith - Night's Master; The Storm Lord; The Birthgrave, et al.
Leiber, Fritz — The Swords of Lankhmar; Swords Against Wizardry; Swords Against Death, et al.
Lovecraft, H. P. - The Doom that Came to Sarnath; The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath; The Dunwich Horror
Merritt, A. E. - The Moon Pool; Dwellers in the Mirage; The Ship of Ishtar, etal.
Moorcock, Michael — The Stealer of Souls; The Knight of the Swords; Gloriana, et al.
Mundy, Talbot — Tros of Samothrace
Niven, Larry — The Flight of the Horse; The Magic Goes Away
Norton, Andre - Witch World; The Year of the Unicorn; The Crystal Gryphon, et al.
Offutt, Andrew — The Iron Lords; Shadows Out of Wut
Pratt, Fletcher - The Blue Star; The Well of the Unicorn
Smith, Clark Ashton - Xiccarph; Lost Worlds; Genius Loci
Stewart, Mary — The Crystal Cave; The Hollow Hills; The Last Enchantment
Stoker, Bram — Dracula
Swann, Thomas Burnett — Cry Silver Bells; The Tournament of the Thorns; Moondust, et al.
Tolkien, J. R. R. - The Hobbit; The Lord of the Rings (trilogy)
Vance, Jack — The Eyes of the Overworld; Dying Earth; The Dragon Masters, et al.
Wagner, Karl Edward — Bloodstone; Death Angel's Shadow; Dark Crusade, et al.
White, Theodore H. - The Once and Future King
Zelazny, Roger — Jack of Shadows; Lord of Light; Nine Princes in Amber, et al.

Some additional authors of fantasy fiction are:

Beagle, Peter S.
Bok, Hannes
Cabell, James Branch
Carter, Lin
Cherryh, C. J.
Delany, Samuel R.
Fox, Gardner
Gaskell, Jane
Green, Roland
Haggard, H. Rider
Jakes, John
Kurtz, Katherine
Lanier, Sterling
McCaffrey, Anne
McKillip, Patricia A.
Moore, C. L.
Myers, John Myers
Peake, Mervyn
Saberhagen, Fred
Walton, Evangeline
Wellman, Manly Wade
Williamson, Jack

SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS:

Carter, Lin (ed.) — The Year's Best Fantasy Stories (in several volumes); Flashing Swords (also in several volumes)
Offutt, Andrew (ed.) — Swords Against Darkness (in several volumes)

NON-FICTION

Borges, Jorge Luis — The Book of Imaginary Beings
Bullfinch, Thomas — Bullfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry
Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend

[True Black Raven]

Mar 6, 2015 11:20:53 GMT -5 monk said:

I've never gotten very far into Vance, though I generally have trouble sticking to a book (maybe a little ADD). I did like the flavor of it, though.

For the most part I've only read the App N authors most everyone else has: Lovecraft, Howard, and Tolkien. Love them all.

My very favorite Howard is actually the Kull story "The Shadow Kingdom"--snakemen, secret passages through the castle, hacking monsters to pieces, woo hoo! Generally, I love how Howard throws you some combat every 3-5 pages or so.

Though not much of a Burroughs fan, I LOVE Leigh Brackett and have read a bunch of her books.

Clark Ashton Smith, though not on the list, is probably the biggest influence on the setting of my Lost Continent campaign, particularly the Hyperborea and Zothique. He has great story twists and beautifully weird settings and creatures. I base most of my magic imagery on his descriptions. Not much combat, though.

Anybody looks at the "Inspirational Reading" section in the back of Moldvay's Basic? It's worth a gander, as it includes an eclectic mix of scifi and fantasy, as well as including some books for younger kids. I particularly dig the Ursula Leguin Earthsea books. He also remembers to include CAS. (This is actually part of my larger argument about how B/X is really very weird fantasy/ mixed genre, which I will type out somewhere soon).

Mar 7, 2015 11:51:13 GMT -5 cadriel said:

Anderson, Poul: THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE HIGH CRUSADE; THE BROKEN SWORD
I've read all three books. The Broken Sword is how elves should have been. Three Hearts and Three Lions is top-notch adventure fantasy.

Bellairs, John: THE FACE IN THE FROST
Haven't read this.

Brackett, Leigh
I've read one or two of the Eric John Stark books. A lot closer to "adventure SF" than "science fantasy" as planetary romance authors go.

Brown, Frederic
Nothing. I have an anthology on my list of to-buy works.

Burroughs, Edgar Rice: "Pellucidar" series; Mars series; Venus series
I've read the first 2 or 3 Barsoom novels. A Princess of Mars is a favorite of mine. I have but haven't yet read any of the Venus stories.

Carter, Lin: "World's End" series
I think Gary either had a soft spot for prose that thuds like wood, or was pulling our legs. I've tried, but I have no intent of finishing this series. I've also tried and failed to read both Jandar of Callisto and Thongor of Lemuria. I love Lin Carter's work as an anthologist, but his original prose is unreadable.

de Camp, L. Sprague: LEST DARKNESS FALL; THE FALLIBLE FIEND; et al
I've read The Fallible Fiend and a couple of other de Camp originals. A waste of time, particularly the "Reluctant King" series. Haven't read Lest Darkness Fall.

de Camp & Pratt: "Harold Shea" series; THE CARNELIAN CUBE
The Incompleat Enchanter and The Carnelian Cube both sit on my bookshelf waiting for a day when I don't like myself very much.

