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Micheal Witwer

Born:
Connection to Illinois: Witwer resides in Chicago. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

Biography: MICHAEL WITWER is a New York Times bestselling author known for his work on the Hugo-nominated Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana, the critically acclaimed Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons, and the bestselling Heroes' Feast: The Official Dungeons & Dragons Cookbook. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago and has a diverse professional background that has ranged from his current position as head of communications of a national healthcare benefits company to significant work in the gaming market. His most recent works include Dungeons & Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt Visual Dictionary, Dungeons & Dragons: Lore & Legends, and his debut novel, Vivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake. His books have won many honors, including being selected as a Hugo Award finalist, a national bestseller (New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly), an Amazon "Best Book of the Month," a Diana Jones Award nominee, a Locus Award finalist, and a GeekDad "Best Book of the Year," and when he's not writing books about games, he loves playing them!


Awards:
  • Heroes Feast NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller, Newsweek Top 40 Bestselling Books of 2020
  • Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana USA Today Bestseller, HUGO Award and LOCUS Award Finalists
  • Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons Best Books, Geek Dad, 2015

Primary Literary Genre(s): Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers; Young adult readers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.witwer.94
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeWitwer
Web: https://www.empireofimagination.com/
WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Micheal++Witwer
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelwitwer6087


Selected Titles

Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana - A Visual History
ISBN: 0399580948 OCLC: 1033548473

Ten Speed Press 2018

From one of the most iconic game brands in the world, this official DUNGEONS & DRAGONS illustrated history provides an unprecedented look at the visual evolution of the brand, showing its continued influence on the worlds of pop culture and fantasy. Inside the book, you’ll find more than seven hundred pieces of artwork—from each edition of the core role-playing books, supplements, and adventures; as well as Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels; decades of Dragon and Dungeon magazines; and classic advertisements and merchandise; plus never-before-seen sketches, large-format canvases, rare photographs, one-of-a-kind drafts, and more from the now-famous designers and artists associated with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The superstar author team gained unparalleled access to the archives of Wizards of the Coast and the personal collections of top collectors, as well as the designers and illustrators who created the distinctive characters, concepts, and visuals that have defined fantasy art and gameplay for generations. This is the most comprehensive collection of D&D imagery ever assembled, making this the ultimate collectible for the game's millions of fans around the world.

Dungeons and Dragons The Legend of Drizzt Visual Dictionary (Dungeons & Dragons)
ISBN: 1465497846 OCLC: 1359609426

DK 2023

A visually stunning exploration of a legendary fantasy world The Forgotten Realms offer D&D players an endless array of secrets to uncover, foes to fight, and treasures to be taken. But there is one name that has always stood out from the rest: Drizzt. Drizzt Do’urden. This legendary drow elf ranger has been adventuring across the Forgotten Realms for decades, whether through New York Times bestselling fantasy novels or award-winning video games. Now Drizzt will take readers on a spectacular journey through his world. This book showcases Drizzt and his travels through the Forgotten Realms in never-before-seen detail, with the glorious artwork produced by Wizards of the Coast put center stage. From the glaciers of Icewind Dale to the teeming cities of the Sword Coast, and the sinister shadows of the Underdark to the chambers of Mithral Hall, fans can explore the Realms through Drizzt’s eyes as never before with this immersive, extraordinary guide to their favorite fantasy setting.

Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons
ISBN: 1632862794 OCLC: 908838677

Bloomsbury 2015

The life story of Gary Gygax, godfather of all fantasy adventure games, has been told only in bits and pieces. Michael Witwer has written a dynamic, dramatized biography of Gygax from his childhood in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to his untimely death in 2008. Gygax's magnum opus, Dungeons & Dragons, would explode in popularity throughout the 1970s and '80s and irreversibly alter the world of gaming. D&D is the best-known, best-selling role-playing game of all time, and it boasts an elite class of alumni--Stephen Colbert, Robin Williams, and Junot Diaz all have spoken openly about their experience with the game as teenagers, and some credit it as the workshop where their nascent imaginations were fostered. Gygax's involvement in the industry lasted long after his dramatic and involuntary departure from D&D's parent company, TSR, and his footprint can be seen in the genre he is largely responsible for creating. But as Witwer shows, perhaps the most compelling facet of his life and work was his unwavering commitment to the power of creativity in the face of myriad sources of adversity, whether cultural, economic, or personal. Through his creation of the role-playing genre, Gygax gave two generations of gamers the tools to invent characters and entire worlds in their minds. Told in narrative-driven and dramatic fashion, Witwer has written an engaging chronicle of the life and legacy of this emperor of the imagination.

