The Art Of Magic The Gathering [Paperback]

Lizz Baldwin (Editor), Richard Garfield (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In his introduction to The Art of Magic: The Rath Cycle, Magic's creator Richard Garfield compares players of the game to archaeologists, piecing together a diverse and complex story with bits of information gleaned from each card. If Magic's players are archaeologists, then any of them exploring the harsh and forbidding plane of Rath would be wise to equip themselves with this definitive field guide.

The Art of Magic: The Rath Cycle is a comprehensive, generously illustrated survey of the turbulent story line that spans the Weatherlight, Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus card sets. Players familiar with the sets will quickly recognize the principal characters and locales, from detailed schematics of the Weatherlight to blown-up card art and conceptual sketches for nearly every character in the series. The text that accompanies the illustrations matches them in quality, adding another dimension to the art with intriguing details from the backstory. A great find for fans of the Rath Cycle. --Paul Hughes

Product Details

• Paperback: 122 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (August 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786911786
• ISBN-13: 978-0786911783
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Striking artwork, fabulous organization and feel, August 29, 1998

By 

Jeff Lee - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art Of Magic The Gathering (Paperback)

The Art of Magic represents the visual glories of the Rath Cycle: a set of three expansions named Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus that depict the adventures of Gerrard Capashen and the crew of the Weatherlight as they seek to liberate the kidnapped Sisay and unravel the evil mystery that lies behind the universe of Rath.

The book is filled with the lavish illustrations that have made Magic: the Gathering among the most aesthetically pleasing card games in history. Famous artists such as Pete Venters, Quentin Hoover, Donato Giancola, John Avon, and Terese Nielsen create a stormy world wracked with strife and death. We see the legendary paintings, sketches, and drawings that breathe life into such places as the Stronghold, the Skyshroud Forest, and the Dream Halls. And vivid characters are represented with handfuls of card arts, style guides, and behind the scenes sketches. This book lays out the story, environment, and aura of the Rath Cycle experience in a conscientious, experienced form which shows meticulous preparation and a beautiful final product. Who can forget the legendary Vanguard painting of the Dark Angel Selenia, poised to strike at the onlooker? Or Donato Giancola's Havoc, showing Orim attracting the fury of the Furnace of Rath around her? Or even the paintings of the mischievous Squee, a goblin with a heart and intelligence far beyond his peers. And for a look to the dark side, the City of Traitors, huddled around the gigantic Furnace of Rath.

The Weatherlight, its crew, and every inch of the worlds of the Rath Cycle are detailed beautifully. One will want to look through the glistening pages many times-everything holds a meaning just waiting to be unlocked. Even the title page for each chapter invokes curiosities: we see a depiction of the Null Moon, Dominaria's artificial moon (and possibly something of ill meaning from the Phyrexians?) and an added oval with each chapter's progression.

The Art of Magic: the Gathering is without a doubt among the best books to come out of Wizards of the Coast and TSR for a long time. A must buy worth every cent.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book. Solid Illistrations. Great artistic refrence., August 22, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art Of Magic The Gathering (Paperback)

Although I don't know the Rath Cycle or MTG really well, I was drawn to this book for its artwork. Really nice suff! Lots of versions of images, artist studies (b/w and color), and schematic plans (of the ships), so you can see what diffrent artists were thinking. There is a good bit of text (back story for the game I assume) if you are into that. Basicly, a great fantasy art refrance book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something for everyone...including M:TG Artist wannabe's, January 25, 2000

By 

Chris McGinnis (Livonia, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art Of Magic The Gathering (Paperback)

I got this book not too long ago and I've gotta say, this is one for the records. It centers all around the great and wonderful art of Magic: The Gathering: The Rath Cycle. I got this book because the Rath Cycle is my #1 favorite add-on for Magic, and I love the art. It tells you behind the scenes stuff about all the different characters and places in the Rath Cycle. Now, don't get this book thinking that you're gonna get every picture in the set. They have alot of the art, but not all of it. I thought that, but I was still amazed when I got it. I use the book to help me sketch out the stuff I couldn't on the cards, they were too small. But they blow them up for the book. It's a great book, a must-have for everyone who appreciates the art and magic of Magic: The Gathering.