Derleth, August
I had a big hardcover of Derleth stories back when I was in college. I tried reading several and couldn't get along with him very well. I keep meaning to go back but can't find a good volume to do so from.

Dunsany, Lord
I've read King of Elfland's Daughter and parts of his short fiction from the big Gollancz collection Time and the Gods. (It includes all the Pegana stories and everything from Sword of Welleran, etc.) Dunsany's short work is something you have to read, especially if you want to understand early Lovecraft.

Farmer, P. J.: "The World of the Tiers" series; et al
I have this sitting on my shelf and haven't read it.

Fox, Gardner: "Kothar" series; "Kyrik" series; et al
I just recently acquired Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman. I intend to read it even though I think this is what Anderson was warning us about in "Of Thud and Blunder."

Howard, R. E.: "Conan" series
I just read "The Scarlet Citadel" and am working on "Queen of the Black Coast." I'm reading through all the Conan stories to make sure I've actually read all of them. Conan is probably my favorite fantasy work by anyone. My favorite is either "A Witch Shall Be Born" or "Red Nails." I've also read several of the Solomon Kane stories, and Howard's pastiche novel Almuric (a deeply inferior planetary romance, possibly half written by Otis Adelbert Kline).

Lanier, Sterling: HIERO'S JOURNEY
I read this several years back, it's a very good book even if it takes its sweet time getting to the fun parts.

Leiber, Fritz: "Fafhrd & Gray Mouser" series; et al
I read every scrap of Fafhrd and the Mouser in high school. Still some of my favorite work. "Adept's Gambit" I thought never got its fair shake, but "Bazaar of the Bizarre" is probably the best of his short fiction.

Lovecraft, H. P.
I've read the majority of Lovecraft's short work. I don't think I've ever gotten all the way through At the Mouths of Madness, I keep meaning to circle back and check that one off. "The Colour out of Space" is his best story, but I do like to indulge in the Dunsany-esque "dream cycle" from time to time.

Merritt, A.: CREEP, SHADOW, CREEP; MOON POOL; DWELLERS IN THE MIRAGE; et al
I've read The Moon Pool. Merritt's framing stories are tedious but his fantastic content is great.

Moorcock, Michael: STORMBRINGER; STEALER OF SOULS; "Hawkmoon" series (esp. the first three books)
I have read several of the original Elric novellas, plus the six-volume Ace series of novels, and The Jewel in the Skull. I am definitely a fan of Elric.

Norton, Andre
I've read Daybreak: 2250 A.D., Storm Over Warlock, and at least one Witch World novel. I love Norton's writing and could just sit and read one of her books without interruption to the end.

Offutt, Andrew J.: editor of SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS III
Recently acquired this, but have only read the first story in it so far, a Ramsey Campbell story that makes for a good bit of horror/fantasy.

Pratt, Fletcher: BLUE STAR; et al
I have two copies of The Blue Star and it seems to clash violently with what I actually like out of a fantasy novel, so I never actually finish it.

Saberhagen, Fred: CHANGELING EARTH; et al
I have one of the "Book of Swords" books but not Changeling Earth.

St. Clair, Margaret: THE SHADOW PEOPLE; SIGN OF THE LABRYS
I've read Sign of the Labrys. It's OK, kind of weirdly Wicca-trippy. It could go either way between a D&D megadungeon and a Metamorphosis Alpha type under-world. Referees should really read it, if just for gaming ideas.

Tolkien, J. R. R.: THE HOBBIT; "Ring trilogy"
I've read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, Unfinished Tales, Farmer Giles of Ham, The Tolkien Reader, Smith of Wooton Major, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, and most of the first five volumes (and chunks of later volumes) of The History of Middle-Earth. I skipped most of Lays of Beleriand, and didn't actually read the Etymologies in The Lost Road; with the later volumes I just dipped into topically, since they were mostly material covered in The Silmarillion. I never read Roverandom or Tolkien's translations. I obviously think rather highly of Tolkien. My favorite story in the whole cycle is Beren and Lúthien.

Vance, Jack: THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD; THE DYING EARTH; et al
I've read all four books from the Dying Earth cycle. The first book is the only must-read, and Rhialto the Marvellous seemed particularly unnecessary. I also have Planet of Adventure which I keep meaning to finish; it's referenced elsewhere in the DMG.

Weinbaum, Stanley
I have a volume of his short fiction from which I've read "A Martian Odyssey." It's such a good story I'm almost shy to read more of his work in case it's not at the same level.

Wellman, Manley Wade
I've read several of the Silver John stories. They're really good for Appalachian fantasy, if you like your Americana tinged weird fiction.

Williamson, Jack
I have no idea why Williamson is on this list; he was a straight SF writer. I have The Humanoids but haven't read it yet.

