Player's Handbook
The first Players Handbook arrived in June 1978 as a 128-page hardcover book. Gary Gygax wrote the text while Mike Carr edited it and penned the foreword. D.A. Trampier created the original cover art that defined early perceptions of the game. David C. Sutherland III provided interior illustrations alongside Trampier's work. Games Workshop published a softcover version in the United Kingdom later that same year. Dealers continued ordering copies even after the second edition launched, pushing final printings to July 1990. Don Turnbull reviewed the book in issue No. 10 of White Dwarf magazine and awarded it a perfect score of 10 out of 10. He noted the product sold faster than anything he had seen at Dragonmeet conventions. Turnbull called the handbook a detailed and coherent system compared to the ambiguous original rules. Scott Taylor ranked Trampier's cover art number one on his list of top TSR paintings in 2014.
David Zeb Cook wrote the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Handbook released in 1989. The book expanded to 256 pages with eight full-color illustrations by Jeff Easley. Steve Winter convinced management that the game needed redevelopment rather than simple reorganization. Michael Dobson outlined a schedule aiming for a March or April 1989 release which proved accurate when the book appeared in February 1989. James Wallis rated the new edition only two out of five stars in May 1989 despite calling it an improvement over the original. Lawrence Schick described the book as a vast improvement in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds while noting spell descriptions bloated to over 100 pages. Stephan Wieck praised the layout and color scheme in a 1989 White Wolf review. The 1989 version became the larger core rulebook containing most character creation rules. It removed classes like the assassin and monk while regularizing the bard to function more like other classes. Half-orcs were deleted from the base game but returned later through supplements like The Complete Book of Humanoids published in 1993.
Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt designed the Fourth Edition Player's Handbook released on the 6th of June 2008. Wayne Reynolds illustrated the front cover while Dan Scott handled the back cover art. The book introduced eight new races including dragonborn and tiefling alongside eight existing ones. Classic elements such as the monk and bard classes disappeared from this initial release. John Baichtal of Wired magazine highlighted the balanced nature of the new powers at every level. He noted the shift between editions was as profound as the change from first edition AD&D to 3.5. The designers moved the game away from simulation toward a cinematic experience focused heavily on combat mechanics. Healing surges allowed player characters to be more adventurous during battles. Shannon Appelcline observed that fewer roleplaying aspects were codified while gameplay mechanics became more combat-focused. The book reached number 28 on USA Today bestseller lists and number 14 on Wall Street Journal non-fiction lists by late March 2009. Subsequent books added back missing races and classes like the druid and gnome.
Wizards of the Coast released the Fifth Edition Player's Handbook on the 19th of August 2014 with cover art by Tyler Jacobson. The artwork depicted King Snurre looming over two heroes engaged in battle against him. Jacobson chose an extreme angle to convey a desperate last-ditch effort by the female hero casting blue magic. The book sold 22,090 units in its first week ending the 1st of September 2014 according to Publishers Weekly data. It ranked number one in Hardcover Nonfiction and number seven overall on bestseller lists. The sourcebook won the 2015 Origins Award for Best Role Playing Game and Fan Favorite Role Playing Game. Three gold ENnie Awards followed including titles for Best Game, Best Rules, and Product of the Year. Jeff LaSala praised the visual appeal and the presence of an action heroine in sensible clothing compared to previous editions. Andrew Zimmerman Jones noted the rules light approach made it natural for old fans to bring new players into the hobby. Chuck Francisco felt the system brought back the crunchy feeling lost during fourth edition while remaining accessible. Henry Glasheen described the artwork as having the patient beauty of old-school high adventure amped up with modern aesthetics.
The backward compatible Player's Handbook released globally on the 17th of September 2024 as part of the fifth edition revision. Wizards of the Coast offered limited copies six weeks early at Gen Con conventions. Local game stores received access starting the 3rd of September 2024 through the Wizards Play Network. Tyler Jacobson created the standard cover featuring a party of adventurers with a friendly golden dragon standing behind them. Wylie Beckert designed an alternate cover showing a party sharing tea inside a cave with a dragon holding a teacup. Josh Herman explained the team wanted a sweeter calmer version that reflected storytelling over pure combat. Scott Thorne reported BookScan recorded 3,773 copies sold despite excluding many hobby store sales figures. Benjamin Abbott called the update lavish with grand hero art taking whole pages per class. Joshua Rivera praised the clean reworking and organic path through concepts compared to previous books. Charlie Hall highlighted user-friendly aspects but criticized the digital edition on D&D Beyond for being cluttered and complex. Christian Hoffer viewed the sourcebook as more accessible with better layout and clearer rules than its predecessor.
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Common questions
Who wrote the first Players Handbook released in June 1978?
Gary Gygax wrote the text for the first Players Handbook while Mike Carr edited it and penned the foreword. D.A. Trampier created the original cover art that defined early perceptions of the game.
When was the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Handbook released?
The book appeared in February 1989 after Michael Dobson outlined a schedule aiming for March or April 1989. David Zeb Cook wrote the content which expanded to 256 pages with eight full-color illustrations by Jeff Easley.
What new races did the Fourth Edition Player's Handbook introduce on the 6th of June 2008?
Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt designed the edition to include eight new races including dragonborn and tiefling alongside eight existing ones. Classic elements such as the monk and bard classes disappeared from this initial release before returning later through supplements like The Complete Book of Humanoids published in 1993.
How many units did the Fifth Edition Player's Handbook sell in its first week ending the 1st of September 2014?
The sourcebook sold 22,090 units in its first week according to Publishers Weekly data. It ranked number one in Hardcover Nonfiction and number seven overall on bestseller lists while winning the 2015 Origins Award for Best Role Playing Game.
When was the backward compatible Player's Handbook released globally on the 17th of September 2024?
Wizards of the Coast offered limited copies six weeks early at Gen Con conventions while local game stores received access starting the 3rd of September 2024 through the Wizards Play Network. Tyler Jacobson created the standard cover featuring a party of adventurers with a friendly golden dragon standing behind them.