The Fellowship of the Ring
Tolkien’s published Middle-earth becomes a central source for modern fantasy worlds.
Landmark Media
THE ARCHIVE OF IMAGINED WORLDS
The Chronicle
Follow the writers, artists, designers, and visionaries who built the worlds we still enter.
A LIVING HISTORY
Every realm has ancestors.
Move through the timeline, filter by tradition, and open any medallion for a full profile. Authors stand beside illustrators, game designers, filmmakers, editors, and other builders of imagined worlds.
← EarlierDrag or scroll through the yearsLater →
MS
Science FictionOpen profile →GM
FantasyOpen profile →JV
Science FictionOpen profile →HP
FantasyOpen profile →HGW
Science FictionOpen profile →AR
FantasyOpen profile →LD
Fantasy · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →WM
Comics · FantasyOpen profile →NW
FantasyOpen profile →REH
Fantasy · Comics · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →MB
FantasyOpen profile →VF
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →JRRT
Fantasy · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →S&S
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →HB
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →FL
Fantasy · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →RAH
Science FictionOpen profile →BF
ComicsOpen profile →WE
ComicsOpen profile →JK
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →IA
Science FictionOpen profile →WW
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →CSL
FantasyOpen profile →JV
Fantasy · Science Fiction · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →RB
Science Fiction · FantasyOpen profile →OT
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →✦ MM
Fantasy · Comics · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →SL
Science FictionOpen profile →SL
ComicsOpen profile →SD
Comics · FantasyOpen profile →FH
Science FictionOpen profile →✦ FF
Fantasy · ComicsOpen profile →SRD
Science FictionOpen profile →GR
Science FictionOpen profile →JS
ComicsOpen profile →NA
ComicsOpen profile →UKL
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →ACC
Science FictionOpen profile →PKD
Science FictionOpen profile →BWS
Comics · FantasyOpen profile →BW
Comics · FantasyOpen profile →DA
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →JCJ
Fantasy · ComicsOpen profile →CF
Science FictionOpen profile →JST
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →M
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →GG
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →✦ RM
Science FictionOpen profile →BV
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →CC
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →KSA
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →BH
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →OEB
Science FictionOpen profile →RM
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →JB
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →DAT
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →DCS
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →✦ ✦ AL
FantasyOpen profile →BF
FantasyOpen profile →DA
Science FictionOpen profile →GS
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →EO
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →FM
ComicsOpen profile →JJ
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →MW
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →GP
ComicsOpen profile →LE
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →TM
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →DZC
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →SP
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →✦ SM
Science FictionOpen profile →JE
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →CC
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →KP
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →KO
Comics · Science FictionOpen profile →AM
Comics · Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →✦ TP
FantasyOpen profile →WS
Comics · FantasyOpen profile →WG
Science FictionOpen profile →W&H
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →✦ SJ
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →✦ YA
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →EG
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →RAS
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →MP
Role-Playing Games · Science FictionOpen profile →B
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →DM
Comics · FantasyOpen profile →NG
Fantasy · ComicsOpen profile →✦ JH
FantasyOpen profile →MRH
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →JB
Fantasy · ComicsOpen profile →DG
Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →✦ MM
Comics · FantasyOpen profile →GRRM
FantasyOpen profile →WR
Role-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →MC
Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →✦ LC
Science FictionOpen profile →
Mary Shelley
Frankenstein
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →GM
George MacDonald
Phantastes
Author · MinisterFantasyOpen profile →JV
Jules Verne
From the Earth to the Moon
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →HP
Howard Pyle
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
ArtistFantasyOpen profile →HGW
H. G. Wells