Zelazny, Roger: JACK OF SHADOWS; "Amber" series; et al
I read some of the Amber stuff back in college, and I've read Jack of Shadows. None of it had anything to do with D&D, of course, but it was fun.

Oh, and because we're talking about Appendix N, I have to register my standard complaint: Catherine Moore and Clark Ashton Smith belonged on that list. Moore for her spectacular "Jirel" stories ("Black God's Kiss" is a revelation), Smith for his cycles, particularly Hyperborea, Averoigne and Zothique. ("The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" is a D&D adventure.)

[True Black Raven]

Jul 27, 2018 17:23:24 GMT -5 Mighty Darci said:

I think real D&D is something that is alive, no deadness under it at all. Appendix N is relevant (yeah RPGPundit you are dead wrong when it comes to Appendix N) but not as something sacred. It is relevant because it points us back to the real inspirations of D&D (not in the sense that you use it to track where every jot and tittle came from) the old pulp stories, to Howard and Burroughs, to Verne and Wells, to fairy tales and folk tales to myth and legend. Everyone who has not read those things is missing some of the crucial ingredients to make a D&D world come alive. Ignore the video games and ignore all the pop culture references imported into later games. Go read the old versions of fairy tales, myths, legends and ground yourself in the earliest roots of fantasy. OD&D the written game maybe to some extent closed in writing it down but it retains the instructions to play it as an open system ala Arneson.

Appendix N is a resource and those that diss Appendix N have an agenda and try to foist expectations on it that it cannot meet and then blame it for not meeting those false expectations because they did not understand it and then they have the nerve to call themselves old school.

Read the Appendix N books and others that could have been on the list that are not, for the simple reason that they are great stories.  Then go read other books that are great stories. Read stories where men are men and women are women and monsters are scary. No red-blooded man or woman deserves any less.

Jul 27, 2018 21:00:06 GMT -5 xizallian said:

I think the anti-Appendix N people are being way more ridiculous that the slightly over the top Appendix N fans. It's like they are so desperate to prove that nothing in any of those books had anything to do with D&D. Arneson was not illiterate he had read quite a bit too and he was a big movie fan and there were lots of them on TV back then (a lot of them are available now too). Arneson did not design it in a vacuum and Gygax tweaked it a lot while writing it down. There is a lot of both of them in D&D and of everything that influenced them. Arneson had his influences for the dungeon, when Gygax wrote it down it is not much of a stretch to believe with confidence that his inspirational reading had as much influence as what Arneson showed him in a game or two. Arneson showed it to Gygax and Gygax ran with it. Appendix N sole influence, of course not. Appendix N strong influence, of course.

Jul 28, 2018 8:06:11 GMT -5 randyb said:

The main point of the current emphasis on Appendix N goes beyond its clear influence on the creators of Our Games. Appendix N is also a time capsule, a documentation of a literary canon that Jeffro clearly demonstrates was intentionally memory holed. The most controversial part of Jeffro's ongoing work is his calling out that memory holing, and naming (big) names. Arguments over the influence of Appendix N on the games is a smokescreen to draw attention away from the other, more serious contentions Jeffro makes.

Jul 28, 2018 10:19:50 GMT -5 hengest said:

]Interesting topic. Not familiar with Jeffro's book - I'm that out of the loop.

I was going to say something along the lines of "time capsule," anyway. And, without being familiar with this ongoing debate, I'll say that - just in the case of The Lord of the Rings, I think those of us my age or younger (late 30s) probably see the whole thing rather differently from how it was seen at the time.

To us, early D&D materials look almost silly in how they lift (and often quantify) material from the text of LOTR. It seems painfully obvious. But at the time, I don't know what was intended, it may have looked like a demonstration of possibilty - here's this interesting and rich literary work, and we've pulled these things from it and semi-quantified them to resolve various events. Similarly...you can take a table and make it make sense in any way in one of your invented worlds.

Maybe someone will come along and say "nice idea, but I was there and that isn't how it worked."That's okay with me, though.

If you look back at Alarums and Excursions, it gives the impression that...I don't know. That gaming was SO DIFFERENT. That these people were already steeped in all kinds of fantasy fiction, and here was a new thing to do with all that material.

Now that D&D and its many descendants are part of our vocabulary and experience from a young age...seems more likely that by the time someone encounters LOTR or Jack Vance, they're likely to view it in D&D terms.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 11:36:35 GMT -5 simrion said:

Jul 27, 2018 15:04:17 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

How many novels have never been written because of Dungeons & Dragons? Maybe thousands, maybe none. Talent always has a way of bubbling to the surface. I do think that it is telling when a large portion of fantasy fandom actively rejects any growth or change in the genre because it doesn't follow the laws of D&D. New ideas are belittled and rejected because D&D is some kind of yardstick now? I personally reject this notion. The fantasy genre should not have to consult D&D. It should be the other way around, but it isn't. D&D itself is a closed system that actively seeks to shore up any gaps in personal creativity. Is Appendix N to blame for this? This treating out-of-print and possibly out-of-date books as scripture? Was it our job to read these books and adhere to them, or was it to eclipse them? Considering the scarcity of many of them, how many active users who never seen the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide or even know what Appendix N is are still held in thrall of it without their knowledge or consent? 