Heroes' Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook
ISBN: 1984858904 OCLC: 1139373178

Ten Speed Press 2020

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 80 recipes inspired by the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons “Ready a tall tankard of mead and brace yourself for a culinary journey to match any quest!”—Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine From the D&D experts behind Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana comes a cookbook that invites fantasy lovers to celebrate the unique culinary creations and traditions of their favorite fictional cultures. With this book, you can prepare dishes delicate enough to dine like elves and their drow cousins or hearty enough to feast like a dwarven clan or an orcish horde. All eighty dishes—developed by a professional chef—are delicious, easy to prepare, and composed of wholesome ingredients readily found in our world. Heroes’ Feast includes recipes for snacking, such as Elven Bread, Iron Rations, savory Hand Pies, and Orc Bacon, as well as hearty vegetarian, meaty, and fish mains, such as Amphail Braised Beef, Hommlet Golden Brown Roasted Turkey, Drow Mushroom Steaks, and Pan-Fried Knucklehead Trout—all which pair perfectly with a side of Otik’s famous fried spiced potatoes. There are also featured desserts and cocktails—such as Heartlands Rose Apple and Blackberry Pie, Trolltide Candied Apples, Evermead, Potion of Restoration, and Goodberry Blend—and everything in between, to satisfy a craving for any adventure.

Lore & Legends: A Visual Celebration of the Fifth Edition of the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game (Dungeons & Dragons)
ISBN: 1984859684 OCLC: 1355042465

Ten Speed Press 2023

An illustrated guide to Dungeons & Dragons’ beloved fifth edition told through interviews, artwork, and visual ephemera from the designers, storytellers, and artists who bring it to life. When the reimagined fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons debuted in the summer of 2014, the game was on the brink of obsolescence. But within a few short years, D&D found greater success than it had ever enjoyed before, even surpassing its 1980s golden age. How did an analog game nearly a half century old become a star in a digital world? For the first time, Lore & Legends reveals the incredible ongoing story of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition from the perspective of the designers, artists, and players who bring it to life. This comprehensive visual guide illuminates contemporary D&D—its development, evolution, cultural relevance, and popularity—through exclusive interviews and more than 900 pieces of artwork, photography, and advertising curated and analyzed by the authors of the bestselling and Hugo Award–nominated Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana.

Vivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake
ISBN: 1665918195 OCLC: 1394944599

Aladdin 2023

A girl grappling with grief begins investigating the strange—potentially supernatural—hidden history of her new town in this debut epic middle grade fantasy from the New York Times bestselling Dungeons & Dragons expert Michael Witwer! Twelve-year-old Vivian Van Tassel is angry: angry about her mom’s mysterious and sudden death; at her dad for uprooting their lives in Chicago to move to the sleepy, creepy town of Midnight Lake; at the bullies who seem to be drawn to her no matter how much she tries to keep her head down…but mostly angry at herself for causing bad things to happen wherever she goes. When a class assignment at her new school prompts Vivian to research the history of Midnight Lake, she quickly discovers her new home is even more peculiar than it seems. Not only was the infamous Beasts & Battlements (B&B) roleplaying game invented in Midnight Lake, but there are also some hard to explain coincidences about the town and its history that seem to tie back to the game in a way that’s as puzzling as it is disturbing. When the biggest oddballs at school attempt to befriend Vivian and introduce her to their game of B&B, she’s torn between wanting to follow the path that has always worked for her—keeping everyone at arm's length—and giving these strange kids and their even stranger fantasy game a chance. Maybe that’s what it will take to get to the bottom of the mystery of Midnight Lake…and why Vivian was really brought there in the first place.

 

 

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