The Time Machine
Author · Social CriticScience FictionOpen profile →AR
Arthur Rackham
Rip Van Winkle illustrations
ArtistFantasyOpen profile →LD
Lord Dunsany
The Gods of Pegāna
Author · PlaywrightFantasy · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →WM
Winsor McCay
Little Nemo in Slumberland
Cartoonist · AnimatorComics · FantasyOpen profile →NW
N. C. Wyeth
Treasure Island
ArtistFantasyOpen profile →REH
Robert E. Howard
Conan debuts in Weird Tales
AuthorFantasy · Comics · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →MB
Margaret Brundage
Weird Tales covers
ArtistFantasyOpen profile →VF
Virgil Finlay
Weird Tales interior art
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →JRRT
J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hobbit
Author · PhilologistFantasy · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →S&S
Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
Action Comics #1
Writer · ArtistComics · Science FictionOpen profile →HB
Hannes Bok
Weird Tales debut
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →FL
Fritz Leiber
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser debut
AuthorFantasy · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →RAH
Robert A. Heinlein
Life-Line
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →BF
Bill Finger
Detective Comics #27
Writer · DesignerComicsOpen profile →WE
Will Eisner
The Spirit
ArtistComicsOpen profile →JK
Jack Kirby
Captain America Comics #1
ArtistComics · Science FictionOpen profile →IA
Isaac Asimov
Foundation stories begin
Author · Science WriterScience FictionOpen profile →WW
Wally Wood
EC science-fiction comics
ArtistComics · Science FictionOpen profile →CSL
C. S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Author · ScholarFantasyOpen profile →JV
Jack Vance
The Dying Earth
AuthorFantasy · Science Fiction · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →RB
Ray Bradbury
The Martian Chronicles
AuthorScience Fiction · FantasyOpen profile →OT
Osamu Tezuka
Astro Boy
Manga Artist · AnimatorComics · Science FictionOpen profile →
Michael Moorcock
Elric of Melniboné debuts
Author · EditorFantasy · Comics · Role-Playing GamesOpen profile →SL
Stanisław Lem
Solaris
Author · EssayistScience FictionOpen profile →SL
Stan Lee
Fantastic Four #1
Writer · Editor · PublisherComicsOpen profile →SD
Steve Ditko
Spider-Man and Doctor Strange
ArtistComics · FantasyOpen profile →FH
Frank Herbert
Dune
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →
Dune
Ecology, politics, religion, and deep history combine into a new scale of science-fiction worldbuilding.
Landmark MediaFrank Frazetta
Conan paperback paintings
ArtistFantasy · ComicsOpen profile →SRD
Samuel R. Delany
Babel-17
Author · CriticScience FictionOpen profile →GR
Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek premieres
Creator · Producer · WriterScience FictionOpen profile →JS
Jim Steranko
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Artist · Writer · DesignerComicsOpen profile →NA
Neal Adams
Deadman
ArtistComicsOpen profile →UKL
Ursula K. Le Guin
A Wizard of Earthsea
Author · EssayistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →ACC
Arthur C. Clarke
2001: A Space Odyssey
Author · FuturistScience FictionOpen profile →PKD
Philip K. Dick
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →BWS
Barry Windsor-Smith
Conan the Barbarian #1
ArtistComics · FantasyOpen profile →BW
Bernie Wrightson
Swamp Thing
ArtistComics · FantasyOpen profile →DA
Dave Arneson
Blackmoor campaign begins
Game DesignerRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →JCJ
Jeffrey Catherine Jones
Fantasy paperback paintings
ArtistFantasy · ComicsOpen profile →CF
Chris Foss
Foundation trilogy covers
ArtistScience FictionOpen profile →JST
Jim Starlin
Thanos debuts
Artist · WriterComics · Science FictionOpen profile →M
Mœbius
Métal Hurlant founded
ArtistComics · Science FictionOpen profile →GG
Gary Gygax
Dungeons & Dragons
Game Designer · PublisherRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →
Dungeons & Dragons
Fantasy becomes participatory: a shared world built at the table.
Landmark MediaRalph McQuarrie
Early Star Wars concept paintings
ArtistScience FictionOpen profile →BV
Boris Vallejo
Doc Savage and fantasy covers
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →CC
Chris Claremont
Begins landmark X-Men run
Comics WriterComics · Science FictionOpen profile →KSA
Ken St. Andre
Tunnels & Trolls
Game Designer · AuthorRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →BH
Greg & Tim Hildebrandt
Tolkien calendars
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →OEB
Octavia E. Butler
Patternmaster
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →RM
Rowena Morrill
Ace fantasy and science-fiction covers
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →JB
John Byrne
X-Men collaboration begins
Artist · WriterComics · Science FictionOpen profile →DAT
David A. Trampier
Monster Manual artwork
Artist · CartoonistRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →DCS
David C. Sutherland III
Monster Manual artwork
Artist · CartographerRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →
Star Wars
Mythic adventure and lived-in science fiction meet on a global screen.
