The 1st edition Monster Manual was reproduced as a premium reprint on July 17, 2012. The first edition was also the first appearance of the mimic. The first edition Monster Manual notably included topless portrayals of some of its female monsters, including the succubus, Type V demons, lamia, and sylph.

Minor changes during the print run included a cover art change to match a new logo and house style and some minor corrections introduced in the 1978 printings. The book remained little changed throughout its fifteen printings up to 1989. When the book was reprinted in 1983 it featured new cover art by Jeff Easley. A softcover version of the Monster Manual was printed in the United Kingdom by Games Workshop in 1978. The cover of the original printing was illustrated by David C. The book features an alphabetical table of contents of all the monsters on pages 3-4, explanatory notes for the statistics lines on pages 5-6, descriptions of the monsters on pages 6-103, a treasure chart on page 105, and an index of major listings on pages 106-109. Each monster was listed alphabetically with a comprehensive description and full statistics and was, in many cases, supported by an illustration.

Some monsters were new-others were compiled and revised from older sources such as Monsters and Treasure, Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry, as well as the The Strategic Review and Dragon magazine (such as the ankheg and remorhaz). The book contains information and statistics for more than 350 monsters. It was written by Gary Gygax and published in 1977 as a 108-page book. The Monster Manual ( product code TSR 2009, ISBN 0-93) was the bestiary of monsters for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st edition), the first book released for that edition, and the first hardcover book released for any edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

Original 1977 monster manual pdf