Enrico Ricciardi — you may recall his Ultima-themed girly calendar from some years ago — has posted an exciting update in the Ultima Dragons group on Facebook:

As I had previously communicated to you, I am helping my friend – author Andrea Contato – to publish his book titled Through the Moongate – The Story of Richard Garriott, Origin Systems Inc. & Ultima. Funding for the initial publication will be raised through a Kickstarter campaign, launching on a symbolic date: September 16 2018, the anniversary of the ULTIMA IV release, one of the RPGs that have revolutionized the history of videogames.

The book will have a format of about 18 x 24 cm (7 x 9.5 inches), and will be available in hardcover. It will be published fully in English, thanks to the translation and editing by Andreas Przygienda and Ellouise McGeachie.

The cover artwork was created by myself, submitting several variants to Richard Garriott, who chose his favorite among the images. Ramon Cipressi thankfully created the 3D renderings needed to make the cover shine. A preview is added to this post.

The Kickstarter campaign will also fund a back cover created by THE Ultima artist Denis Loubet and an exclusive bookmark drawn by the former Origin artist and writer Manda (aka Penumbra in the Ultima series).

Andrea Contato’s Through the Moongate: The Story of Richard Garriott, Origin Systems Inc. and Ultima is a comprehensive, organic work of research – the first of its kind – on the history and impact that Garriott and Origin have had on the gaming industry. Within its pages, the author has retold the story of Garriott’s entire creative career, from his first games to his most recent: Shroud of the Avatar.