Landmark MediaHeavy Metal
European and North American speculative comics find a bold new showcase.
Landmark MediaAlan Lee
Faeries
ArtistFantasyOpen profile →BF
Brian Froud
Faeries
ArtistFantasyOpen profile →DA
Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker’s Guide radio series
Author · ScriptwriterScience FictionOpen profile →GS
Greg Stafford
RuneQuest
Game Designer · PublisherRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →EO
Erol Otus
Early Dungeons & Dragons art
ArtistRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →FM
Frank Miller
Daredevil run begins
Artist · Writer · FilmmakerComicsOpen profile →JJ
Jennell Jaquays
Caverns of Thracia
Game Designer · ArtistRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →MW
Michael Whelan
First Hugo for Professional Artist
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →GP
George Pérez
The New Teen Titans
Artist · WriterComicsOpen profile →LE
Larry Elmore
Joins TSR
ArtistRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →TM
Tom Moldvay
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
Game Designer · WriterRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →DZC
David “Zeb” Cook
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
Game DesignerRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →SP
Sandy Petersen
Call of Cthulhu
Game DesignerRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Pulp adventure returns to cinema with tactile relics, peril, and mythic momentum.
Landmark MediaSyd Mead
Blade Runner
ArtistScience FictionOpen profile →JE
Jeff Easley
Joins TSR
ArtistRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →CC
Clyde Caldwell
Joins TSR
ArtistRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →KP
Keith Parkinson
Joins TSR
ArtistRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →KO
Katsuhiro Otomo
Akira begins
Manga Artist · FilmmakerComics · Science FictionOpen profile →AM
Alan Moore
Marvelman and V for Vendetta
Comics Writer · AuthorComics · Fantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →
Blade Runner
A rain-soaked, inhabited future transforms the visual language of cinematic science fiction.
Landmark MediaTerry Pratchett
The Colour of Magic
Author · SatiristFantasyOpen profile →WS
Walt Simonson
Thor run begins
Artist · WriterComics · FantasyOpen profile →WG
William Gibson
Neuromancer
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →W&H
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Dragonlance begins
Authors · Game DesignersRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →
Dragonlance
Tabletop play, novels, and painted characters converge into a shared fantasy saga.
Landmark MediaSteve Jackson
GURPS
Game Designer · PublisherRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →
The Dark Crystal
Creature design, puppetry, folklore, and worldbuilding create a fantasy realm without human characters.
Landmark MediaYoshitaka Amano
Final Fantasy
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →EG
Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms Campaign Set
Game Designer · AuthorRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →RAS
R. A. Salvatore
The Crystal Shard
AuthorRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →MP
Mike Pondsmith
Cyberpunk
Game Designer · PublisherRole-Playing Games · Science FictionOpen profile →B
Gerald Brom
Joins TSR
ArtistRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →DM
Dave McKean
The Sandman covers
ArtistComics · FantasyOpen profile →NG
Neil Gaiman
The Sandman
Author · Comics WriterFantasy · ComicsOpen profile →
The Sandman
Myth, horror, history, and literary comics gather inside one evolving dream.
Landmark MediaJohn Howe
Tolkien calendars and editions
ArtistFantasyOpen profile →MRH
Mark Rein-Hagen
Vampire: The Masquerade
Game DesignerRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →JB
Julie Bell
Fantasy and Marvel paintings
ArtistFantasy · ComicsOpen profile →DG
Donato Giancola
Professional book-cover career
ArtistFantasy · Science FictionOpen profile →
Magic: The Gathering
Hundreds of artists build a fantasy multiverse one collectible image at a time.
Landmark MediaMike Mignola
Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
Artist · WriterComics · FantasyOpen profile →GRRM
George R. R. Martin
A Game of Thrones
Author · ScreenwriterFantasyOpen profile →WR
Wayne Reynolds
Dungeons & Dragons third edition
ArtistRole-Playing Games · FantasyOpen profile →MC
Monte Cook
Dungeons & Dragons third edition
Game Designer · AuthorRole-Playing GamesOpen profile →
The Fellowship of the Ring
Decades of Tolkien illustration become a vast, coherent physical world on screen.
Landmark MediaLiu Cixin
The Three-Body Problem
AuthorScience FictionOpen profile →