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This is one of the coolest behind-the-scenes Dungeons & Dragons production pieces I have encountered: an original internal typography / style-development binder associated with the 2003 D&D Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons.
The binder comes directly from the professional archive of longtime TSR/Wizards artist and graphic designer Dee Barnett and is being offered exactly as it was found in her portfolio.
We have not removed, reorganized, cherry-picked or separated anything from this binder. Everything shown in the photographs is included.
The battered vintage TSR binder is handwritten on the front:
“TYPE SAMPLES (STYLES)”
and contains an extraordinary assortment of working typography studies, layout experiments, font specimens and production material.
CONNECTION TO THE 2003 DRACONOMICON
The contents include actual text and headings that correspond to material appearing in the 2003 Wizards of the Coast Draconomicon, including:
“DRAGONS AT A GLANCE”
with the Bheilorveilthion and Hatredymaes quotations, as well as working material for sections including:
* External Anatomy
* Dragon Physiology
* Dragon Life Cycle
* Flight
* Other Modes of Movement
* Dragon Senses
* Dragon eye/anatomy material
Multiple sheets show the same text set in dramatically different typefaces and sizes, strongly illustrating the graphic-design process of choosing how the finished book would look before publication.
WHAT IS INSIDE
Among the material visible in the binder are:
* Numerous typeface/style comparison sheets
* Multiple treatments of “Dragons at a Glance”
* Aquitaine font variations
* AlKoch Antiqua variations
* Decorative calligraphic chapter-heading experiments
* Frieze font specimen sheet
* Additional specialty/gothic type treatments
* Dragon illustration/type composition samples
* A heavily hand-marked “External Anatomy” page layout
* Handwritten layout and sizing notes
* Alternate heading treatments
* Font names, point sizes and production references
* Numerous additional sheets retained together in the original binder
One of the most compelling pages is the heavily annotated External Anatomy layout. It contains handwritten marks, arrows, boxes and sizing notations over the page—exactly the sort of working material that shows a publication being physically developed rather than simply the final polished result.
THE BINDER ITSELF
The material remains inside an older TSR, Inc. corporate binder carrying the classic TSR logo and the wording:
“Producers of DUNGEON & DRAGON Games”
The binder itself is well worn, with substantial surface wear, scratches, edge wear, staining and age-related deterioration.
I would not replace it.
Its worn condition is part of what makes this artifact compelling: this was a working studio/production binder, not an item created for collectors.
ABOUT DEE BARNETT
Dee Barnett worked as an artist and graphic designer in the TSR/Wizards of the Coast publishing environment and retained a remarkable archive of artwork, proofs, mechanicals, typography studies, production material and other pieces from her professional career.
Items such as this provide an unusually intimate look at the work that happened before a Dungeons & Dragons book reached the printer and ultimately the gaming table.
PROVENANCE
This entire binder comes directly from the personal professional archive of Dee Barnett.
It has been kept intact exactly as acquired.
Nothing has been removed from the binder by us. Everything shown in the listing photographs is included with the sale.
A letter of provenance documenting its origin from the Dee Barnett professional archive will also be included.
CONDITION
The binder itself is heavily used and worn.
Contents range in condition and show expected evidence of genuine working use, including handling, edge wear, wrinkles, handwritten markings, layout corrections and other production-related characteristics.
Please examine all photographs carefully. The photographs form an important part of the description and show the actual binder and materials included.
For the serious collector of:
Dungeons & Dragons • Draconomicon • Wizards of the Coast • TSR • D&D 3.5 • Original Production Material • Graphic Design • Typography • Prepress • RPG Publishing History
this is not simply another piece of D&D memorabilia.
It is a surviving working archive showing the visual development of one of the major Dungeons & Dragons books of the 3.5 era.
Original. Intact. Complete as found. Straight from a professional D&D archive. Letter of provenance included.