This makes me think of Joseph Campbell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces." We are an innately creative, imaginative and fearful species capable of creating myth from just about anything. Regardless of influences like D&D. I too avoided the Appendix N controversy. I do enjoy many of the works listed therein!

Jul 28, 2018 14:19:01 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

I, like Mighty Darci , believe that D&D is alive. Each incarnation and edition is a snapshot of what it is now. We are the discontents who prefer a rawer form of it. Nobody is doing it wrong! Our personal games, no matter how saturated with commercialism, are still ours.

What is Appendix N? Is it a blueprint? I don't think so. I came into this hobby in the 90's. I had already enjoyed reading the Conan series, I studied folklore, myth, legend, metaphysics. I had enjoyed great fantasy films and had already enjoyed the fandom associated with the Fantasy genre. The commercial version of AD&D 2nd Edition was what was available at the time and I was a total noob, picking up products and giddy about it! I had no idea what an Appendix N was. Even once I began refereeing my own games I had never heard of it.

There is a collection of 2e books that are worth bringing up at this point. The series was called "The Complete Handbooks". The series today is seen as weird and stupid, but at the time of their printing, this stuff was amazing! If we take the first book of the series as an example: "The Complete Fighter's Handbook", it included new rules for the class, explained existing rules more thoroughly, suggested ways to tweak the classes, and all kinds of stuff! But there was this strange chapter called "Role-playing", most of the core complete class books had them, and while the bulk of the information was later added to the core rules system making these books out of date in 2e's own lifetime, this Role-playing section was never repeated, and it took up a good chunk of the book.

What it did was that it told players how to play the game. As a noob, I understood the idea of fighting monsters and looking for treasure, but this idea of Role-playing, and how it can affect the game in a positive and rewarding way was, as stupid as it sounds, foreign to me. Once I read this chapter, things began to click. This is a game which you learn by playing it. Most Dungeon Masters of the time were really just players who got stuck DMing, they hosted games that were very mechanical in nature, but once I read this strange chapter on Role-playing, I became a nightmare for them. I also got frustrated by them because they weren't playing this cool game. All encounters don't have to result in combat. Well, in mechanical games they do, but I think that you know where I'm heading with this.

What is Appendix N? The prefered way to learn the game is to play, but what if you don't know anybody? You are on your own. Appendix N told new users what the game was about. It told you that these systems are designed to allow users to enter these fictional places. It told you that we should treat each session as if it was a short story, or if we felt bold enough a complete romantic saga. It told you to lift ideas from your favourite sources and add them to your own game. Appendix N told us that this is not meant to be a mechanical game, but a truly interactive experience.

Appendix N were examples of world-building and suggestions for children who had picked up the game some amazing books to find. Places that the reader will want to go to, but simply couldn't until this magnificent game made it possible. Is Appendix N holy scripture, or required reading? NO! Chances are if you picked up a copy of Dungeons & Dragons than you are familiar with the genre. You've already got an idea about what this is now. While it can be fun to nitpick the list and tell folks that "This is where the Sleep Spell originated" I don't believe that that was the original point behind its inclusion.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 14:50:11 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

I have to admit I am not sure what you are trying to address here - I've read it twice and I am still unsure. It seems to me you are irked at the state of both D&D (most fantasy RPGs) and the state of fantasy fiction. I do not know how it relates to Appendix N, as lets face it D&D seems to have mainly embraced Vance & Tolkien over other Appendix N authors as its core expression. I blame WotC & TSR before them for this. Sure TSR had Dark Sun & Ravensloft which took from other influences listed in Appendix N but if we are honest most D&D and other Fantasy RPGs emulate bland generic pastiches of Tolkien and give Vance only lip service now days. But there are RPG creators that are moving past being generic Tolkien & Vance clones and doing some amazing stuff (Monte Cook's Numenera is a great example though I do not like the Cypher system & Stephen Michael Sechi's Talislanta).

I wish more creators of RPGs were as brave as Cook & Sechi, heck I wish more OSR creators would pull deeply from some of the more sci-fantasy stuff like Bouroughs, Vance (beyond the magic system) & others to create settings or systems through rooted in OD&D but tweak it to create something familiar but different. I loved Sechi's Talislanta which began as what seems to be a house-ruled D&D and mined Appendix N for all its worth creating a wonderful and alien sci-fantasy setting that is a huge influence on me. If it wasn't for Ruins of Murkhill I'd never have given Arduin more than a cursory look, but now I love what Hargrave has done with Arduin.

I do think part of the problem is how D&D and fantasy gaming are being marketed to the masses. All we get a Tolkien, Howard or generic variations on both in film or tv shows that are shallow and barely even try to emulate the source material (Chronicles of Shannara). I think Jeffro is correct that much of Appendix N is now considered taboo - it is deemed problematic (racist, homophobic & misogynist) but many of today's fantasy fans; they can't get past their indoctrination to enjoy these stories for their historical relevance to our hobby and literature itself. In my most recent blog post in celebration of Gary Gygax I linked to articles displaying this kind of narrow and ideological viewpoint.

