Ed Greenwood

Ed Greenwood (born 1959) is the creator of the Forgotten Realms. He first began in 1967, writing fiction set in his imagined world. He created the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for his own D&amp;D games in 1975, and its popularity with other gamers through Dragon Magazine led to TSR's purchase of the setting in 1986.

"I wanted the Realms to be not a nice place, not a safe place, but I wanted it to be a place I wouldn't mind exploring and spending time in. As in nicer than the real world when you're a lonely nerdy kid, which I was."

- Ed Greenwood on creating the Realms.

Although Elminster is the in-world alter ego for Ed, this was done for editorial purposes, as it was requested to him by TSR, Inc. However, Elminster is not a character that Ed himself would have picked as his alter ego if given the choice. It is a common conceit in Ed's writing that the plane-travelling Elminster is a friend of his and that his knowledge of the Forgotten Realms comes from their chats.

When not writing Realmslore or yet another book, Ed keeps himself busy by attending conventions and working as a library clerk in Canada where he lives at a farmhouse in Ontario.

Ed's ambition is to fully detail the entirety of the Forgotten Realms, fleshing out every place in full detail, but he admits that this is an unrealistic goal and is unlikely ever to be achieved.

Ed has authored many more&mdash;including the detailed Volo's Guide series&mdash;and continues to DM his own campaign. He has written regular Realmslore columns for the Wizards of the Coast website and continues his writing about the realms on his personal website.

In addition to all these activities, Ed works as a library clerk (and sometimes as a librarian) and has edited over a dozen small press magazines. When not appearing at conventions, he lives in an old farmhouse in the countryside of Ontario.

Works

 * Boxed Sets
 * Forgotten Realms Campaign Set • City System • The Ruins of Undermountain • Menzoberranzan (boxed set) • Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition • The Ruins of Myth Drannor • City of Splendors (boxed set) • Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised)
 * Sourcebooks
 * Lords of Darkness • Waterdeep and the North • The Magister • Hall of Heroes • Forgotten Realms Adventures • Dwarves Deep • The Drow of the Underdark • Anauroch (sourcebook) • Volo's Guide to Waterdeep • The Code of the Harpers • Volo's Guide to the North • Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast • The Seven Sisters • Volo's Guide to Cormyr • Pages from the Mages • Volo's Guide to the Dalelands • Volo's Guide to All Things Magical • Prayers from the Faithful • The City of Ravens Bluff • Secrets of the Magister • Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II • Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition • Silver Marches (sourcebook) • Serpent Kingdoms • Power of Faerûn • The Grand History of the Realms • Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide • Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms
 * Adventures
 * The Bloodstone Wars • Shadowdale (adventure) • Tantras (adventure) • Waterdeep (adventure) • Halls of the High King • Haunted Halls of Eveningstar • Expedition to Undermountain
 * Novels
 * Shandril's Saga (Spellfire • Crown of Fire • Hand of Fire) • Elminster series (Elminster: The Making of a Mage • Elminster in Myth Drannor • The Temptation of Elminster • Elminster in Hell • Elminster's Daughter) • The Shadow of the Avatar Trilogy (Shadows of Doom • Cloak of Shadows • All Shadows Fled) • The Cormyr Saga (Cormyr: A Novel• Death of the Dragon) • The Harpers series (Crown of Fire • Stormlight) Double Diamond Triangle Saga (The Mercenaries • The Diamond) • Knights of Myth Drannor (Swords of Eveningstar • Swords of Dragonfire • The Sword Never Sleeps) • The Annotated Elminster • The City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel • Sage of Shadowdale (Elminster Must Die • Bury Elminster Deep • Elminster Enraged) • The Sundering series (The Herald) • Chosen Heirs (Death Masks) Spellstorm
 * Fiction
 * Realms of Infamy (So High a Price) • Realms of Valor (Elminster at the Magefair) • Realms of Magic (The Eye of the Dragon) • Realms of the Underdark (A Slow Day in Skullport) • Realms of the Arcane (The Whispering Crown) • Silverfall (No more in Armor for My Sake) • Realms of the Deep (The Place Where Guards Snore at Their Posts) • Sembia: Gateway to the Realms (The Burning Chalice) • Realms of Shadow (When Shadows Come Seeking a Throne) • The Best of the Realms II (One Comes, Unheralded, to Zirta) • Untold Adventures (Lord of the Darkways)
 * Magazines
 * Dragon Magazine 307: The Haunted Bridge
 * Newsletters


 * Secrets of the Sages