One page is spent in an attempt to clear up some misconceptions regarding artifacts, including 'Artifacts are too powerful for a campaign,' 'All artifacts have horrible curses that keep them from being useful,' 'Artifacts are just collections of random powers,' 'Artifacts are all created by gods that shouldn't be involved in the campaign,' 'Artifacts are found only in the Greyhawk campaign,' 'If the characters stumble across an artifact, it could ruin the campaign,' 'A character with an artifact will ruin the adventure,' and 'Artifacts are nothing but a headache.' The next four pages of the introduction provide an explanation of the book's contents by chapter, defines what makes an artifact different from other magic items (an artifact is unique, has a special history, and provides an impetus for a story to be centered on it) and includes a set of guidelines on how a Dungeon Master can create a new artifact for the campaign.

The book's 8-page introduction on pages 3–10 provides an overview of the contents and the significance of artifacts within the game. Cover art is by Fred Fields and interior art and icons were designed by Daniel Frazier. The book was designed primarily by David 'Zeb' Cook, with some additional design by Rich Baker, Wolfgang Baur, Steve and Glenda Burns, Bill Connors, Dale 'Slade' Henson, Colin McComb, Thomas M. in 1993, details 50 different artifacts, special magic items found within the game at the Dungeon Master's option. The Book of Artifacts (abbreviated as BoA ) is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

Artifacts, Volume 1 by Ron Marz