In my point of view it isn't Appendix N that is the issue it is instead the politically correct (and some would say cultural Marxist) ideology being indoctrinated into our youth by the education system & mass media. The youth (and many adults) can no longer critically think anymore. If a novel, tv show, film or game doesn't toe the ideological line of these of brain numbed masses you'll be vilified as a bigot, a homophobe, Nazi ect. It shuts down creativity & free expression, especially among creative people. I am a conservative leaning libertarian, but as to a few posts here and in the staff discussions can attest to I am more open to certain things than others here - but that is okay. Unlike certain people outside our community I can take criticism and not throw a tantrum; I understand not all of my content will appeal to others here or elsewhere. I just have to post what fits here and leave what doesn't for my blogs instead.&

Getting rid of Appendix N isn't what we should do but actually delve into it and see if it can not only grow our understanding of the founders of our beloved hobby but may inform our own creativity. It may just inspire us to look beyond Tolkien, Howard & Vance or at least look deeper than the superficial tropes that are currently being expressed in modern Fantasy RPGs & find new deeper inspiration for our worlds and campaigns. I also think we should be creating our own versions of Appendix N that incorporate things outside the classic AD&D listing that inform our creativity.

Sorry for the rambling rant I've been thinking about this since yesterday after skimming through some asinine articles & this thread; so I have a lot going through my head at the moment.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 15:40:10 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

What am I trying to address, Hexenritter Verlag ? I think that you nailed it. Appendix N was no longer really referred to after its appearance in the AD&D DMG. What does that mean? Not just to me, but to everybody reading this. No matter what we do, or don't do, I think that it is funny how we as individuals have an uncanny ability to find ourselves in murky water. What we are doing offends somebody someplace. Perhaps it is just a nerd thing? We really really love to bicker and argue about points that the general public could care less about. It's kind of our thing. 

In regards to Appendix N, a hotly debated subject, I find myself on neutral ground. I haven't read the whole book list, and I doubt that many people have. But, it was put there. Why? Why place that into a book where space was a commodity? Gygax never said why did he? I mean it had to be important else he would have left it out. Now it has been left out, and it deepens the mystery. To me, that signals the game leaving the hands of the hobbyist and is the final result of the state of the current game being discussed at a boardroom table with investors who could care less as long as it is making money (This is a theory). Are they assuming that you already know about Hyboria, or do they want to keep your focus on Forgotten Realms so they can milk you for all that you are worth? Probably both. I won't get into my personal feelings in regards to this right now, besides, I'm pretty sure that we are all on the same page. We aren't new users. We'd rather create our own stuff than spend our time researching books. That is where we are, correct?

I'm sure that we all have our opinion, and I just wanted to encourage others to express them.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 15:55:57 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

I agree with this & your last post, as they clarified what you meant. Like you I came to D&D late and didn't read much of Appendix N outside Howard, Lovecraft, Leiber, Moorcock (Elric stories) a few others, but that came from going to the library and checking out books in various short story collections that had Swords & Sorcery on the cover or hot fantasy women and ripped barbarians on the cover. I was more into TSR/WotC & Game Workshop's generic fantasy or comics or even books by Eddings, Lance Horner, the Thieves' World anthology and Brust's Vlad Taltos series.

Even though I do like using generic fantasy races, a lot of the time it is so my potential gamers will have something familiar to play instead of my normal more alien races and cultures inspired by Talislanta & Science-Fantasy that interests me far more than Tolkien. I do need to read Vance's Dying Earth if only to better understand his influence upon D&D. The only Vance books I've read are his Lyonesse trilogy.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 16:31:25 GMT -5 True Black Raven said:

Jul 28, 2018 14:19:01 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

What is Appendix N? Is it a blueprint? I don't think so. I came into this hobby in the 90's. I had already enjoyed reading the Conan series, I studied folklore, myth, legend, metaphysics. I had enjoyed great fantasy films and had already enjoyed the fandom associated with the Fantasy genre. The commercial version of AD&D 2nd Edition was what was available at the time and I was a total noob, picking up products and giddy about it! I had no idea what an Appendix N was. Even once I began refereeing my own games I had never heard of it.

Not a blueprint for sure, Appendix N is a springboard. It is a statement of "I found inspiration here and you can too." I don't think it is less than that, although it could be more.

Jul 28, 2018 14:19:01 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

There is a collection of 2e books that are worth bringing up at this point. The series was called "The Complete Handbooks". The series today is seen as weird and stupid, but at the time of their printing, this stuff was amazing! If we take the first book of the series as an example: "The Complete Fighter's Handbook", it included new rules for the class, explained existing rules more thoroughly, suggested ways to tweak the classes, and all kinds of stuff! But there was this strange chapter called "Role-playing", most of the core complete class books had them, and while the bulk of the information was later added to the core rules system making these books out of date in 2e's own lifetime, this Role-playing section was never repeated, and it took up a good chunk of the book.

I've never looked at these, but reading this I think maybe I should.

