Book Recommendations for Each Dungeons & Dragons Class - Part 1

Late summer/early fall is Rennaissance Festival season here in Maryland, and it should come as no surprise that here at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives, we’re big fans of such a nerdy extravaganza (we became librarians and archivists for a reason, after all). It should also come as no surprise that many of the same people who will be making their way to Revel Grove this year are also big fans of the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (DND). As the intrepid adventuring parties descend on Maryland, some may wish to take a break from the frivolity of the festival for something a bit quieter, to seek a break from the heat, and learn a thing or two about the history of science at the same time. We daresay that the Niels Bohr Library & Archives is an ideal sanctuary for such respite, so we have prepared for every kind of adventurer in advance. Be you a wizened wizard or a brutish barbarian, we have just the books for you, as we have broken our recommendations down by every class!

Because of the volume of content we’ve chosen, we decided to split this article into two parts to make it more digestible. In this first part we will provide our recommendations for the first six Dungeons & Dragons classes in alphabetical order, from Artificers to Fighters. In Part 2 we will share our recommendations for Monks to Wizards.

Artificer
You’re not just a nerd, you’re a nerd who makes things! More than an engineer, you bring together science and magic in spectacular (and occasionally whacky) ways. While NBLA has plenty of books about engineering in general, we know you would be interested in something a little more eclectic, a little more mystical. We think you’ll greatly appreciate the following volumes, dear artificer.

Dr. Frankenstein, as grotesquely described by Mary Shelly, is arguably one of the modern era’s first artificers. This volume brings together the original story along with insightful annotations to the text and seven accompanying essays by leading scholars, exploring the social and ethical aspects of scientific creativity brought along by this book for modern audiences. As a scientist, engineer, and creator, you’ll enjoy this volume not just for its relatability but also for the way it will force you to think more critically about your own craft.

You might think you’re so original with your automaton creations, but in fact, you are part of a long tradition—people have been building and thinking about robot-like creations for centuries! This book explores the history of artificial humans and creatures in medieval European culture and how they invoked questions of identity, ethics, and life itself. We think it will be an excellent way to place you and your creative endeavors in the larger scope of history.

You’re not one to be limited by silly little things like gravity, right? Well neither were the many inventors described in this absolutely gorgeous book about the history of aerial travel—keeping in mind that it was published just a few months before the Wright brothers took flight at Kittyhawk. Full of both informative and whimsical illustrations (and I’m sure useful scientific and historical information if you can read French), this book is sure to give inspiration for your next whacky creation.

Continuing with the theme of flying machines, this book was published just a few years after the Wright brothers’ flight, though we can see they certainly were not the only ones attempting to touch the sky. Written by a captain and instructor of the Prussian Balloon Corps (which I did not know was a thing until I found this), it is full of illustrations but also contains far more photographs of both flying machines and aviators, including the famous parachutist Katharina “Käthe” Paulus, known for her daring aerial acrobatics while jumping out of hot air balloons and for inventing the first collapsable parachute.

Barbarian
If you’re a barbarian, there are three things that are probably true about you:

1. You like smashing things.
2. You don’t read at a high grade level.
3. You enjoy carbo-loading.

You might not think that makes you the kind of person who enjoys libraries, but not to worry, because we have you covered! Our recommendations will provide inspiration for any barbarian, all in accessible language.

If you’re a barbarian, you’re all about force and motion. Running faster, jumping higher, hitting things harder. This book will teach you the basic science behind force and motion in simple language, complete with hilarious cartoons. By the time you’re done with this, you’ll boast not only the physical strength but also the knowledge of how your strength works to better chase down any foe!

Everyone needs a role model, and why not have a role model who was also great at smashing things, just like you? Sure, Nancy Grace Roman might not have smashed the bones of her enemies (we hope), but she certainly smashed barriers for women in science! Written for early grade levels and coming in at only 32 pages (with plenty of pictures), this biography presents a tenacious figure who reached for the stars and got there, overcoming multiple obstacles to become NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and the “Mother of Hubble.”

After a hard day of adventuring, every party deserves a good, hearty meal. Especially if you’re a big barbarian, you need to replenish your energy, and you deserve better than “rations” to get your carbo-loading in! Enter, A Good Bake. With recipes ranging from savory breads, to pastries, to “A Short and Sweet Chapter on Fried Dough” (and who doesn’t love fried dough), you’ll easily become your party’s favorite member by not only having the recipes to prepare the best food in the tavern, but also the scientific knowledge of why those recipes work so well.

