Monster Manual

The 1977 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, first printing The book that led off the Advanced line, prepared before AD&D even had its rules: a 112-page hardcover bestiary with a cover by David C. Sutherland III, TSR's first staff artist. Because it came before the Player's Handbook, a first edition AD&D shelf starts here. The first printing is easy to confirm once you know where to look: the words "TM Reg Applied For" sit on the cover below the AD&D logo. Later reissues traded the original painting for new Jeff Easley art, so the Sutherland cover alone already marks an early copy.