Jul 28, 2018 14:19:01 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

What it did was that it told players how to play the game. As a noob, I understood the idea of fighting monsters and looking for treasure, but this idea of Role-playing, and how it can affect the game in a positive and rewarding way was, as stupid as it sounds, foreign to me. Once I read this chapter, things began to click. This is a game which you learn by playing it. Most Dungeon Masters of the time were really just players who got stuck DMing, they hosted games that were very mechanical in nature, but once I read this strange chapter on Role-playing, I became a nightmare for them. I also got frustrated by them because they weren't playing this cool game. All encounters don't have to result in combat. Well, in mechanical games they do, but I think that you know where I'm heading with this.

Yes, you definitely learn by playing and if these books were telling you there are options other than combat, then they are worth reading.

Jul 28, 2018 14:19:01 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

What is Appendix N? The preferred way to learn the game is to play, but what if you don't know anybody? You are on your own. Appendix N told new users what the game was about. It told you that these systems are designed to allow users to enter these fictional places. It told you that we should treat each session as if it was a short story, or if we felt bold enough a complete romantic saga. It told you to lift ideas from your favorite sources and add them to your own game. Appendix N told us that this is not meant to be a mechanical game, but a truly interactive experience.

Yeah, like I said it is a springboard to the imagination.

Jul 28, 2018 14:19:01 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

Appendix N were examples of world-building and suggestions for children who had picked up the game some amazing books to find. Places that the reader will want to go to, but simply couldn't until this magnificent game made it possible. Is Appendix N holy scripture, or required reading? NO! Chances are if you picked up a copy of Dungeons & Dragons than you are familiar with the genre. You've already got an idea about what this is now. While it can be fun to nitpick the list and tell folks that "This is where the Sleep Spell originated" I don't believe that that was the original point behind its inclusion.

I think it is safe to say that Gygax and Arneson too, would be horrified if the primary or only thing people got out of any list of books, movies or anything else that were inspirations was to try to figure out what inspired what and when and why. They would both say stop it already and go play the game. I think it is also safe to say that the vast majority of forum and blog posting would have held little if any interest for either of them. Go read the long Gygax Q&A threads at DF or ENWorld, sometimes I swear you can hear his teeth grinding at the questions he is getting and the only reason he stayed to answer their questions is for the connection to the fans, not for the bulk of the conversation.

Go back and read a lot of robkuntz 's posts here and elsewhere, his frustration with our conversations, his frustration with the same mind numbing questions from interviewers year after year. He seldom gets asked the questions that he hopes people will ask.

They all wanted us to focus on looking forward inspired by the past, not looking backward constantly debating the past. By and large, most forum debate is just that looking back debating the past. Some of the debate goes to the level of, "Did Gygax have a ham sandwich when he thought of this or was he having bacon and eggs?"

Why is the Appendix N list so short, why are there so many great books that are not on the list? Simple if Gygax had listed every good inspiring book he had ever read that list would have been terribly intimidating and have taken up several pages.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 16:41:05 GMT -5 True Black Raven said:

Jul 28, 2018 14:50:11 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

Getting rid of Appendix N isn't what we should do but actually delve into it and see if it can not only grow our understanding of the founders of our beloved hobby but may inform our own creativity. It may just inspire us to look beyond Tolkien, Howard & Vance or at least look deeper than the superficial tropes that are currently being expressed in modern Fantasy RPGs & find new deeper inspiration for our worlds and campaigns. I also think we should be creating our own versions of Appendix N that incorporate things outside the classic AD&D listing that inform our creativity.

Sorry for the rambling rant I've been thinking about this since yesterday after skimming through some asinine articles & this thread; so I have a lot going through my head at the moment.

Key words/phrases here are "inform our own creativity" and "inspire us to look beyond" and "look deeper than the superficial tropes" and "find new deeper inspiration for our worlds and campaigns" and last but not least "creating our own versions of Appendix N."

Jul 28, 2018 15:40:10 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

But, it was put there. Why? Why place that into a book where space was a commodity? Gygax never said why did he? I mean it had to be important else he would have left it out. Now it has been left out, and it deepens the mystery.

I think these points tell us why there is an Appendix N and why it was included. And yes, 1000 times yes, we should each have our own personal Appendix N, not that of Gygax, but our own. It was always about, here is a cool idea, we made it our own, go thou and do likewise.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 17:27:53 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

The masters. They were very lucky to had been there and experienced all of this stuff, and now must constantly deal with those of us who are rediscovering the old game. I don't fault robkuntz or @gronanofsimmerya for getting frustrated with us. I wish that I could ask those questions that they want to be asked. They lead me to the old game, that is a service that I can never hope to repay them for! This game which hides within the books. This game is so much more than what it became!

I entered the field back when the idea was owned by a corporate entity. I was fed lies which I believed to be truths. GM's like me all seem to follow the same path. We start out as consumers, buying everything we can get our hands on, then we suddenly say NO MORE! Maybe we go look at other products, maybe we just decide to work with what we already have accumulated. Eventually, this leads to rejection; not by others, but our rejection of what we have. Our questioning our version of this product and digging deep into the system. Our rejection of what we are told the game is about and how to do it. We reject these books and begin thinking about actually starting from scratch, or as far back as we can go and building it how WE want it. We stop being consumers and become hobbyists again. Yes, we still compare things, we don't reject the idea of the game, instead, we discover the game for the first time.

