A Guide to Dragonlance Bookshelves
Foreword:
"Dragons of Autumn Twilight," the first published Dragonlance product, was at first carelessly tossed on bookshelves across the world. It was a lone book, able to be placed among Tolkein and Asimov, innocent and solitary. But it was at the vanguard of nearly 100 novels yet to come, not to mention several dozen gaming products and miscellaneous product tie-ins. No one will argue that, at its publication, DoAT deserved its own section on the bookshelf. But as years went by, casual fantasy genre readers became Dragonlance purists who collected Dragonlance books by the trilogy. At first, these fans would set aside a Dragonlance section, haphazardly placing the books in no definite order on the shelf. This would soon give way to a more organized fan, a fan who wished to selectively placed the books in order. Unfortunately, the fan was left with a pressing question: How does one organize Dragonlance books on the shelf? TSR certainly didn't help the fans – who could forget the Big Switcheroo in '98, when a Legends of the Lance article proposed a new shelf order, after a different one was established in an old TSR Triviathalon poster? And DL fans everywhere are still suffering from the confusion of the "Lost Gods/Lost Legends" fiasco of '97.
Still, Dragonlance fans loved to display their books, and it is the shame of many a DL fan to have to pack up their books in boxes for storage. Several methods arose to organize the books on the shelf, many of the most creative manner. Some fans, with Stig Sando at the forefront, proposed to order the books and games by height and color of the books spine, a method which was aesthetically pleasing, but with no intellectual order whatsoever. Other collectors, with Morten Brattbak leading, suggested a mathematical formula, in an appeal to the intellect, to arrange the order, using the TSR product number, ISBN number, date of publication, and several other factors. With the former being much too Kenderish for some, and the latter being too Gnomish for the rest, the majority of fans were, and still are, mystified. I, myself, remember organizing my books by chronological date, beginning with "The Dragons." I was a newbie then, and I admit with no small measure of chagrin that I simply placed the "Tales of the Lance" boxed set flat-wise on the shelf and stacked gaming supplements and errata on top (a method which left me with a very dented "Tales …" box).
After years of frustration, I developed a method to organize Dragonlance products on the bookshelf, and it has served me well throughout the years. A shelf's function is to provide organization and to please the eye. I designed it with that in mind, and to be of help to the most uninitiated of newbies, as well as the bitterest of dino-collectors (note: I do not wish to deceive the reader – I am not a dino. My application for the Brotherhood of the Dino is still pending. However, my years of DL experience have served me, and if I may be so bold, I venture to say that I am as knowledgeable of DL as even the most bitterest of dino.)
I believe I have managed to compromise with both the Kenderish and Gnomish modes of thought to create a successful guide, one that can turn even the newbiest of shelves into one worthy of any dino.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
— Alex Louis
Part I: The Shelves Themselves
It is well known that the organization of one's Dragonlance shelf can mean the difference between newbie and dino. What is not so well known is that the shelf itself can make or break the overall appearance of the bookshelf. A poorly designed shelf, shoved in the corner, with sagging ends, lends to a sloppy appearance—certainly not the image of a dino.
There are a wide variety of shelves available on the market. Some prefer a shelf unit, one that rests on the floor and varies in height. Others prefer mounted shelves, hanging off of the wall. Either will do. What is most important about shelves is the support. Dragonlance has a lot of products, and the ounces add up to pounds. The last thing any DL fan wants is a shelf to snap, sending all of his products tumbling to the floor. It is also important to keep shelves clean. Dirt can accumulate and muss books. Windex or any other glass cleaner solution is acceptable to clean shelves. Apply spray and wipe with a paper towel (after removing the products, of course).
I used mounted shelves, with each board being a little over three feet. They are twelve inches wide, which is comfortable for the gaming products. However, in the novel section, the shelves appear a little bare. After all, the average paperback only takes up about four inches of space. Some creative collectors simply pull the books forward, but I prefer to utilize the space for knick-knacks, such as DL miniatures or polished rocks. One can be very creative with only a few fantasy miniatures, which can be bought cheap from your local hobby shop.
