preferred 1E printing?

Discussions of 1E made me curious enough to consider acquiring copies for myself. However, I see that there's a couple of variants floating around. The original printings had some wonderfully atrocious cover art; the subsequent printings had more "realistic" representations.

Would someone please explain the significance between the two versions? I'm rather attracted to the original artwork and prefer to get that, but if the subsequent version has important corrections made to it then I will consider getting that one instead.

I've included thumbnails of each to show exactly what I'm referring to.

sunrisekid said:

I'm rather attracted to the original artwork and prefer to get that...

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Go with your gut.

That artwork is the version that (a) was published while Gygax was still with the company, (b) was made by Dave Trampier of "Wormy" fame, (c) is sold in the digital PDF form at RPGNow, and (d) was referenced on the 3E PHB II. So, it's the "real deal".

In version #1, I think that philosophy-wise you can see more attention to the "simulated world" around the adventurers (dead bodies, cleaning weapons, digging gems, checking map on where to go next... wraps all the way around the back cover with hirelings dragging away bodies and treasure). In version #2 you see the switch to more "bust of the hero" type art, with hero-and-villian-in-encounter, and not much else.

No differences in the text.

Edit: The 2nd art was advertised at the time as "The Original, Uncut Players Handbook in TSR's Attractive New Cover". Full details here -- http://acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/phb.html

Delta said:

No differences in the text.

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Excellent, thanks for confirming. And thanks also for providing some context for the publications.

The content is the same, but the clear, objective, superiority of the original artwork makes the choice obvious.

BUT, the paperback 1e PHB turned into a loose-leaf version very quickly... Mine soon ended up punched and in a ring binder for just that reason!

(you know, I'd forgotten that you used to be able to get the PHB in paperback!)

The orange spine ones tend to shred and fall apart sadly. I could never keep an orange spine DMG together. The Efreeti, and Statue copies have held up much better over the years. My necromancer cover DMG has since had to be put into a binder when the spine fell apart, and the other 2 copies of it are both in halves along the spine. (Just waiting for those pages to fall out.)

Given the choice I would suggest the older ones just for durability. Unless you want to put them in binders, then the orange spine will come apart at the seems easily for you.

Don’t look at the cover art. I have two with the Trampier art (which I happen to prefer). Both say “6th printing” on the title page. Yet there are (minor) textual differences.

Heck, even by the Acaeum’s count they should both be “seventh”.

But, yeah, as I understand it the new cover doesn’t have any more textual difference than mine do.

I must say, I'm fond of the Jeff Easley one, because that's the book I learned to play with.

Trade Paperback 3.5e PHB

Plane Sailing said:

BUT, the paperback 1e PHB turned into a loose-leaf version very quickly... Mine soon ended up punched and in a ring binder for just that reason!

(you know, I'd forgotten that you used to be able to get the PHB in paperback!)

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I got a paperback PHB for 3.5e by buying the "Player's Kit." Amazon shows a picture of a copy of the boxed kit still available used ($17.97 -- cheap). Published June 13, 2006. (Read the description: it contains a trade paperback PHB. WotC might do that again, you never know. . . .)

justanobody said:

The orange spine ones tend to shred and fall apart sadly. I could never keep an orange spine DMG together. The Efreeti, and Statue copies have held up much better over the years. My necromancer cover DMG has since had to be put into a binder when the spine fell apart, and the other 2 copies of it are both in halves along the spine. (Just waiting for those pages to fall out.)

Given the choice I would suggest the older ones just for durability. Unless you want to put them in binders, then the orange spine will come apart at the seems easily for you.

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The earlier printings of the MM, PHB, and DMG were the most-durable: the ones with the colored end-papers and reinforced spines. They'll last even longer than the less-durable but still original art later printings, which were, in turn, better-bound than the run of second cover art printings. Gary commented at one time that he hated saving 5 cents per book or something like that with the cheaper bindings, but the Blumes forced him into it