I am here now, and I am filtering information and unlearning. The game was there the whole time, but it takes time to remove what isn't necessary from what is. We find ourselves falling into pitfalls that others believed were shored up, but maybe these pitfalls really take us to where we want to go? OD&D gets me closer to this game, but finding it is a very personal journey. I think that it is comforting to know that I am not doing this on my own.

Jul 28, 2018 18:08:10 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

I exalt you - this post sums up my experience to a "T". I bought so much unnecessary product over the years thinking I needed it got immensely frustrated by it all. Why did I need a rule for everything instead of adjudicating things fairly based on the given needs of the current situation and campaign setting I was using. I lost a group because I couldn't deal with it anymore, I wasn't going to run rules heavy games or cater to players unwilling to look beyond mechanical "options" in order to have fun.

Coming here has helped open my eyes to what could be if we just went back to basics built upon the foundation laid out by OD&D. All you have to do is look at what Hargrave did with Arduin,  Sechi did with Talislanta and say to yourself, "I can do that too". My D&D need not look like Gary's Greyhawk, Arneson's Blackmoor, Greenwood's Forgotten Realms or any other published setting. I can take inspiration from Bode, Ploog, Russ Nicholson, Trampier, Battle chasers, Bouroughs, Science fiction, anime/manga, HP Lovecraft and create something outside the generic Tolkien-Vance pastiches out there now that speaks to me as a creative individual.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 28, 2018 17:33:36 GMT -5 @Deleted said:

On Page 12 of the 5E Players Handbook is Appendix E; Inspiration.

• Ahmed, Saladin. Throne of the Crescent Moon.
• Alexander, Lloyd.The Book of Three and The rest of the Chronicles of Prydain series.
• Anderson, Paul. The Broken Sword, The High Crusade, and Three Hearts and Three Lions.
• Anthony, Piers. Split Infinity and the rest of the Apprentice Adept series.
• Augusta, Lady Gregory. Gods and Fighting Men.
• Bear, Elizabeth. Range of Ghosts and the rest of the Eternal Sky trilogy.
• Bellairs, John. The Face in the Frost.
• Brackett, Leigh. The Best of Leigh Brackett, The Long Tomorrow, and The Sword of Rhiannon.
• Brooks, Terry. The Sword of Shannara and the rest of the Shannara noveis.
• Brown, Fredric. HaJl of Mirrors and What Mad Universe.
• Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology.
• Burroughs, Edgar Rice. At the Earth's Core and the rest of the Pellucidar series, Pirates of Venus and the rest of The Venus series, and A Princess of Mars and the rest of the Mars series.
• Carter, Lin. Warrior of Worlds End and the rest of the World's End series.
• Cook, Glen. The Black Company and the rest of the Black Company series.
• de Camp, L. Sprague. The Fallible Fiend and Lest Darkness Fall.
• de Camp, L. Sprague & Fletcher Pratt. The Compleat Enchanter and the rest of the Harold Shea series, and Carnelian Cube.
• Derleth, August and H.P. Lovecraft. Watchers out of Time.
• Dunsany, Lord. The Book of Wonder, The Essential Lord Dunsany Collection, The Gods of Pegana, The King of Elfland's Daughter, Lord Dunsany Compendium, and The Sword of Welleran and Other Tales.
• Farmer, Philipjose. Maker of Universes and The rest of the World of Tiers series.
• Fax, Gardner. Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse and the rest of the Kolhar series, and Kyrik and the Lost Queen and the rest of the Kyrik series.
• Froud, Brian & Alan Lee. Faeries.
• Hickman, Tracy & Margarel Weis. Dragons of Autumn Twilight and the rest of the Chronicles Trilogy.
• Hodgson, William Hope. The Night Land.
• Howard, Robert E. The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian and the rest of the Conan series.
• Jemisin, N.K. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and the rest of the lnheritance series, The Killing Moon, and The Shadowed Sun.
• Jordan, Robert. The Eye of the World and the rest of the Wheel of Time series.
• Kay, Guy Gavriel. Tigana.
• King, Stephen. The Eyes of the Dragon.
• Lanier, Sterling. Hiero's Journey and The Unforsaken Hiero.
• LeGuin, Ursula. A Wizard of Earthsea and the rest of the Earthsea series.
• Leiber, Fritz. Swords and Deviltry and the rest of the Fafhrd & Gray Mouser series.
• Lovecraft, H.P. The Complete Works.
• Lynch, Scott. The Lies of Locke Lamora and the rest of the Gentlemen Bastard series.
• Martin, George RR. A Game of Thrones and the rest of the Song of Ice and Fire series.
• McKillip. Patricia. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
• Merritt, A. Creep, Shadow, Creep; Dwellers in the Mirage; and The Moon Pool.
• Miéville, China. Perdido Street Station and the other Bas-Lag novels.
• Moorcock, Michael. Elric of Melniboné and the rest of the Elric series, and The jewel in the Skull and the rest of the Hawkmoon series.
• Norton, Andre. Quag Keep and Witch World.
• Offutt, Andrew J., ed. Swords against Darkness III.
• Peake, Mervyn. Titos Groan and the rest of the Gormenghast series.
• Pratchelt, Terry. The Colour of Magic and the rest of the Discworld series.
• Pratt, Fletcher. Blue Star.
• Rothfuss, Patrick. The Name of the Wind and the rest of the Kingkiller series.
• Saberhagen, Fred. The Broken Lands and Changeling Earth.
• Salvatore, RA. The Crystal Shard and the rest of The Legend of Drizzt.
• Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn and the rest of the Mislborn trilogy.
• Smith, Clark Ashton. The Return of the Sorcerer.
• St. Clair, Margaret. Change the Sky and Other Stories, The Shadow People, and Sign of the Labrys.
• Tolkien, J.R.R The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings. and The Silmarillion.
• Tolstoy, Nikolai. The Coming of the King.
• Vance, Jack. The Dying Earth and The Eyes of the Overworld.
• Weinbaum, Stanley. Valley of Dreams and The Worlds of Ir.
• Wellman, Manly Wade. The Golgotha Dancers.
• Williamson, Jack. The Cosmic Express and The Pygmy Planet.
• Wolfe, Gene. The Shadow of the Torturer and the rest of The Book of the New Sun.
• Zelazny, Roger. Jack of Shadows and Nine Princes in Amber and the rest of the Amber series.

