While I'm at it, may as well post the back of the UK (4th print) cover:

nev wrote in Basic rulebook back covers:Another Basic thread...

I'm looking at my copies of the basic rulebook and I noticed the acaeum page doesn't mention all the changes to the back cover.

As far as I can tell, I have a 7th print US set. The back of my box has the chits and the rulebook says 3rd edition.

While the acaeum page mentions the 4th print has a price for B1, it doesn't mention when the prices are removed in subsequent printings. The rulebook I have doesn't have any prices on the back. Can I confirm with other people that their 7th print rulebooks or earlier don't have prices?

Here is the back cover:
[ Image ]

For comparison, here is the back of the Australian print rulebook. Foul, it's probably worth updating the acaeum foreign page to note there are no prices compared to the 4th print US.
[ Image ]

First of all, these printing questions are great.
The short answer: my 7th print rulebook doesn't have prices.

But there is also a printing after the one you pictured without prices.

Somewhere I have a list of these. I'll try and find it and post some pictures. Here are a couple other references:

List of Changes Made to the Holmes Basic Rulebook - Zenopus Archives

Research: Holmes 3rd Edition - THREE versions?

Those don't have much in the way of scans but I used them as a cross reference to put together my list.

Mike

The Acaeum page for the Holmes Basic set doesn't track all of the different printings of the rulebook. IMO there should be a page added here for that because the rulebook was consistently sold separately as indicated in various TSR product listings and catalogs.

Here are the printings of the rulebook that I have noted so far. This is taken from my page linked above by CK.

1st edition, 1st print: code F116-R, Lizard Logo
1st edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Lizard Logo, January 1978
1st edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Lizard Logo, May 1978
2nd edition, 1st print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, November 1978, back cover B1 price $4.49
2nd edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, November 1978, back cover B1 price $5.49
2nd edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, November 1978, no prices on back cover (See here for pictures of this print)
3rd edition, 1st print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, no ISBN on page 1 [I've never seen this, but it's mentioned on the Acaeum as a possibility]
3rd edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE OR CHITS" on page 46
3rd edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE" on page 46
Silver Anniversary reprint, 1999 (not considered a later version for the changes documented below because it reprints the 2nd edition)

I don't like referring to these by the Acaeum numbering for the Box Set printings as different Box Sets might have different variations of the rulebook. For instance, a 5th or 6th printing could have any of the 2nd edition rulebook variations, and the 6th or 7th printing of the Box Set (per Acaeum numbering) could have any of the 3rd edition versions. And overlap of the 6th printing makes it even more confusion to refer to one of the rulebooks using this printing scheme.

I just took a look at my copies.

My copy of this one has the back cover that Nev posted:
"3rd edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE OR CHITS" on page 46"

And my copy of this one has the back cover that CK posted:
"3rd edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE" on page 46"

What's interesting is that the back cover product listing on this last printing drops all references to the Advanced D&D line. I'm guessing this is the start of the post-lawsuit effort to differentiate the OD&D/Basic D&D line from Advanced.

I'll also note here that these last two printings, in addition to having a difference on page 46, also have differences in formatting on page 19.
The final printing moves the Monster combat table to the top of the page, whereas it was previously centered in the middle. A paragraph referring to the 20-sided die being numbered 0-9 is also deleted on page 19, which corresponds to the presence of a 10-sided die now being mentioned in the "Using the Dice" section.

Looks like a lot of this was hashed out previously about ten years ago by myself and others in the thread linked above by CK  

Well, this should be the goal of this community to my eyes. Since we have all a collection (regardless the size, like my wife says! ), this forum should work namely like in this topic: someone raises a question or asks for a deep dive and everyone here should be called to provide with his part...

For too long time i wondered why we do not act this way... We should have done this job ages ago and Scott should have a complete set of info and pics! (And i still see the "image needed" warning among these pages)

Instead of doing this, i have seen hours and pages here spent on the coug, bill's failed KS and so forth...

We should build knowledge about dnd here, nothing else... And i see that we have built already the 80% and the missing 20% ( which is the hardest part of job) should not be an issue with all the knowledge and the books of all of us...

My dream is to see the pages of the Acaeum completed in the info and a ton of pics detailing the printing differences... The pages we have so far are good from far but far from good...

My two cents...

Ciaoo

Zenopus wrote in Basic rulebook back covers:Regarding the UK prints, I've also been shown a photo of one lacking prices on the back cover, a version which is not noted on the Acaeum Foreign Editions page for the Basic Set.

Posted here, where I called it a "fifth printing":
ZENOPUS ARCHIVES: UK rulebook fifth printing

Here is the photo from that post, which was sent to me by Acaeum member dwarf:
[ Image ]

Comparing it to Nev's post above, in addition to missing the prices, it is also missing the the listings for War of the Worlds, Star Probe and Star Empires, presumably because these were no longer available.

I have a couple questions about the UK printings. Is the one pictured above the same as the UK 3rd printing listed here:

Basic Set Foreign

Also can anyone confirm the mention of Hobbits on page 11 of any UK print? None of mine mention Hobbits.

Thanks,
Mike

Going through my books I have all the ones Zenopus listed plus one that fits between the (3rd ed 2nd print) and the (3rd ed 3rd print). Which makes 10 printings, not counting the UK, Australian and Silver Anniversary prints. Out of those 10 prints I found 6 different rear covers. Here is a quick list matching Zenopus' list with the ones I have:

1st edition, 1st print: code F116-R, Lizard Logo                    - blank rear cover    
1st edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Lizard Logo, January 1978 - blank rear cover
1st edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Lizard Logo, May 1978       - blank rear cover

In all 3 of the 2nd edition prints the description for "Basic Dungeons & Dragons complete basic game set" first line ends with D&
The next line starts with D

2nd edition, 1st print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, November 1978, back cover B1 price $4.49  - full listing on back, B1 price $4.49
2nd edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, November 1978, back cover B1 price $5.49 - full listing on back, B1 price $5.49
2nd edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, November 1978, no prices on back cover     - same list, no prices on back


3rd edition, 1st print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, no ISBN on page 1   - same as 2nd ed 3rd print including wrap points in first line
3rd edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE OR CHITS" on page 46   - same as 2nd ed 3rd print except the first line wraps at a different point. First line ends with D&D, next line starts with Basic

New print:
3rd edition, 2.5 print: code 2001, Wizard logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE OR CHITS" on page 46
complete redesign of rear cover, no prices, now lists modules B1 and B2

3rd edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE" on page 46  same as the 2.5 print above

That's a lot of information packed into a small space. I'll post pictures of the rear covers that I have.

Sorting through the Holmes basic booklets:

2nd edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, November 1978, no prices on back cover (See here for pictures of this print)
3rd edition, 1st print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, no ISBN on page 1 [I've never seen this, but it's mentioned on the Acaeum as a possibility]
3rd edition, 2nd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE OR CHITS" on page 46
3rd edition, 3rd print: code 2001, Wizard Logo, December 1979, ISBN on page 1, "USING THE DICE" on page 46

I'll have to look over my 0D&D checklists file to see where these fall.

ShaneG.

Wow - that's awesome Mike!