Library of Alexandria Playmats

Every Library of Alexandria playmat here is Mark Poole's work — the artist who illustrated the card for Arabian Nights in 1993. Most are signed, several hand-drawn, and the collection includes three of his own reinterpretations, “Library Nocturna” and two of “Library Solara,” a hand-drawn Halloween edition, and two from Eternal Weekend 2016.

A Reserved List card that stayed with one artist

Library of Alexandria debuted in Arabian Nights (1993) with art by Mark Poole. It's restricted in Vintage and in Old School, and banned in both Legacy and Commander — a card defined by the formats that still allow it, one copy at a time. As a Reserved List card it has never had a normal reprint, and the three artists who have illustrated it since all did so outside regular retail printings: Drew Baker for the Magic Online-only Vintage Masters (2014), Volkan Baǵa for the 2020 Vintage Championship, and Bruce Brenneise for a digital-only Special Guests printing (2026). None of those versions appears here — every playmat in this collection uses Poole's art.

What's in this collection

Most playmats here are signed by Poole and several are hand-drawn, including a “[V2]” hand-drawn variant and a Halloween edition that works in a nod to Ancestral Recall. A separate hand-drawn piece combines Ancestral Recall, Birds of Paradise and Library of Alexandria in one image. Three are Poole's own reinterpretations of the subject, which he named “Library Nocturna” and “Library Solara” — the latter offered both as a playmat and as a mouse pad. Two come from Eternal Weekend 2016, one of them a VIP playmat.

Condition and photographs

Because most of these are signed, individually finished pieces, condition matters as much as the artwork. Every listing uses real photographs of the actual playmat, so you can check the surface and the signature before buying.