I don't know if this is relevant to the discussion, but with mention of D&D being alive, I do think this list above, taken from the text, proves that it is VERY MUCH ALIVE AND BREATHING with OLD SCHOOLINESS.

Jul 28, 2018 18:02:57 GMT -5 xizallian said:

There are quite a few on that list that I am unfamiliar with, but I don't think I ever heard anyone accuse  Salvatore, Hickman, Tracy & Margaret Weis, or& Terry Brooks, of being old school before.

I would add that anyone that has a problem with John Norman's Gor books, but loves  George RR Martin,  A Game of Thrones and the rest of the Song of Ice and Fire series is a complete hypocrite. Both writers are perverts and if you accept one you have to accept the other. The first few Gor books have a lot of stuff that you can borrow, but after that the series goes down hill fast into endless porn scenes.  The biggest different between the two writers is that Norman is an easy read and Martin is unreadable IMO, but both are obsessed with sex (to the detriment of their books) and that is not what I read books for, I and most of us have a relationship for that.

[True Black Raven]

Jul 30, 2018 12:27:16 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

Jul 29, 2018 21:40:52 GMT -5 randyb said:

Same with me. I am formulating a radical (for me!) idea - that a workable skirmish combat system is sufficient for a role-playing game. No other mechanics are necessary; some may be useful.

I'm probably several steps behind the more profound thinkers hereabouts, though.

I'd love to see what you come up with randyb .

I've been brainstorming ideas for ways to tweak OD&D to fit the tone and style of my more alien science fantasy inspired settings. Basically mine the 3LBBs & supplements, plus Chainmail (or Justen Brown's The Big Brown Book) for inspiration for a house ruled system that is OD&D at its roots but fits the above settings better.

Jul 30, 2018 12:21:32 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

Jul 30, 2018 10:21:34 GMT -5 hengest said:

I'd like to see this. Also would like to see a minimal magic system, if anyone's tinkering...

What kind of minimal magic system? Something that emulates low magic settings or just a very simplified system for ease of use?

Jul 30, 2018 13:02:49 GMT -5 ripx187 said:

I have an idea that would allow the DM to consistantly apply spell mechanics without the player knowing anything about how they actually function. The player would describe a spell, say, lightning bolt at an enemy, then I would apply the system for damage, if any, based on their level. Scrolls would work normally, but the magic system would be point based, the spells getting progressively weaker until the wizard rests.

Jul 30, 2018 13:14:28 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

I've been trying to design my own alternate magic system for my science fantasy/ weird fantasy settings but keep it simple enough to run on the fly.

Jul 30, 2018 13:14:28 GMT -5 Hexenritter Verlag said:

I've been trying to design my own alternate magic system for my science fantasy/ weird fantasy settings but keep it simple enough to run on the fly.

Jul 31, 2018 18:04:21 GMT -5 randyb said:

Jul 29, 2018 21:40:52 GMT -5 randyb said:

Same with me. I am formulating a radical (for me!) idea - that a workable skirmish combat system is sufficient for a role-playing game. No other mechanics are necessary; some may be useful.

I'm probably several steps behind the more profound thinkers hereabouts, though.

Jul 30, 2018 8:06:21 GMT -5 El Borak said:

Write it up and start a thread randyb , we'd love to see it. We have profound thinkers? Where? Looks around? Nope, I just see a bunch of fun loving people hanging out, you're in good company randyb .

Thanks for the votes of confidence! It's more a personal philosophy of gaming than any plans for devising game mechanics.

Take a skirmish game of your choice, add relevant rules if and as needed (post-battle survival, advancement, distinction between special characters and grunts, etc.) and run a campaign. It shifts toward RPG when you free-form the between-battles stuff - whatever the group wants to address. It can be played post-1980 ensemble style, with all players on the same side, or pre-1980 cooperation/competition/conflict style, with alliances and rivalries among players. The campaign can scale up as time passes, especially if the skirmish game has an interface with a larger scale wargame.