Bard
Whether you’re weaving magic through music, matching the harmonies of the universe with your voice, or simply trying to earn a few coins with your lute at the local inn, we’re sure there are many books in the NBLA that will be of interest to you. From the acoustics of buildings to the physics of nearly every instrument, scientists have been studying the relationship between physics and music for a long time. Here are just a few such titles that may interest you.

Dungeons & Dragons lore notes that bards believe the DnD universe was spoken into existence, and that those words of creation still sound throughout the realms. Perhaps they weren’t so far off after all. Following and expanding on the ancient idea of the “Music of the Spheres ,” Stephon Alexander utilizes jazz music to explain the past and future of the universe, comparing the cycles of the universe to a jazz solo as also seen in his delightful 2015 TED Talk . With this book, perhaps you’ll be able to rely on more than just intuition to get in touch with the cosmic music of creation.

As previously indicated, Stephon Alexander was not the first to draw connections between science and music. Indeed, it has long been a topic of discussion. This book presents essays by fifteen scholars on the interrelationships between music and science from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, or roughly the time period between Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei. Such topics range from studies of scientists at the time trying to answer questions of musical acoustics, to the practice of public dissections set to music, to the estrangement of music and science in the seventeenth century.

While the previous two books get into more philosophical and/or historical themes, this publication really gets into the nitty-gritty of musical physics. In this pamphlet, science teacher, researcher, and violin-maker Carleen Maley Hutchins compiles eight articles from Scientific American which discuss the relationship “between the physical properties of musical instruments and the sounds coming from them.” Pick up this book if you want a greater understanding of how your instrument works, whether you play string, brass, percussion, or anything in between! And check out this excellent photo of Hutchins working on a violin while you’re at it.

So maybe you’re not really a musical bard but you’re still an entertainer—perhaps a storyteller or other sort of orator. Regardless, you are probably the sort who needs to get in front of people fairly often, so why not pick up a few tips and tricks to make your performance a hit? Recognizing that the average scientist is probably not as comfortable in front of an audience as you are, Peter Kenny decided he was tired of listening to poorly delivered lectures (and this was before the age of reading off one’s PowerPoint slides!) and wrote this book to help them out. While it is mostly meant for scientists preparing to deliver paper presentations at conferences or bring cases forward at committee meetings, this surprisingly entertaining book is still sure to be full of insights to help you inspire and delight your audiences.

Cleric
We know that your devotion to your deity is everything to you. Some might say that would make you less inclined towards the sciences, but we know better and so do you. NBLA has plenty of books which question the modern dichotomy between science and religion, finding meaning in both. Here are just a few we think you might enjoy, along with a bonus volume about medical physics because we all know you’re the healer of the party.

No, this is not a guide to a new Cleric subclass (although that would be really cool). In this book, astronomer Frederick Trinklein shares 38 interviews he personally conducted with various scientists about the relationship between religion and science (although it seems the “religion” refers exclusively to Protestant Christianity). Some scientists speak more aggressively about the negative experiences they have had while others speak more positively, sharing discussion about the place (or lack thereof) for science in religion and vice-versa, and whether there can be harmony between the two, among many other topics.

First published in the interwar period in Britain in 1925, at a time when many were writing about the supposed conflict between religion and science, historian of science Joseph Needham brings together writings from philosophers, scientists, and theologians to present a different approach. A 1926 review in Nature noted “In this book the spirit of antagonism is gone, and there is an earnest seeking after not compromise, but reconciliation.” The book presents historical arguments and contemporary presentations of both scientific and religious points of view on various issues. A surprisingly rational voice in a highly polarized time (the book was published the same year as the Scopes trial), we hope you’ll find the book as thought-provoking as we do. Manchester Metropolitan University associate tutor in philosophy of science Samuel McKee wrote a fascinating article about the impact of this book at its centennial, should you wish to learn more.

Perhaps you received a vision of impending doom and were called to stop an apocalypse. You wouldn’t be the first, and you wouldn’t be the first to think about what an “apocalypse” might even entail. In this book, Marcelo Gleiser guides readers through the idea of the celestial apocalypse from spiritual sources like Revelations to scientific ideas like the Big Crunch. Providing an exploration of the celestial phenomena that have inspired and frightened prophets and scientists for generations, you will find both historical context and scientific explanations for multiple cataclysmic events such as comet and asteroid impacts on Earth to the eventual fate of the universe itself.

