Skirmisher Publishing LLC has just released
A Brief History of Gnolls: Anthropophagy and Emeralds from Wales to Wisconsin and Beyond (26 pages, $2.99, SKP E 0803). This unique and entertaining volume traces the history of the title fantasy creatures in literature and gaming, from when they were first introduced nearly a century ago up through the present.
A Brief History of Gnolls is currently available for download at
DriveThruRPG and
RPGNow. A coupon for a reduced-price download of the book is available through the Daywalker Bonus Content section of this Forum (contents of which are visible only to people who are both registered on the Forum and logged in).
Features of this book include two entertaining quasi-academic essays by writer Paul Haynie that examine the literary history of Gnolls; an appendix containing the 1912 Lord Dunsany short story that first introduces the creatures in question; and illustrations by artists Jon Kaufman and Sidney Sime.
A Brief History of Gnolls is the first in a series of similar books that will be devoted to other sorts of fantasy creatures with origins in folklore and literature, such as Orcs, Ogres, Goblins, and Trolls.