When work first commenced on ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Fantasy Adventure Game,
one particular aspect of fantasy role playing was foremost in my mind:
    there was either a general neglect of deities or else an even worse use by abuse.
That is, game masters tended to ignore deities which were supposedly served and worshiped by characters in the campaign,
or else they had gods popping up at the slightest whim of player characters in order to rescue them from perilous situations,
grant wishes,
and generally step-and-fetch.
Obviously, there is a broad ground between these two extremes,
and that is squarely where I desired AD&D to go. <symbol(square) squarely (square)symbol>
As the various manuscripts were being written, <handwritten font?>
I informed both James Ward and Rob Kuntz of the direction which the overall work was to take and then followed up with draft copies of the manuscripts.
Thus, both authors were well-appraised of the form and content of AD&D.
Their work, the DEITIES & DEMIGODS cyclopedia,
reflects the fact that they not only were kept abreast of the game as it developed,
but that they also adhered to the concepts which were instrumental in making AD&D what it is.
DEITIES & DEMIGODS is an indispensable part of the whole of AD&D.
Do not fall into the error of regarding it as a supplement.
It is integral to Dungeon Mastering a true AD&D campaign. <4 core rulebooks, not 3!>
Experienced players will immediately concur with this evaluation,
for they already know how important alignment is,
how necessary the deity is to the cleric,
and how interaction of the various alignments depends upon the entities which lead them.
Those readers not well-grounded in ongoing campaigns must take my word for all this,
although they will soon discover for themselves how crucial the deities of the campaign milieu are.

In general deities are presented in pantheons.
You can select which ones,
combinations,
or parts of pantheons best suit your campaign.
Knowing which gods are "real" in the campaign world one is able to intelligently choose to serve one (or more)
suitable to the character's alignment, profession, and even goals.
Included are major, minor, and almost-gods (demigods).
There are also a few "divine" monsters and magic items herein.
These are creatures and devices so connected to mythology that this work was the only place to properly present them.
Not included are those minions of Evil found in MONSTER MANUAL and the attendant volumes forthcoming.
Evil power is only represented as a foe for the forces of good to strive against and to crush.

The format used to present the beings in DEITIES & DEMIGODS was actually developed through close consultation with myself.
It was chosen for clarity and completeness of information.
The reader can extract basic information quickly,
just by glancing at the statistics pertaining to the being in question.
Greater detail is then presented in the explanatory paragraphs which follow the initial data.
It is worth commenting that the strength and powers of the beings contained herein are appropriate to the overall work.
Thus, addition of these deities and demigods does not imbalance the campaign.
Furthermore, characters who become a match for them are obviously to be ranked amongst their number,
no longer suitable for daily campaign interaction,
but to be removed to another place and plane and treated accordingly.

The authors have prepared exactly what AD&D needed to make it a complete work. <4 core rulebooks, not 3!>
They deserve praise for the excellence of their effort.
It is also necessary to acknowledge the contributions made by the TSR staff, developmentally and editorially alike.
The writing of this work was a long and complex project which involved countless hours of research.
Both authors were willing to step back from it and allow the team at TSR to amend and augment their creation to assure that the whole
would meet each and every need of DM and player alike with respect to the deities and demigods of the campaign milieu.

DEITIES & DEMIGODS deserves to be a part of AD&D.
It was designed to provide the much-needed information on how to include these "divine" beings,
effects in the campaign milieu,
how to have the participants interact with them,
and offers a broad selection from which to choose.
It is with sincere pleasure that I welcome James Ward and Rob Kuntz into the AD&D fold.
I trust that you will find their efforts most rewarding to your gaming enjoyment.

E. Gary Gygax
1 May 1980
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Gary, c. 1981

I didn't author the work in question, nor did I do an approval or any editing on it, so I can not speak to what it says.
Check with Rob over on the Pied Piper Publishing boards, or perhaps Jim Ward (Fast forward) for an authoratative response 

Cheers,
Gary