If you’re a cleric, there is a very good chance you are also the healer for your party (even if that’s not necessarily what you set out to do). Luckily, NBLA has plenty of books related to medical physics for you to hone your craft, strengthening your healing magic with a healthy dose of science. This book provides a comprehensive history of medical imaging technologies from the first X-Rays to MRI-assisted surgery, and how such technologies have influenced society at large.

Druid
Protecting the balance of nature is your calling, and you’re most at home in the wilderness among nature’s creatures and other creations, but we have some recommendations to hopefully make you feel at home in the library as well. Physicists have often been at the forefront of both destabilizing and trying to restore nature’s harmony—from the environmental devastation of nuclear weapons testing to meteorologists trying to save us from the climate crisis, the relationship between the physics enterprise and environmental protection has been a complicated one.

Druids may talk a lot about leaving nature undisturbed, but is it not also druids who use magic to make plants grow where otherwise there were none? It turns out you aren’t the only ones, though the people in this book didn’t use magic. Instead, they built enormous climate-controlled laboratories called phytotrons. Little-known today, phytotrons were built in at least 30 countries around the world following the Second World War. Beginning with experiments on the environmental causes of growth in living organisms, many scientists turned from biologists to technologists who set out to master the machinery that controlled these micro-environments. While nearly all phytotrons were shut down as support and funding fell in the mid-60s, there has been some renewed interest in the technology as a way of studying the effects of climate change. By newly investigating this history, David Munns urges us to consider the role phytotrons could play in learning about complex ecosystems in our rapidly changing world.

Preserving and restoring the balance of nature is your bread and butter, so we think you will find yourself in good company within these pages. Drawing primarily on ten case studies, this book invites readers to understand and participate in the work of the scientists they call “geophysicians,” whose goals involve “diagnosing and healing the earth.” In addition to the ten case studies, it also includes three essays from the authors on water, energy, and radiation. Throughout the book, the basic science behind each “geophysician’s” initiative is introduced in an approachable manner for the general public.

Sure, you can talk to animals, but how well do you really know them? Do you know how cats are able to lap up water so delicately? Do you know how a baby sea turtle can be born in Florida and then circle the entire northern Atlantic Ocean and still manage to return to the same beach where it was born? How about why the punch of a mantis shrimp is so devastating? You can learn the answers to these questions and many more in this book. Perhaps afterwards you’ll be able to teach your animal buddies a bit about themselves this time!

Fighter
Maybe you were a mercenary, a soldier, or just an average city guard who chose to embark on a life of adventure. Either way, you know the key to a successful battle is about more than who has the biggest muscles or who can throw the strongest punch. It’s about skill, discipline, tactics, technology, and more. We have plenty of books to not only help you hone your skills but also give you an appreciation for the history of the relationship between science, technology, and military affairs.

Who knew physicists could also be fighters? In this book, physicist and martial arts practitioner (a multiclasser, perhaps?) John Eric Goff gives an equation-free conceptual introduction to the science behind several moves in the Krav Maga fighting system, from headlocks to hammer fists. A practical book for any aspiring fighter looking to hone their skill, readers will learn the science behind how to become more physically fit, how to send opponents off-balance while maintaining their own, how to use leverage to defeat larger, stronger opponents, and much more. This book would be the perfect companion for relaxing around the campfire after a day of monster-bashing.

Perhaps you were a fighter born into privilege who attended the finest military academy in your kingdom, or perhaps you went into military school because you had nowhere else to go. Either way, beyond your instruction in military tactics and physical training, you may have encountered a textbook much like this one. Written for the cadets of the United States Military Academy in 1839, it is an elementary primer on the field of optics. Surprisingly, it has little to no discussion about the application of optics for military uses—indeed, one could change the title of this book and it would be an ample text in any university classroom (if a bit out of date by our current standards). Nevertheless, it introduces readers to the basic ideas of light, the anatomy of the eye, and various instruments such as microscopes, telescopes, and sextants.

Any fighter worth their salt knows that having quality weaponry is crucial to any battle. Therefore, having capable craftsmen is just as essential as having capable soldiers. Just as you would want to know the blacksmith who forges your blades, this book provides an intimate look at the lives of the scientists designing weaponry during the later years of the Cold War in the so-called “Star Wars” era. Of course, rather than crafting swords and battleaxes, these scientists were developing advanced missile defense systems and nuclear warheads.

If you did not see yourself in this post, fear not! As mentioned in the beginning, we will be sharing our recommendations for the remaining seven classes soon. Stay tuned for books on topics ranging from consciousness and neuroscience to superheroes, psychics, and even space crimes!