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Art / World books
Hi all,
I'm needing a 'sense of wonder' fix and I was wondering if anybody knows about... I'm not even sure what to call them... art books that describe a setting? I've tried googling but am not getting the right hits, so I'm probably missing a key piece of nomenclature.
I'm looking for something along the lines of The Guide to Glorantha or the recent Artesia world book that came out - only I'm not looking for RPG franchises, but rather simply a creative person's individual endeavour. Something like the Terran Trade Authority books that came out when I was a kid. I seem to remember other such books, but can't think of any titles. They basically had text describing aspects of a setting - history, culture, etc. - and lots of art. I think the Tales From the Loop franchise also started out this way, and the author has a new book being kickstarted for a different setting.
Suggestions?
Comments
Never read them, but... Dinotopia?
"Worlds of Android" was released by FFG, to supplement mainly their Netrunner card game (and others in that universe). It also ties in to the "Shadow of the Beanstalk" game-specific book.
"Worlds of Android" is meant to be very pretty, general background, lots of art, that sort of thing. It's a cyberpunk setting, but one with a bit of everything thrown in because it was cool for the card game. I'm not sure there's a unifying aesthetic or message to the setting.
Those both fit the description, though neither is really my cuppa. Anyone else got any? The new book from Free League describes that effort as a 'narrative artbook'.
It's a bit of a long shot, and may not at all be what you are looking for, but some music album covers fit along these lines. I'm thinking particularly about Roger Dean (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Dean_(artist)#) many of whose album covers could easily be drawn from the same fantasy world.
Yes, well, part of the reason I've been yearning for such a book is the progressive rock kick I've been on for the past month.