You will want to have your shelves in a respectable place, not in some corner of your garage. Shelves are to be aesthetically pleasing and presentable, as well as easily accessible. I suggest your study, or even in your family room. To avoid the problem of bookends, it is easy to place mounted shelves next to a wall corner. But if you don't wish to do so, there are some products that can be used as book ends, such as the DL Spellfire boxed set of cards.
And remember: Always have extra shelf boards on hand! DL products are being pumped out by Wizards, and it is embarrassing for any fan to have to place DL products in another place because of bloated shelves.
Part II: Magazine Racks and Miscellaneous
Gaming products and magazines should be placed at the top of the shelf, as they are the bigger products and the top shelf usually has the most room. The periodicals should be placed first, as they stand up by themselves, without the need of book ends, when they are placed in a proper magazine holder.
Any DL fan worth his salt knows that DL short stories and articles are published in Dragon magazine. Displaying the magazines on the shelf, however, require magazine holders. I purchased plastic holders, about three inches across. They need not be flashy; the holders should be purchased for durability and strength, not for anything flashy, as they will not be the main attraction of the shelf.
I used four magazine racks. I started with an old Triviathalon poster. Next, I placed an old Wizard's catalog that I use for reference, followed by Polyhedron issues and Legends of the Lance issues. Finally, I placed the magazines. I only used Dragon magazines that have Dragonlance articles or short stories. Other fans have a more liberal eye and may wish to place all their Dragon magazines on the shelf. Obviously, it is proper to order the magazines by issue #, although it is more prudent to place the Annual issues at the very end, in their own section. After the magazines, I placed the Dragonlance comics in the magazine holders. First, the thirty-four DC comics, followed by one TSR World's comic, and finally the rare 5th Age Comic.
Part III: Gaming Products
While it would be more appropriate to place generic rulebooks after the magazine racks, there is a problem presented by the Dragonlance Monstrous Compendium. It's bulky folder looks cumbersome on the shelf when it is placed in the middle. In the name of aesthetics, I have placed it next to the magazine racks, as that is where it looks most proper. I must be frank with my readers: my decision is not popular among many of my colleagues, mainly Edward J. Pollard, who has decried my placement of the DL MC as "reckless and random." However, I stand by my decision. The product juts out awkwardly when placed anywhere else, and it is important to note that a Dragonlance bookshelf is supposed to please the eye as well as the intellect.
Next to the DL MC I placed the generic gaming rulebooks, such as the Player's handbook and the generic Monstrous Compendium (the order is not important—this is a *Dragonlance* bookshelf guide).
It is only proper that boxed sets should come next, as their size is similar to the previous products. They should be placed in the order of publication: Time of the Dragon, Dwarven Kingdoms of Krynn, and Tales of the Lance. Much to my colleague Brattbak's dismay, there are other products besides Dragonlance ones that relate to Dragonlance. Such products should be placed next, in alphabetical order of campaign world, and by date of publication. An example would be the Ravenloft boxed set, followed by the Spelljammer's Adventure's in Space and the War Captain's Companion.
Next are the hardbound rule books "Manual of the Planes" (a generic AD&D product that mentions Krynn), and the DL Adventure's Rulebook. Then, the DL 1-16 modules, DLC1-3 compilations, DL Classic 15th Anniversary edition, DLE1-3, DLA1-3, DLR1-3, DLS1-4, DLQ1,2, DLT1,2, Seeds of Chaos, Chaos Spawn, Sylvan Veil, and Rise of the Titans. Again, otherworld products are to be placed in alphabetical order by campaign world, and then by order of publication. An example is Planescape's A Guide to the Astral Plance, then Ravenloft's When Black Roses Bloom, and then Spelljammer's Krynnspace.
