The cover of Elminster: The Making of a Mage. A red-bearded mage does something magical with his hand involving lots of wavy lines. A small figure, a boy or a halfling, looks up at it in awe. In the corner is a small inset picture of adult Elminster for some reason.

Elminster: The Making of a Mage

“Speaking for myself, I suspect that it would be difficult to get into a romantic mood if my arms ended in bleeding stumps. But who knows? Perhaps Elminster is made of sterner stuff than I.”