Down Down Down: An Exploration Of Literature's Dungeons from The Bibliothecha to Bastionland

A bibliographic deep dive into the subterranean imaginary that traces the fascination of underground spaces.

Since that fateful moment in 1974 when Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson decided to title their revolutionary new roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, a strong subterranean mystique has permeated gaming cultures from the tabletop to the games console and beyond. But what if the caves, crypts, grottos, and dank netherworlds explored by players weren’t only harboring treasures of the fictiona...