Next comes the Catacombs gamebook Gnomes - 100, Dragons - 0, placed thusly solely for aesthetic reasons. It is a large gamebook, and should be placed with similarly large game materials. It is to be followed by the Art of the Dragonlance saga,, the Art reprint, and then the Atlas of the Dragonlance world.
The first hiccup in the gaming section occurs next, with the Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home product. Is History of the Dragonlance its sequel? Or is it Leaves II: More Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home? If it is History, then History should be placed next to Leaves, followed by Leaves II. However, I, and several other authorities in the field, have come to the consensus that Leaves II is actually the sequel to Leaves, and should therefore be placed next to Leaves, followed by History. These are to be followed by the Player's Guide to the Dragonlance Campaign, as well as the Dragonlance DC Graphic books.
In a highly controversial move, I then placed the Champions of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn, and Dark Queen of Krynn trilogy computer game box. My esteemed peer Clogar, a notorious bookshelf purist, has labeled and dismissed me as a "fringe fanatic" with "boldly dangerous ideas that fly in the face of tradition and respect" for this very move. Apparently, he views my placement of a computer game on a bookshelf an "insult to the very definition of a *book*shelf." In my defense, I believe all things Dragonlance should be displayed, including computer game boxes. Despite my highly unorthodox position on this matter, I hope Cloger can agree that many of my other bookshelf theories have promise, even merit!
Then I place, again in the name of aesthetics, the gamebook "Dragonwand of Krynn," as it is small, similar to the computer box. Next come the 5th Age boxed sets. I have waited until now to place them, as they are much smaller than most of the previous items, and would look awkward among their taller peers. In order of publication, they are the 5th Age Boxed set, Heroes of Steel, Heroes of Defiance, Heroes of Hope, Heroes of Sorcery, Wings of Fury, The Last Tower: The Legacy of Raistlin, and Citadel of Light. And finally, to end the gaming section, I placed the Bestiary and the Palanthus supplements.
Part IV: The Books
Books are the major staple of the Dragonlance line. Fans are noted for their loyalty to the novels – one bookshelf authority, Weldon Chen, a veritable celebrity among bookshelf experts, is rumored to have left a space in honor of Murder in the Tower of High Sorcery, a DL book that was sadly never published (and if even wilder rumor is true, he has even left a space for Heart of Goldmoon, a book canceled ten years ago!). Realistically, though, most fans are not as dogmatic, and are fairly practical.
It is most appropriate to start with the hardback books. Annotated Chronicles comes first, followed by Chronicles collector's edition hardbound, Chronicles collector's edition softbound, Legends collector's edition hardbound, Legends collector's edition softbound, Dragons of Summer Flame, Murder in Tarsis, Doom Brigade, Soulforge, Dragons of a Fallen Sun, Dhamon: Downfall, and Second Generation (2nd Generation is placed thusly because of its miscellaneous status and its reluctance to align itself with any self-respecting anthology series).
The order of the paperback books is fairly logical. The books are ordered by their number in the series (Chonicles, volume 1 is followed by volume 2 and 3). However, the series are ordered by the publishing date of the first book in the trilogy. For example, the first book of the Chronicles trilogy, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, is published before the first book of the Legends Trilogy, Time of the Twins. Thus, Chronicles comes before Legends.
The book order is therefore Chronicles, Legends, and Tales. The Tales series is important to note, as it has been split into two different series in the past: Tales 1, and Tales II. Recently, however, TSR has condensed the different Tales series into one series – Tales. The same process was applied to the Heroes and Preludes trilogies. After Tales comes Heroes, Preludes, Elven Nations, Meetings, Dwarven Nations, Villains, Dragons anthologies, Defenders of Magic, Lost Histories, Warriors, Classics (it is important to note that Murder in Tarsis has been added to the Classics), and the Chaos War.
