Gary Gygax, Brilliant Book Publisher, Dies at 69

Gary Gygax, ‘Father of D&D,’ Dies at 69 | The Underwire from Wired.com

Gary Gygax, one of the co-creators of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, according to Stephen Chenault, CEO of Troll Lord Games.

First off, I have to say that having the person who reports your death be the CEO of Troll Lord Games is pretty cool.

Next, I have to say that Gary Gygax had a profound impact on popular culture. I doubt if he ever made very many Top 100 lists, but he should have.

Finally, I have to say that from my perspective as a book publisher, Gary Gygax should be remembered not just as the guy who invented D&D, but as a brilliant author and book publisher.

His Dungeons and Dragons books sold like hotcakes and (appropriately) spawned dozens of new editions and spinoff titles. He did what every publisher dreams of.

Tip of the hat to Murdoc Online for spotting this story.

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