First off, it’s hard to believe that Magic: The Gathering is already 25 years old. What’s even harder to believe is just how vast the mythology the artists, storytellers, and game designers have created over those many years. Fortunately, Viz Media has captured all the history and “magic” throughout the years in the new hardcover book Magic The Gathering: Concepts and Legends.

When I first started playing Magic back in 1994, it was just a cool game with interesting creatures, spells, and landscapes. From 4th Edition to Ice Age and beyond, I just took the cards at face value for their respective mechanics and sadly took for granted the world-building mythology that was presented to me at the time. With the new Concepts and Legends hardcover, however, that world-building has been laid out in full, visually stunning glory.

With a treasure trove of artwork to back up interesting descriptions, readers are taken through the varying categories of the M:TG universe. The book is broken into four distinct sections: planes, races, creatures, and characters of Magic. The narrative of how your favorite landscapes, such as Dominaria or Ravnica, are created or reinvented is eye-opening, and the large images help you appreciate what you may have just glossed over when previously glancing at a card.

In the races and creatures sections, it’s interesting to learn more about your favorite creatures and discover new ones, but the concept sketches add some interesting insight to see how these detailed creations gradually came to life.The characters section is a veritable who’s who of the Magic universe. It provides short profiles (and of course, stellar artwork) of various planeswalkers, legends like Nicol Bolas, and new introductions to 2019 characters like Vivien Reid.

The over-sized hardcover comes in a thick slipcase and has 192 glossy, full-color pages. It carries a suggested MSRP of $39.99 but can be found discounted online. Additionally, the book comes with four double-sided art prints to hang on your wall and share your love of Magic with abandon. The artwork featured in the bound hardcover is only a small slice of the numerous pieces of art that have made up each Magic set over the past 25 years, but a variety of styles are represented. Plus, it’s really amazing to see the huge list of names contributing art to this book and realizing that the list only accounts for a small portion of artists who have helped bring this world to life.

Unlike Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering never really had a players’ handbook, a monster manual, or the like that players could read to understand or visualize the world in which they inhabit, but Concepts and Legends, while not quite as exhaustive, certainly fills that role for fans old and new. If you’re like me and missed a few years (or fifteen) of playing Magic, this book provides a great overview. Whether to serve as a jumping off for a new fan or a warm embrace for a longtime player, Magic: The Gathering: Concepts and Legends is a perfect addition to any shelf.

(Disclosure: We received a review copy of this book. All opinions remain our own.)