As of late, there has been turmoil in the ranks of bookshelf authorities. Margaret Weis and Don Perrin recently wrote Draconian Measures, a book that has been assigned the second in the Kang's Regiment trilogy. The first book in that trilogy is the Doom Brigade. Shockingly, the Doom Brigade is also the first book in the Chaos War series! The publication of Draconian Measures fueled debate among bookshelf experts, causing name calling to escalate to knocked heads and spilled blood. Quite frankly, there is no easy answer to this quandary. I have sided with Frank Reinart on this particular issue. He has suggested to place Doom Brigade, followed by Draconian Measures, followed by the rest of the Chaos War series. Reinart has claimed that the hardback version of Doom Brigade shall stand for the first book of the Chaos War, while the paperback version shall stand for the first book of the Kang's Regiment series. Reinart's critics have called his solution jimmy-rigged at best, haphazard and careless at worst. I agree with Reinart's critics that the solution neither satisfies the eye or the intellect, but I will defend him to the last, as I see no other viable compromise.
After the Chaos War series comes the Dragons of A New Age series, followed by the Lost Legends series, another series that has caused strife among my associates, a conflict I mentioned earlier in the guide. The second book in the series, Fistandantilus Reborn, is also the second book in a Forgotten Realms series, the Lost Gods series. After the shouting died down, we bookshelf experts agreed on a standard – Fistandantilus Reborn is to be placed among the rest of the Lost Legends books, and the Lost Gods books are to be placed at the end of the Dragonlance series. After all, we should not suffer another campaign world's intrusion on a Dragonlance bookshelf; they are to exist on our shelves by our graces alone, not by force. And it is only proper the Dragonlance books should be grouped with other Dragonlance books. It is also important to note that Tales of Uncle Trapspringer has been added to the Lost Legends series.
Following the Lost Legends Series is the Raistlin Chronicles, Tales of the 5th Age series, Bridges of Time series, Crossroads series, and the Barbarians series. Half of my peers agree with this order, while the other half disagrees. Many of my colleagues believe that The Odyssey of Gilthanas should be placed after the Bridges of Time series, as it represents the so-called Reader's Companion series. However, I disagree – it does not seem that there will be a sequel. In fact, it seems that the Odyssey remain solitary for good, thus deserving a place among the Standalone section. Perhaps there is more bitter dino in me than I thought previously, as I think that the Dragonlance line will slowly shrivel and cease to produce books (may the gods prove me wrong!). But I digress.
Following the Barbarians series comes the Standalone books. This consists of The Second Generation softcover, The Best of Tales, and Bertrem's Guide to the Age of Mortals. After the Standalones come the gamebooks, which consists of Prisoners of Pax Tharkas, The Soulforge, Lords of Doom, and Shadow Over Nordmaar. The gamebooks were published in the early eighties, and are of the choose-your-own-adventure.
That concludes the Dragonlance novel section, except for a few anomalies. As I mentioned earlier, much to my peer Brattbak's dismay, there are other products besides Dragonlance products that relate to Dragonlance. Again, they should be placed by alphabetical order of campaign world, and series order. For example, there is the Forgotten Realm's Tymora's Luck, the third book in the Lost God's series. Following that is the Ravenloft books: Knight of the Black Rose, Spectre of the Black Rose, and Tales from Ravenloft. Unfortunately, Weldon Chen is too eager to pair Knight and Spectre, as they are obvious sequels. However, if we are to follow previously established precedent, Kaz the Minotaur is an obvious sequel to Legend of Huma, yet they are not paired. As Ravenloft lacks any formal series (and subsequently any dignity!), order should be dictated by publishing date, in which case Knight should be followed by Tales, which should be followed by Spectre. And finally, the Spelljammer Cloakmaster cycle should conclude the proper Dragonlance bookshelf.
Conclusion:
I have thus described the optimum Dragonlance bookshelf, designed for overall effect as well as practical and aesthetic purposes. I hope I have not offended too many of my colleagues. Indeed, I hope I have shed new light on the bookshelf debate, as I do not claim that my method is by any means the final authority on the subject. Any questions or suggestions should be sent to my e-mail address—nsbane@rcsis.com.
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