Professional Documents
Culture Documents
D 20 Mpast
D 20 Mpast
The designers took care to include a bibliography in d20 Past, but there wasn't enough room in the book for it by
the time they got done with everything else! We're happy to present the bibliography here so you can get insight
into the time periods covered in the game and what inspired the designers to write d20 Past.
"In books lies the soul of the whole Past Time; the articulate audible voice of the Past, when the body and
material substance of it has altogether vanished like a dream."
Carlyle, Heroes and Hero-Worship
Most of these books are currently available through libraries or booksellers.
Functional
These volumes provide a great basic library.
Timeline of the Arts and Literature. David M. Brownstone and Irene M. Franck.
This volume is particularly handy if you're interested in adding cultural details to your setting. Year by year, it
tells you the significant events in literature, visual arts, theater and variety, music and dance, and highlights of
world events. While it does include occasional information on non-Western happenings, the timeline of arts
focuses almost exclusively on Western culture. Listings are very brief and generally don't include locations or
nationalities. It's a good book if you're already familiar with the names and events and just want to know dates.
The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events. Bernard Grun, based on Werner Stein's
Kulture Ahrplan.
Excellent book. Uses a visual, chart format that clearly lays out the events in rows and columns. Covers areas of
history and politics; literature and theater; religion, philosophy, and learning; visual arts; music; science
technology, and growth; and daily life. Usually includes country reference for events. The "daily life" section is
brief but of particular interest to those who want to know details such as that a particular bad famine starved
Florence in 1497 or that England introduced income and property taxes in 1642.
A History of Private Life. Philippe Aris and Georges Duby, General Editors.
Incredible series of books that detail what life was like for most people. It provides information on day-to-day
activities. Even more important, it describes the worldviews and philosophies held by the general population
toward diverse topics such as religion, pets, literature marriage, sex, and gender. Includes a few color plates
and many black-and-white illustrations, but a mature, scholarly, almost textbooklike read.
The Encyclopedia of the Victorian World: A Reader's Companion to the People, Places, Events, and Everyday
Life of the Victorian Era.
The title pretty much sums up the book. A good reference work if you are running or playing in an English
Victorian-era campaign. It functions well as a resource in which to look up an unfamiliar term or person.
Pirates of the Spanish Main. By the Editors of American Heritage The Magazine of History. Narrative by
Hamilton Cochran.
This Golden Press, American Heritage Junior Library book is an easy read with numerous pictures. It gives an
excellent overview of the age of piracy and includes exciting accounts of derring-do.
Fun
These selections might not be capstone books in your arc of history, but they'll provide enjoyable reading
material and some interesting ideas.
The Eternal Search. Richard Mathison.
A rollicking read with many amusing anecdotes about medicine. It covers everything from aphrodisiacs and
poisonous cosmetics (including lead and arsenic) to the death of Charles II despite (or because of) the
attentions of the era's leading healthcare specialists.
Here's Your Hat. Bill Severn. If the Shoe Fits. Bill Severn
Definitely not a good choice for a broad overview of history, but an excellent selection if you want to add flavor
and detail to your campaign or character. These two books were published in the 1960's. Each is a delightful
read focusing on one particular aspect of clothing through the ages. They're available through many libraries via
interlibrary loan. It's also possible to buy them cheaply through a secondhand bookseller, especially through the
internet.
Pirates of the Spanish Main. Editors of American Heritage: The Magazine of History. American Heritage Junior
Library.
A great example of how a book aimed at younger readers can provide excellent source material. Histories told
as action-packed stories. Good use of dates and wonderful anecdotes about the Age of Exploration's dramatis
personae. Other books in the series include Trappers and Mountain Men and The California Gold Rush.
Fashion
Want to get a great feel for how people looked in the earlier historic eras? These books have wonderful
illustrations. Most folk won't be interested in owning these books, but they're available from many local libraries.
Historic Costume in Pictures: Over 1450 Costumes on 125 Plates. Braun and Schneider.
These black and white plates were collected from a German magazine, Mnchener Bilderbogen. Styles range
from ancient Greece to 19th-century Asia. Shows attire of different social strata. Predominantly Western, but a
nice assortment of clothes around the world for 19th-century garb. No text beyond illustration tags.
What People Wore: 1,800 Illustrations from Ancient Times to the Early Twentieth Century. Douglas Gorsline.
An assortment of black and white pictures of European and American garb. Nice assortment of illustrations of
clothes in the Old West. Occasional pictures of details such as gloves or undergarments. Brief text entries
describe the styles and the changes in fashion.
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Costume and Fashion: From 1066 to the Present. Jack Cassin-Scott. Revised
and Expanded Edition.
Almost every page has a full-color picture of two or three people and a couple of short paragraphs describing
the garb and its details. Samples variously show male, female, and children's attire.
20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment. Francois Boucher. Expanded
Edition.
If you want to devote time to reading about fashion, this is the book for you. This heavy, coffee-table book style
volume contains articulate, scholarly prose and numerous illustrations (both black-and-white and color). Not an
optimal book for a casual browser, but a good work for a reader desiring depth.
The Historical Encyclopedia of Costumes. Albert Racinet.
The most culturally diverse of the costuming books examined here, this volume's color illustrations are lavish
with detail. Each plate has a page of text that discusses not only the clothes but the cultural details shown by the
illustration, such as Egyptian chariots, an Eskimo's walrus bone knife, or Manchu women's hair customs. A great
book for anyone interested in a non-European campaign.
Internet
The internet offers a wealth of information. Many of the best sites, such as Britannica.com, are subscriber
restricted.
Wikipedia. This is a free encyclopedia of incredible breath and depth. Its articles have numerous hyperlinks to
pictures and related texts.
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